Dean, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering

The University of Florida (UF), a member of the American Association of Universities (AAU) and Florida’s public flagship university, seeks an accomplished and ambitious leader to serve as the Dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering (HWCOE or the College). This is an opportunity to lead a college enjoying a tremendous run of success and growth at a university that offers a unique combination of scale, breadth, and excellence.

Thanks to generous philanthropic and state support, HWCOE has two new signature buildings and is completing aggressive hiring initiatives to expand the faculty. This growth has allowed the College to become more diverse, productive, and collaborative as the faculty produces world-class research and educates engineering leaders with the skills and creativity to change the world. The Dean will build off of this strong foundation to aggressively pursue excellence in HWCOE’s research, teaching, and outreach missions and promote its story and impact on a national and global level.

The University of Florida has made significant investments in faculty across the University, adding more than 500 new positions supported by the state legislature over the past several years. Another 100 new faculty are being hired across campus through a signature long-term artificial intelligence initiative that will transform the curriculum and research at UF. These efforts are part of a run of growth and success at UF that has translated into a startling rise in the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) rankings. The University has moved up 22 spots in rankings of national universities since 2017 and is now ranked the No. 5 public university in the nation, with excellence across the campus reflected in 28 top-25 national programs. Total University research expenditures increased to $960 million in FY 21.

Reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean is the chief academic officer of the College and is responsible for leading its education, research, service, and outreach agenda, as well as leading philanthropic efforts and building strategic internal and external relationships to support its mission. The Dean will pursue excellence in a variety of ways: developing and moving aggressive research agendas and projects within the College and across UF, improving the College’s reputation across multiple metrics including rankings, federal funding, inventions, and patents and licenses; developing a strategic vision for the College that will carry it through the next decade; and leading a vigorous fundraising program in support of the College for the next campaign. The Dean must be an experienced administrator and collaborative leader who views inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) as foundational values central to a successful academic enterprise.

The University has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. All inquiries, applications, and nominations should be directed to:

Greg Esposito, Partner
Melissa DePretto Behan, Senior Associate
https://www.imsearch.com/search-detail/S8-504