Dean

Dean

Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Augusta University (AU) seeks a dynamic academic leader to serve as its next Dean of the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (Pamplin College). This position reports directly to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and is a key member of the academic leadership team.

 

THE UNIVERSITY AND PAMPLIN COLLEGE

Founded in 1828 and located in Augusta, Georgia, Augusta University is a public research university and medical center dedicated to training the next generation of innovators, leaders and health care providers. Home to four campuses in Augusta and various satellite locations across Georgia, Augusta University is at the forefront of groundbreaking research focused on improving and enriching the human experience.

 

Offering programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business and education as well as a full range of graduate programs and hands-on clinical research opportunities, Augusta University is Georgia’s innovation center for education and health care. The combination of nationally ranked business and nursing schools as well as the state’s flagship public medical school and only dental school makes Augusta University a destination of choice for the students of today and the leaders of tomorrow.

 

Augusta University currently enrolls 9,557 students (5,675 undergraduate students, 1,921 graduate students, 1,326 professional students, and 635 post professional students) across its 10 colleges and schools. Its student body is comprised of approximately 11% first-generation undergraduate students, 37.7% Pell-eligible students, 33.86% underrepresented minority students, and international students from more than 80 countries. Research awards for FY2020 totaled $159 million.

 

Augusta University is committed to increasing inclusive excellence, promoting equity, and cultivating a welcoming environment for all students, faculty, and staff. Accordingly, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion was established in 2014 to work hand-in-hand with administrative and academic units, including Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, to strategically build, align and coordinate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts throughout the university.

 

The historic Summerville Campus is home to the university’s liberal arts curriculum. In the shade of ancient trees, professors from the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the nationally ranked James M. Hull College of Business; the College of Education; and the College of Science and Mathematics prepare students for a lifetime of critical thinking, creativity and entrepreneurial success. Augusta University empowers all to build better lives – lives of great meaning, consequence, and fulfillment.

 

The university’s Health Sciences Campus is at the forefront of health care innovation. Located in beautiful downtown Augusta the Health Sciences Campus is home to the Medical College of Georgia, the College of Nursing, the College of Allied Health Sciences, the Graduate School, and the Dental College of Georgia. The Health Sciences Campus is also home to the state’s only public academic medical center.

 

Nestled along the Savannah River, the Riverfront Campus is located in Augusta's growing cybersecurity corridor and houses the state-owned Georgia Cyber Center, a state-of-the-art cyber center comprised of the university's School of Computer and Cyber Sciences, a cutting-edge cyber range, a 340-seat auditorium, secure briefing space, incubator space for innovation and entrepreneurship, and classrooms; as well as proximity to industry professionals and innovative start-ups.

 

Opened in 1991, Christenberry Fieldhouse (CFH) houses 11 of the Augusta Jaguars’ 13 competition sports. In addition to housing all administrative and support staff for the Augusta University Department of Athletics, CFH also houses the College of Education’s Kinesiology Department. The Forest Hills Campus, on which CFH is located, also houses a full-size golf course, baseball, softball and soccer fields and serves as the home of the Jaguars’ nationally recognized NCAA Division I golf team.

 

Our campus libraries, the Reese Library on the Summerville Campus and the Robert B. Greenblatt M.D. Library on the Health Sciences Campus provide comprehensive information resources and services in support of the teaching, discovery, and clinical care mission of our student-centered research university and academic medical center.

 

Pamplin College is home to 114 faculty across its six departments: Art & Design; Communication; English & World Languages; History, Anthropology, & Philosophy; Music; and Social Sciences. It also plays a critical role in the humanities, which is a core part of each Augusta University undergraduate student’s education. Pamplin College enrolls over 1,500 students across a wide variety of undergraduate and a select number of graduate degree programs.

 

Georgia’s second-oldest and second-largest city, Augusta, is situated on the southern banks of the storied Savannah River. Serving as a halfway point between the Appalachian Mountains to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, Augusta is a thriving community of more than half a million people and built on a solid foundation of local pride and Southern hospitality. Augusta is noted for its diverse and friendly population. 57% of the residents in Augusta-Richmond County identify as Black or African American. Augusta offers renowned culture, food, entertainment, sports, and outdoor adventures. Most notably, Augusta is home to the esteemed Masters Tournament and is the birthplace of Soul Icon James Brown.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Dean has oversight of areas including, but not limited to, budgets, degree programs, faculty, staff, accreditations, strategic planning, fund raising, alumni relations, student enrollment, retention and success, and faculty recruitment and development. The Dean is also expected to:

  • Promote an understanding, both internally and externally, of the College, its purposes, and objectives;
  • Support student recruitment, learning, and retention through quality co-curricular programs, high impact practices, faculty advising, and teaching;
  • Guide the development of the Pamplin College in conjunction with the University’s strategic plan;
  • Facilitate and grow high quality, relevant, and innovative curriculum across the undergraduate and graduate levels;
  • Lead an environment that promotes and strengthens diversity, equity, and inclusion;
  • Encourage research, scholarship, and creative activity among the faculty;
  • Contribute to the development and stability of leadership across all levels within the College;
  • Provide consistent encouragement of undergraduate and graduate research; and
  • Foster new partnerships, existing relationships, and articulate a vision that generates investment and support from the community, private donors, and alumni.

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates for Dean should possess a terminal degree appropriate to the College from an accredited university. The ideal candidate will also possess:

  • Academic credentials commensurate with the appointment to the rank of full professor;
  • Five or more years of progressive administrative experience, such as associate/assistant dean, department chair, or equivalent position;
  • Experience that demonstrates not only an appreciation for diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff and students, but also the capacity to advance diversity, equity and inclusion at the organizational level;
  • A broad understanding and appreciation of the arts, humanities, and social sciences and how they fit into a broader research university;
  • An entrepreneurial and strategic approach to programmatic development and an understanding of innovative avenues to degree completion;
  • A record of quality scholarship and/or creative activity demonstrated through peer‐reviewed publications and presentations appropriate to the discipline;
  • Success in development and fund raising or an eagerness to learn;
  • An ability to effectively advocate for the arts, humanities, and social sciences and demonstrate the value of all programs within Pamplin College to a variety of different constituencies;
  • Experience promoting the growth of research, scholarship, and creative activity amongst the faculty;
  • A participatory leadership style and a willingness to listen with the goal of stability and cohesion amongst all constituents;
  • A clear and consistent communication style that values transparency and shared governance;
  • A strong commitment to promoting academic freedom;
  • An affinity for all programs within the College and enthusiasm to attend performances and events;
  • The capacity to effectively interface and collaborate with other academic leadership including Deans of other colleges across campus;
  • The financial acumen to aid Pamplin College in matching aspirations with finite resources;
  • Evidence of collaboration with faculty and administrators in various disciplines to advance programs and enhance recruitment, retention, and student success efforts;
  • A strong moral compass where decision making is influenced by a sense of right and wrong;
  • Experience developing interdisciplinary and/or inter‐institutional programs; and
  • Significant experience with accreditation.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS      

The Search Committee invites applications, inquiries, and nominations for this position. Applications should be accompanied by a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact details of at least five professional references. Applications and nominations will be accepted until the position is filled and review of applications will begin immediately. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit materials (electronic submissions preferred) prior to January 4, 2021 to the search firm assisting Augusta University.

 

Laurie C. Wilder, President

Porsha L. Williams, Vice President

Jacob C. Anderson, Principal

Parker Executive Search

pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com

(770) 804-1996 x 111

 

Augusta University, a unit of the University System of Georgia, is an equal opportunity educational institution and is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.