Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

The University of Kentucky is seeking a visionary leader to serve as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. As the chief academic officer of the College, the Dean of Arts and Sciences reports directly to the Provost of the University and is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the College of Arts and Sciences. As a key member of the University’s leadership, the Dean must be an advocate for the College within the University of Kentucky and have the ability to work across disciplinary and college boundaries. The next Dean will bring a strong commitment to the recruitment, retention, and post-graduate placement of a diverse group of excellent students, as well as the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff. The next Dean will work to provide transformational education that enables an understanding of the world and equips students for continuous intellectual and personal growth.
 
The next Dean will join the University and the College at a pivotal time. The University is committed to grow its programs and overall enrollment. The Dean allocates and manages the fiscal resources of the College of Arts and Sciences to assure optimal deployment and, as necessary, recruit more faculty. Therefore, the Dean will be a key driver of decision-making that is critical to UK’s success and growth, including building and retaining the non-contingent faculty, ensuring ample resource allocation and developing mutually advantageous interdisciplinary programs built on campus-wide collaborations and partnerships. As decisions are made, it will be imperative that the Dean provide transparency in how decisions get made and how information is distilled.
 
Fundraising will be critical for the next Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The Dean must balance existing resources and seek new resources to meet the strategic priorities and values of the College effectively. This individual will also promote and advocate for the College of Arts and Sciences both internally and externally on a national and international level.

The next Dean must also foster an environment of excellent teaching, research, and intellectual engagement, as well as create and strengthen partnerships within and outside the College of Arts and Sciences.  As the academic leader, the Dean must also encourage and promote opportunities for scholarly development of the faculty, innovation in pedagogy and curriculum, and scholarly research that advances the College’s intellectual contributions to the University. Given the diverse research expertise of the college and collaborative opportunities across the campus, the Dean will be well-positioned to grow research. The Dean must cultivate an environment where the faculty flourish and where the ethos of the College of Arts and Sciences is fully embraced, which includes building and supporting strong relationships between faculty and administration in a culture of shared governance and continuing to hire non-contingent faculty. The Dean will be instrumental in nurturing all forms of research and all areas of the liberal arts and sciences, advocating and articulating the values of the College across the University.
 
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are a significant priority for the College of Arts and Sciences. As such, the College continues to make investments in its policies, programming, courses, and resources to address systemic inequities. The next Dean will be an instrumental leader in fostering a supportive, respectful, and inclusive community for all faculty, students, and staff. The Dean will also be responsible for providing a vision to help guide the recruitment and retention of a diverse, talented, and creative faculty.

To achieve these goals, the Dean will need to create a cohesive and transparent identity across the entire College. To that end, the Dean will be an entrepreneurial and visionary leader, strategist, and researcher, with the passion, skill and drive to seize opportunities and forge strong connections to industry and alumni communities. The Dean needs strong interpersonal and communication skills that reveal integrity and compassion.
 
In short, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will be responsible for defining the College’s strategic priorities and securing resources to deliver on these priorities, delivering educational programs and research of the highest quality, and attracting outstanding students.
 
 The executive search firm of Heidrick & Struggles has been selected to recruit for this position. To be considered, you must complete the UK application and contact UKYArtsAndSciencesDean@heidrick.com at Heidrick & Struggle. 

Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to protect our university community including our students, staff, faculty and visitors, the University of Kentucky is requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all new hires prior to starting employment. Therefore, as of October 18, 2021, all new hires prior to their first day of employment must submit appropriate documentation showing, i) completion of the first vaccination against COVID-19, or ii) completion of the full vaccination series against COVID-19, or iii) approved exemption (medical contraindications or a sincerely held religious belief) through the formal exemption process from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement. For those employees who have completed the first vaccination against COVID-19 prior to their first day of employment, the second vaccination (if applicable) must be completed following the vaccination recommended schedule to be considered fully vaccinated.