Director, The Polytechnic School

Location

Polytechnic campus, Arizona, United States

Director, The Polytechnic School

The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (Fulton Schools or FSE) at Arizona State University seeks an accomplished scholar and strategic leader as director of The Polytechnic School (TPS), one of seven schools in FSE and one of two FSE schools located on the Polytechnic campus. At The Polytechnic School, we are creating a new higher education experience – one that focuses on learning through prototyping and solving real-world challenges through collaboration. The Polytechnic School embodies a future-focused, collaborative and inclusive culture. We intentionally seek a director who will continue to foster a culture where faculty thrive as teachers and scholars, and who will embrace new approaches that bridge emerging technology industries and novel research landscapes.

The Polytechnic School is home to seven disciplinary program areas including aviation, engineering, environmental and resource management, graphic information technology, human systems engineering, information technology and technological entrepreneurship and management. The director of the school reports to the dean of the Fulton Schools of Engineering and will be the academic and administrative leader of The Polytechnic School. The director is responsible for visioning, strategic planning, operations, finance, academic affairs, external relations and advancement. These activities include working with faculty and staff to recruit and retain diverse students, hiring and developing faculty, supervising support staff, creating opportunities for externally funded research, fundraising and development and building strong interactions with industry, local, state and federal funding agencies and the greater community.

One of the nation’s top public universities and ranked #1 in innovation by U.S. News & World Report, ASU is well underway in its bold reinvention of higher education as the New American University. ASU has strong and simultaneous commitments to educational access, research and teaching excellence and assumes significant responsibility for the cultural, social and economic vitality of its surrounding communities in the metropolitan Phoenix region and beyond.

One of the fastest growing academic research enterprises in the U.S., ASU has created a vibrant environment of discovery, interdisciplinary research and innovation focused on addressing society’s greatest challenges. Its research expenditures have nearly tripled over the last decade, totaling $618 million last year. ASU is well on its way to expanding the university’s research enterprise to over $800 million in annual activity by 2025. The Fulton Schools of Engineering play a pivotal role in this continued expansion.

For additional information about Arizona State University, the Fulton Schools of Engineering, and this leadership opportunity, please review the search profile.

Qualifications and desired attributes for the Director of The Polytechnic School

ASU seeks a school director with the following minimum and desired qualifications, professional experiences and attributes:

Required Qualifications

• An earned doctorate in a discipline within TPS or a related field
• A record of distinguished scholarly research and professional accomplishments that merits appointment as a full professor with tenure (OR related experiences that demonstrate a capacity to engage and support faculty, foster research excellence and facilitate student success)
• Demonstrated record of an administrative leadership role
• Demonstrated commitment to support and enhance diversity, equity and inclusion

 Desired Qualifications

• Experience visioning and implementing a strategic plan that fosters academic and research excellence and growth and advocates for the resources required for TPS to achieve its goals
• Collaborative and collegial leadership style that works across disciplines, both within the university and with external partners
• Experience with the management and operation of undergraduate and graduate academic programs, budget planning and management, enrollment and administrative policies
• Experience in industry or a demonstrated ability to envision TPS-industry
• collaboration and develop partnerships, research collaborations and educational programs
• Ability to function as a spokesperson for TPS and its interests in both internal and external environments
• Demonstrated success in fundraising and advancement activities
• Teaching experience, including with first generation, underrepresented and
• non-traditional students
• Experience with innovative teaching practices, including online learning
• Supportive of engineering education
• Effective communication style that imbues the faculty, staff and students with a sense of pride and purpose for TPS’ vision and mission
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to communicate effectively how and why decisions are made
• An active listener and strong communicator who leads with integrity, honesty and transparency

Applications and Nominations

To apply for this position, candidates are requested to submit the following to: ASUDirectorTPS@agbsearch.com. Application deadline is December 9, 2021. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.

• Curriculum vitae
• Letter describing your interest in and qualifications for the school director position (two pages maximum)
• Vision statement for The Polytechnic School (two pages maximum)
• *Diversity statement (two pages maximum)
• Contact information for three references (to be contacted with candidate’s permission at a later date)

*The ASU Charter states, “ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.” The diversity statement provides applicants an opportunity to demonstrate how their past and current activities in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and how future activities will align with upholding the ASU Charter.

Nominations and expressions of interest are encouraged. Please direct them to

the AGB search consultants listed below.

Richard A. Wueste, Executive Search Consultant

richard.wueste@agbsearch.com

O: 540.431.5131/C: 719.480.3050

Kimberly Templeton, JD, Principal

kimberly.templeton@agbsearch.com

C: 540.761.9494 / O: 202.776.0820

A background check is required for employment. Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other basis protected by law. (See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.)

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources. ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf. You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.