Dean, Faculty of Arts & Sciences
William & Mary
Dean, Faculty of Arts & Sciences
William & Mary seeks a strategic, collaborative, and creative leader as the next Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences (Dean). Reporting directly to the Provost, the Dean will promote academic excellence within Arts & Sciences, be attentive to the needs of its individual departments and programs, and represent the priorities of Arts & Sciences to the larger university community. The Dean collaborates with other university partners who support A&S students, including the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Dean of Students, the Vice President for Strategy & Innovation, the Associate Vice President for Enrollment & Dean of Admission, and the Chief Career Officer.
The Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences will be expected to provide visionary leadership for Arts & Sciences and crystallize the identity of Arts & Sciences. The Dean will strengthen graduate programs and expand interdisciplinary programs, advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and promote organizational sustainability. In addition, the Dean will lead, develop and retain excellent faculty, prepare to take full advantage of new buildings, and serve as a trusted and valued member of the university leadership during a period of institutional transition.
A critically important hire for William & Mary, the next Dean will be a creative and bold leader with an open-minded, collegial leadership style and the energy and integrity to inspire others and to envision the future of Arts & Sciences as central in the landscape of the university. Candidates should have a history of forward-thinking leadership in a complex organization, the ability to build and cultivate consensus, and accomplishment in creating and supporting a climate of inclusive excellence. In addition to an outstanding record of scholarly achievement and academic leadership, the successful candidate will bring to the role an enterprising spirit and the ability to lead change through effective communication, collaboration, and the strength of good ideas. The successful candidate will also bring sophistication and fluency about the most challenging topics facing higher education, as well as the ability to question assumptions in a collaborative way. Finally, the successful candidate will possess an earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree with a record of teaching and scholarship suitable for a tenured appointment as a full professor.
Arts & Sciences is the largest academic unit on campus. With 11 graduate programs and more than 40 undergraduate departments and interdisciplinary programs, Arts & Sciences is the home of William & Mary’s liberal arts and sciences education. Approximately 6,400 undergraduates and 330 graduate students (including 190 doctoral students) are currently enrolled in Arts & Sciences, taught by 469 full-time faculty from Arts & Sciences (301 tenured, 73 tenure-track, and 95 non-tenure-track). Approximately 184 administrative and professional staff also contribute meaningfully to the successful operation, which has a $98 million operating budget.
William & Mary is a “leading research university driven by the beating heart of the liberal arts.” Founded in 1693 in what would become Virginia’s colonial capital, Williamsburg, the institution has evolved with the nation it serves and is now one of the top public liberal arts-based research universities in the country. William & Mary enrolls nearly 10,000 students (9,517 based on Fall 2021 data), including 6,543 undergraduates, almost all (99%) full-time.
William & Mary has highly selective graduate degree programs in Arts & Sciences, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and the schools of Law, Business, and Education. The university is home to 680 full-time instructional faculty members: 419 are tenured, 97 are tenure-track, and 164 are non-tenure eligible. William & Mary faculty members are recognized for excellence in teaching and for providing unique research and collaboration opportunities to their students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The student-faculty ratio of 13:1 is the lowest among top public universities, a factor that helps strengthen William & Mary’s traditional commitment to teaching. Eighty-five percent of classes have fewer than 40 students; nearly half have fewer than 20 students. With a Carnegie classification as a Doctoral University with High Research Activity (R2), William & Mary strives to strengthen and grow its research portfolio.
With a relatively new President and Provost, as well as new leadership at each of its schools, William & Mary is in the midst of an exciting time of change. The Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences will play a critical role in shaping William & Mary’s future.
The full Position Profile can be found at https://bit.ly/WMASDEAN.
Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. Interested candidates should submit confidentially, in electronic form (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF files preferred), a curriculum vitae and letter of interest to:
Jett Pihakis, Ph.D.
Russell Reynolds Associates
(202) 654-7870
For fullest consideration, materials should be received as soon as possible and preferably by January 16.
William & Mary is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.