Dean of Maine College of Engineering, Computing and Information Science

Dean of Maine College of Engineering, Computing and Information Science

The University of Maine (UMaine) invites applications and nominations for the inaugural position of Dean of the Maine College of Engineering, Computing and Information Science (MCECIS). The founding dean is the chief executive officer of the college and reports to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. UMaine and its MCECIS partners seek a visionary academic leader and experienced administrator with a strong record of inclusive excellence and innovation in their own teaching and research programs to serve as its dean.

In October 2020, the Harold Alfond Foundation announced an historic $240 million grant commitment to the University of Maine System (UMS), the largest gift ever to a public institution of higher education in New England. Paid out over the next 12 years, the grant commitment, along with another $170 million in matching funds, will transform Maine’s largest educational, research, innovation, and talent development asset. The creation of MCECIS, which is supported by $75 million of the Alfond Foundation’s grant commitment, will be a statewide, integrated solution focused on the future to provide the innovations and technical workforce that are critical to move Maine’s economy forward.

Through a generous gift from a UMaine mechanical engineering alum, MCECIS facilities will include the state-of-the-art E. James and Eileen P. Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center, scheduled to open in August 2022.

UMaine seeks a founding dean who is an innovative and collaborative leader with a record of effectively leading through meaningful change, and who values and upholds transparency. The dean will be a transformational pioneer with a demonstrated commitment to promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion, and equity. The inaugural MCECIS dean will support world-changing research; encourage innovative programmatic and curricular practices; establish and amplify the profile of MCECIS through external outreach and fundraising; and lead in developing and growing programs across the broad spectrum of MCECIS disciplines, including in collaboration with other UMS universities. The dean is charged with encouraging a culture of innovation and excellence within the college and collaborating with other deans and center/institute directors in developing and implementing shared initiatives that support and advance UMaine’s overall Strategic Vision and Values, as well as meeting the goals of the Alfond Foundation-funded initiatives, benefitting the state of Maine and beyond. The dean will be a champion of cultivating a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable climate, and will develop and implement strategies to recruit and retain a more diverse student body and faculty. The dean will be a dynamic leader who has a deep understanding of intersectionality, the ability to consider issues from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders and disciplines, and a demonstrated record of working collegially and cooperatively by reaching across unit and University boundaries to form and nurture positive and productive relationships that reflect courtesy and mutual respect.

The founding dean will hold an earned terminal degree within an academic discipline represented in or closely related to MCECIS and have a distinguished record of achievement that qualifies for the rank of professor with tenure within a MCECIS-related academic discipline. In addition, successful experience as an academic leader, such as a dean, associate dean, assistant dean, department chair, program director, or related experience, with a proven track record of working across disciplinary boundaries, is required.  For additional information about UMaine, MCECIS, and the opportunity, visit this link.

The flagship campus of the University of Maine System, UMaine is a land grant, space grant, and sea grant university serving the state, nation, and world through its research, teaching, and outreach mission. Founded in 1865 and located in the town of Orono, UMaine has a rich history of providing premier educational opportunities at an affordable price. UMaine is the only major comprehensive research institution and the only R1 Carnegie-classified research university in the state.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The UMaine search committee for the Dean of Maine College of Engineering, Computing and Information Science will begin accepting nominations and reviewing applications immediately. Requested application materials include a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, a diversity statement, and a list of five professional references. References will not be called without explicit prior permission. Although applications will be welcomed until a new dean is selected, for best consideration all candidates should submit materials by April 28, 2022 to the following address: MCECISDean@storbecksearch.com

Thomas Fitch, Managing Director

Carol Fairborn, Associate

Storbeck Search

MCECISDean@storbecksearch.com

For more information, please visit UMaine’s home page at https://umaine.edu/

The University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities.