Dean - College of Arts and Sciences

UNO is Nebraska's public metropolitan research university - a university with strong academic values, diverse programs and learning opportunities, and significant relationships with our community that facilitate engaged teaching and research.

Job Title
Dean - College of Arts and Sciences

Department
CAS

Essential Functions

The University of Nebraska at Omaha ( UNO ) and its College of Arts and Sciences ( CAS ) seek a visionary, strategic leader to serve as the next dean of the college, starting in 2024. CAS is a diverse community of scholars, learners, and staff. The college offers a range of academic programs and is home to a blend of traditional academic departments in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and also to several interdisciplinary programs that serve the campus. The college plays a key role in meeting general education curriculum needs for students from across the university and in fulfilling the liberal arts mission of a four-year institution.

Reporting to the Senior Vice Chancellor, the Dean is the college’s Chief Academic Officer. As such, the Dean is charged with providing innovative and effective leadership for the academic departments and interdisciplinary programs comprising the college in collaboration with department chairs and directors. This includes leading efforts to ensure that academic programming meets the needs of contemporary learners, developing new programs and opportunities in support of enrollment growth and student success in the workforce, and ensuring that student success is prioritized.

The Dean is broadly responsible for providing academic leadership to the college in a time of change. In recent years, there have been significant changes in campus leadership and organizational structure. The dean is charged with leading UNO’s largest college in efforts to ensure alignment with institutional priorities focused on student success and workforce development including initiatives focused on developing experiential learning opportunities, fostering community engagement and partnerships, and supporting the development of international programs and partnerships.

The Dean is charged with fostering a collegial, welcoming, and inclusive college environment where faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds and cultures are able to learn and work in a safe and supportive environment. Additionally, the Dean is expected to foster an environment that honors and supports shared governance, encourages transparency in decision making, and that is characterized by communication and collaboration. To learn more about the CAS Dean opportunity, including a detailed Leadership Profile and information about the college, UNO, and Omaha, please visit the search webpage: https://www.unomaha.edu/academic-affairs/position-search-pages/cas-dean-search.php

The University and college have a strong commitment to achieving diversity among the faculty and staff. The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment. UNO is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an E-Verify employer.

Additional Duties

The Dean is responsible for leadership and oversight of the following areas:

- Student success and degree completion: The dean is responsible for ensuring the college operates in a manner consistent with UNO’s student-centered approach by meeting instructional needs across programs and modalities, providing effective academic advising, and fostering a culture of care among faculty and staff focused on supporting students in a holistic manner. The dean is responsible for monitoring enrollments, fostering enrollment growth, and working collaboratively to support student success as needed.

- Academic program vitality and sustainability: The dean is responsible for regularly assessing the vitality and sustainability of academic programs in the college using a data-informed approach. The dean works closely with college faculty to foster a culture of assessment where opportunities for improvement and growth are continually assessed and incorporated into planning efforts.

- Faculty recruitment and retention: The dean is responsible for leading efforts to recruit and retain a well-qualified, diverse faculty body by fostering a vibrant and inclusive environment for faculty from diverse intellectual, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.

- Academic excellence and faculty development/advancement: The dean is responsible for supporting the development and advancement of faculty in the college by prioritizing teaching and pedagogical skill development, supporting faculty research and creative activity, encouraging engaged teaching and research, and administering the college’s reappointment, promotion, and tenure processes.

- Fiscal management: The dean is responsible for the College’s $28 million annual budget including the allocation of funding to support key priorities and initiatives, working collaboratively with various departments to understand and manage budget-related matters, and fiscal planning and all aspects of managing college funds.

- Resource development: The dean is responsible for garnering philanthropic support for the college and its constituent departments and programs, and for leading fundraising efforts in support of students, faculty, programming, and key initiatives. The dean is also responsible for leading efforts to enhance externally funded research in the college.

- Personnel management and decisions: The dean is responsible for personnel decisions pertaining to the college’s 65 staff and nearly 250 full-time faculty including oversight of searches and hiring, annual performance assessment, disciplinary matters, and all other personnel issues.

- Engagement and representation of the college: The dean is responsible for representing the college to both internal and external audiences and is tasked with enhancing the visibility and reputation of the college, its faculty, and its programming. The dean is also responsible for leading community engagement efforts and fostering engaged teaching, research, and service among faculty.

- Strategic planning: The dean is responsible for leading strategic planning efforts in the college in a collaborative manner that engages faculty and staff, and regularly assessing progress toward key initiatives.

Required Qualifications

Qualified candidates must possess an earned doctorate or terminal degree; full-time faculty experience; progressive academic administrative experience at the department level or higher; and a distinguished record of teaching, creative/scholarly activities and service to qualify for senior rank and tenure in one of the college’s academic departments. The successful candidate must also be an effective communicator with a demonstrated commitment to shared governance and a willingness to promote, enhance and support external funding for the college.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred qualifications include:
- Demonstrated record as an academic leader
- Ability to foster a shared vision, lead strategic planning, and build consensus
- Experience creating a welcoming and inclusive environment
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
- Commitment to student success and engagement
- Experience generating external funding and developing resources
- Managerial acumen and experience (e.g., personnel, budget, operations)
- Appreciation for the value of branding, marketing, and public relations

Posting Number
2023F-00117

Special Instructions to Applicants

All applications must be submitted electronically through the UNO Employment website: https://unomaha.peopleadmin.com/postings/17796 . A complete application will include 1) a letter of interest addressing relevant experience and expertise with regard to the areas of responsibility and that conveys the applicant’s understanding and support of UNO’s engaged metropolitan mission,and 2) current curriculum vitae including names and contact information (i.e., title/position, phone number, email address) of five professional references. References will only be contacted after first round interviews.

Individuals who wish to nominate a candidate can do so on the CAS Dean Search website by submitting the name and contact information for the nominee. For full consideration, application materials must be submitted by Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Questions? Contact Dr. Michael Hilt, Search Committee Chair, at mhilt@unomaha.edu.