Dean, College of Arts & Sciences

Job Summary

Florida Gulf Coast University seeks an innovative, student-centered and collaborative leader to serve as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2022.

Reporting to the Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean is the chief academic and executive officer of the college and serves as a member of the University’s academic leadership team. Besides providing overall leadership and creative vision, the Dean manages faculty and staff, fiscal resources, compliance with accreditation standards, community outreach, fundraising, marketing and enrollment, interdisciplinary initiatives, and physical facilities of the college. The Dean is accountable for the quality of academic programs and building undergraduate and graduate programs of excellence. The Dean guarantees the integrity of all College programs, promotes quality and excellence in teaching, scholarship and service, and fosters an environment of openness and collegiality. The Dean is responsible for encouraging mission-relevant scholarship, promoting sustainability education across disciplines, and enhancing student success.

Job Description

The successful candidate will have exemplary academic achievements and qualify for the rank of Professor in their discipline, and show progressive and sustained academic leadership experience.

Specifically, the successful candidate will

• Enhance diversity, equity and inclusion among faculty, staff and students in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)
• work effectively within a multicultural environment
• advocate for the unique mission of the college and university
• possess outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to garner financial and other resources for the college
• be committed to improving student success and undergraduate general education outcomes
• demonstrate evidence of financial and human resources management skills, including fundraising and other forms of support for Arts & Sciences programs
• have a commitment to shared governance

This is an extraordinary opportunity to lead a college that is central to FGCU’s emphasis on degree programs of strategic importance to Southwest Florida and beyond.

Inclusive Excellence

Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to establishing and maintaining an inclusive working and learning environment in which students, faculty, administrators, staff, curriculum, social activities, governance, and all other aspects of the campus life reflect a diverse, multicultural, and international worldview.

At FGCU, we collectively stand against any individual or group that practices any form of racism, discrimination, intolerance, hate expressions, or disrespect. We are committed to preparing students to understand, live among, appreciate, and work in an inherently diverse country and world made up of people with different ethnic and racial backgrounds, religious beliefs, abilities, ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, socio-economic status, cultural traditions, family statuses, and military backgrounds. FGCU strives to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes our University stronger. The University community recognizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive institution and holds these ideals as paramount for the current and future success of the institution.

We seek colleagues who promote and embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply for this position as we believe that our University will grow and move forward through a commitment of equality for all.

College Overview

The College of Arts & Sciences is known for excellence in Arts, Humanities, the Social and Natural Sciences, and Mathematics. The College is dedicated to providing a quality liberal arts education through innovative, student-centered teaching while fostering intellectual breadth and depth, sustainability, intercultural understanding, and civic engagement to prepare students for a life that is informed, examined, and engaged. It supports scholarly activity that advances teaching and contributes to the broader intellectual, artistic, cultural and professional communities with the belief that interdisciplinary collaboration and scholarship benefits our students and enhances our individual disciplines. CAS is the largest of FGCU’s seven colleges and schools, offering high-quality education, engagement with our region, and career support to enable students and graduates to thrive and contribute to the regional and global workforces.

Academically, CAS is organized into 12 departments, the Bower School of Music and the Arts, and several academic centers and institutes. CAS offers fully accredited undergraduate and master’s programs taught on-site and online. In Fall 2021, CAS programs enrolled 6015 undergraduate and 214 graduate students supported by 260 full-time faculty, 200+ adjunct faculty and 50 full-time staff.

About FGCU

Founded in 1991, FGCU is now a comprehensive public university offering undergraduate and graduate programs to almost 16,000 students. One of 12 universities within the State University System of Florida, FGCU is a Carnegie Doctoral/Professional level university, a Carnegie community-engaged institution and an Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution. FGCU has seen enormous growth in academic programs, scholarly activity, campus life, donor support, and student outcomes. Through its strategic planning process, five broad themes or pillars have emerged as priorities – student success, academic excellence, entrepreneurship, health sciences, and community engagement [link to Strategic Plan in this sentence].

FGCU serves a five-county region in Southwest Florida which is among the fastest growing areas of the country. Known for its natural beauty, world-class beaches and cultural activities, industries such as finance and real estate, tourism, outdoor recreation, health care, logistics and agriculture also dominate a growing economy that attracts new residents from across the country. Compared to many other higher-ed centers, FGCU serves an area that will experience significant growth over the next several decades and will produce well-trained and well-rounded citizens for full and productive careers.

Additional Job Description

Qualifications

An earned doctorate from a regionally accredited institution in the disciplines broadly represented in CAS is required together with a record of scholarly contribution that merits appointment as a full professor in an academic discipline represented within the college.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Appointment will be made at an out-of-unit faculty rank commensurate with the candidate’s experience on a 12-month out-of-unit multi-year appointment basis beginning July 1, 2022.

Because applications and materials are subject to public review and retention under Florida’s Public Records Law, please DO NOT send examples of your project/ scholarship unless requested to do so. Therefore, all submitted materials including articles, disks, slides, books, etc., become the property of FGCU and CANNOT BE RETURNED. As applicable, finalists will be notified of the need to submit specific additional materials. Such materials will become the property of FGCU.

Under Florida’s Public Records law, applications will be available for public review upon request.

Required Application Materials:

• Unofficial Transcripts
• Statement of Teaching Philosophy
• Curriculum Vitae and Cover Letter
• Five (5) Professional References

Salary Commensurate with education and experience.

The position is listed as “open until filled”.

FGCU is an EOE AA /F/Vet/Disability Employer.