Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Washington University in St. Louis invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. The Dean is responsible for all aspects of Arts & Sciences research activities, academic programs, fundraising, finances, outreach, and other operations. The Dean is charged with the responsibility of maintaining the highest standards of research, scholarship, and teaching and of fostering meaningful intersections between curricular and co-curricular activities on campus. As a senior member of the Washington University leadership team, the Dean works closely with faculty, the Chancellor, and the Provost to manage the Arts & Sciences programs and resources in furtherance of the University’s academic and institutional goals.

Washington University in St. Louis is a global leader in research and education with approximately 14,000 full-time students divided evenly between undergraduate and graduate/professional programs. The university has 4,000 full- and part-time faculty members and almost three-quarters of a billion dollars in annual research expenditures. Founded in 1853, the University is an independent, Research 1 institution.  The University’s undergraduate program is currently ranked 19th overall by U.S. News and World Report and sixteenth in admissions selectivity, and the School of Medicine is number 4 nationally in NIH funding. Washington University attracts students and faculty from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The University is organized into seven academic units:  the McKelvey School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, the Olin Business School, the Brown School of Social Work, the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, the School of Law, and Arts & Sciences. The University has just completed a capital campaign that surpassed $3.3 billion and is in the early stages of planning strategy for the next ten years. The University’s endowment stands currently at $7.7 billion. Total sponsored research in FY2018 was $711.8 million, including $522.7 million in federal contracts and grants.

Arts & Sciences has approximately 420 tenure-track faculty, 140 teaching-track faculty, 4,500 undergraduate students, 2,000 full-time graduate students, and 900 part-time evening students. The School covers a wide range of disciplines in its 24 departments in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences; and houses 12 interdepartmental programs and 8 research centers. The annual operating budget of Arts & Sciences is $300 million.

The next dean will have the extraordinary opportunity to lead the effort to formulate a plan for the future of Arts & Sciences at Washington University as the University enters a new chapter under the leadership of Chancellor Andrew Martin. The Dean will be expected to strengthen the faculty and enhance research and scholarship within Arts & Sciences; lead the effort to identify selective excellence within departments; sustain and augment existing high quality teaching and student experience; foster excellence in graduate education; manage and allocate resources to ensure a sound and competitive academic enterprise; increase resources through fundraising; build collaboration across divisions; foster diversity, equity, and inclusion; and advocate effectively for Arts & Sciences in institutional settings.

Candidates will present a distinguished record of achievement in research, education, and administration.  They will demonstrate impeccable academic judgment and an uncompromising commitment to academic excellence, a commitment to diversity in all its forms, excellent interpersonal skills, a curiosity about all forms of intellectual inquiry within Arts & Sciences as well as a deep commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration. The Dean must be an articulate and transparent communicator, a strategic allocator and manager of resources, and an effective fundraiser. Ideal candidates will be renown for the scholarship or research, proven in their ability to foster the excellence of research and educational programs, experienced in the  management of complex organizational structures, adept in the financial management of budgets involving personnel, facilities, and programmatic resources; accessible to and in effective communication with faculty, senior administrators, trustees, staff, students, alumni, and donors; interested in and capable of raising funds on behalf of Arts & Sciences.

 

Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited.  Although the search will remain open until the position is filled, review of candidate materials will begin immediately. Candidates should provide, in confidence, a curriculum vitae, and a letter of application that highlights administrative acumen, and the names and contact information of five references.  References will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval of the candidates.

 

Materials should be sent electronically via e-mail to the university’s consultant, Dr. Jonathan Fortescue of Park Square Executive Search, at washudeanfas@parksquare.com. Documents that must be mailed may be sent to Jonathan Fortescue, Ph.D., Managing Partner, or Kyle Meingast, Principal, Park Square Executive Search, LLC, 225 Franklin Street, 17th Floor, Boston, MA 02110. Phone: 617-401-2991.

 

Washington University in St. Louis is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Washington University welcomes difference on our campus in the form of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, geography, socioeconomic status, age, politics, religion, philosophy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and veteran status. All applicants who share this goal are encouraged to apply.