Dean, College of Arts

Dean, College of Arts & Media

The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) seeks an innovative, strategic, and equity-minded leader to serve as the dean of the College of Arts & Media (CAM). This is an exciting opportunity for the dean to engage the CAM community in reimagining its future while elevating and celebrating its strengths. The college is poised for growth and the community will welcome a visionary, collaborative, and tech-forward leader to foster an environment where creativity and innovation can thrive.

Located in the heart of Denver's arts and media industry, the College of Arts & Media offers degrees and programs inFilm & Television,Media Forensics,Music & Entertainment, andVisual Arts. CAM graduates are handpicked by leading firms including Apple, Pixar, AEG Live, Google, Comcast, Rolling Stone, HBO, ILM, and Disney. CAM's visual arts programs have received top accolades from the 2022 Program Rankings of Animation Career Review. In addition, CAM's Music & Entertainment Industry Studies (MEIS) program has been recognize by Billboard Magazine as a top Business School and by MovieMaker Magazine as a Top 40 Film School. CAM's 59 full-time faculty and 73 part-time faculty are accomplished leaders in their creative fields and serve and train approximately 1,200 students with the same cutting-edge technologies and techniques used by professionals.

Reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Constancio Nakuma, the dean will join the university at a time of great momentum and change as CU Denver has prioritized reaching its fullest potential as a public urban research university by 2030. Part of the University of Colorado System, CU Denver is home to more than 14,500 students (over 9,900 undergraduate and 4,500 graduate), has over 1,100 faculty members across seven schools and colleges, and offers 117 degree programs both in-person and online. With 49% first-generation college students and 42% students of color making up the student body, CU Denver is the most diverse research university in Colorado. In 2021, the campus received Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) status and is on track to be classified as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).

The incoming dean will be expected to lead, inspire and unify the College of Arts & Media around a distinctive vision that highlights and deepens the college's partnerships and engagement with the local Denver arts community and the region. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong familiarity with the evolving national arts and media industry landscape and workforce needs, and possess the ability to envision and seize the transformative educational opportunities they present to higher education at large and the College of Arts & Media specifically for strengthening existing programs and developing new and innovative programs. The dean will be seasoned in successfully leading organizational change in a complex academic environment and will demonstrate a commitment to promoting student success and faculty excellence in teaching and scholarship.

The dean will possess an earned Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in one of the disciplines within the college, or related field; a proven record of scholarly publications and/or creative work commensurate with the unit- and college-level requirements for appointment at the rank of full professor; successful leadership experience at or above the level of department chair or equivalent; demonstrated knowledge of the academic structure and operations of a four-year comprehensive research university; and proven record of success in building and managing high-performing teams.

WittKieffer is assisting The University of Colorado Denver in this search. A comprehensive leadership profile can be found here. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer's candidate portal. Nominations and inquiries can be directed to: Sarah Palmer, Bree Liddell, and Robin Mamlet at ArtsMediaDean-CUDenver@wittkieffer.com.

Compensation and Benefit Information
Compensation range: $220,000 - $260,000
Benefits: The University of Colorado offers a full benefits package. Information on university benefits programs, including eligibility, is available at www.cu.edu/employee-services.

The University of Colorado Denver is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.


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