Academic Affairs

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Search: Associate Provost and Dean of the College

Position description

The Associate Provost/Dean of the College is responsible for providing academic leadership and vision for the undergraduate college and for administration of undergraduate programs and related activities. The Dean works in consultation and coordination with faculty (in particular, the Undergraduate Academic Board) and with other administrators on academic planning, curriculum development, and the implementation of policies pertaining to the undergraduate curriculum and to academic regulations for undergraduate students. The Dean also interacts with undergraduates in a variety of capacities.

As Associate Provost and a member of the academic administration, the Dean of the College participates in a broad range of activities and projects related to the academic affairs of the University. In working with faculty, staff and departments, the administration approaches academic affairs in an integrated manner that eschews any simple separation of undergraduate responsibilities. For example, the Dean participates in the planning and development of budgets for all academic programs, and coordinates the budget for part-time faculty. Collectively the administration, including the Dean of the College, is responsible for developing and implementing the Academic and Financial Plan of the University. Among the key priorities of the Plan is the full implementation of the Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP) educational initiative. Working with the rest of the academic administration and senior leadership, the Dean of the College will play a primary leadership role in implementing LEEP. The Dean of the College is centrally involved in planning, implementation and evaluation of academic priorities.

Working with two Associate Deans, the Dean of the College oversees and coordinates the efforts of multiple offices. As part of the LEEP initiative, we expect that several of these efforts will be housed together as the LEEP Resource Center, and the Dean of the College would have ultimate responsibility for the success of the Center. The details of this restructuring have yet to be worked out. Existing offices that likely will be engaged as part of the LEEP Resource Center include:

  • Academic Advising Center, which itself includes
    • Writing Center
    • Career Services
    • Disability Services
    • Community Engagement and Volunteering
  • Study Abroad Program
  • Henry J. Leir Center in Luxembourg
  • Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
  • Academic Advancement Office

In addition to these existing offices, we expect to add some new capacities as part of the LEEP Resource Center. These are likely to include:

  • an office to support undergraduate research and Communities of Effective Practice;
  • an office to support student efforts to win national and international fellowships;
  • an alumni mentoring effort.

The Dean of the College serves as the administrative member of the Undergraduate Academic Board and has administrative responsibility for the College Board. The Dean represents the college and the academic administration on the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee and is also a member of the Planning and Budget Review Committee, and other committees as appropriate. The Dean has administrative responsibility for overseeing and coordinating various celebrations of success in undergraduate education including the Outstanding Teacher Award, the Fall "Salute to Student Scholarship" Honors Convocation, and Commencement. The Dean works with faculty who manage related programs such as the Steinbrecher Fellowships, Fall Fest, and Academic Spree Day.

Process for appointment

To begin June 1, 2012

  1. At its first meeting in September, the Provost and Faculty Steering will review the proposed search and hiring process. 9/7/11.
  2. On Wednesday 9/14/11 a memo will be sent to all faculty under the joint names of the Provost and the Chair of the Faculty announcing that both Walter Wright and Priscilla Elsass will step down from their Associate Provost positions (Dean of the College and Dean of Graduate Studies respectively) at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. The memo will describe the process by which a new Associate Provosts will be hired.
  3. In addition to the process memo noted above, on Wednesday 9/14/11 the Provost will send a call for nominations and expressions of interest to all faculty members. This call will include an updated job description for the Associate Provost and Dean of the College position. Nominations, including self-nominations, should be submitted to the Provost by Friday 9/23/11.
  4. Faculty members who have been nominated but who have not expressed an interest in the position will be contacted by the Provost to determine whether they are willing to be considered for the position. Faculty who are interested in the position will meet with the Provost to discuss the position and their own candidacy.
  5. Faculty willing to be considered for the position will be asked to submit letters of application to the Provost. Applications—including a letter of interest and an up-to-date CV—should be submitted to the Provost by Monday 10/3/11.
  6. The Provost will provide Steering a list of faculty who constitute the resulting pool of applicants at their meeting on 10/5/11. If, in the view of Steering, the pool does not include a sufficient number and diversity (sex, race, ethnicity, generation, disciplinary, etc.) of faculty members who, based on rank and experience, constitute reasonable candidates, the Provost and Steering will work together to identify additional candidates. If the number of candidates in the pool is greater than three, the Provost and Steering will reduce the pool to three.
  7. Faculty Steering will solicit the input of the faculty at large, will interview the candidates at the Steering Committee meeting on Wednesday 11/2/11, and will arrange a series of open forums for interested faculty to meet with each candidate before the 11/30/11 Steering Committee meeting. At that meeting, Steering will discuss the candidates and prepare a memo for the Provost that summarizes the views of the faculty on the strengths and weaknesses of each of the final applicants (to be submitted on Friday 12/16/11).
  8. The Provost will seek comments on the candidates from staff, students and administrators.
  9. The President, working with the Provost, will extend an offer to a candidate. If the search is not successful, the Provost and Faculty Steering will discuss alternatives including the possibility of an outside hire.