Dean of the College of Fine Arts

Carnegie Mellon University

Search for Dean of the College of Fine Arts

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean of the College of Fine Arts. Since its founding, the College of Fine Arts (CFA) has provided an unparalleled platform for groundbreaking critical inquiry and creative production in drama, music, art, architecture, and design. The dean will have the opportunity to build on the excellence of CFA’s individual schools and programs, and the transdisciplinary opportunities of a world-class research university, to further advance a dynamic and entrepreneurial college.

The College of Fine Arts is distinguished as one of the few colleges in the nation to encompass rigorous conservatory-style education, multidisciplinary studio training, and vanguard research under one umbrella. CFA is organized into five schools—the School of Architecture, School of Art, School of Design, School of Drama, and School of Music—and also includes a robust ecology of interdisciplinary programs, such as the BXA Intercollege Degree Programs, the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art, the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, and the Center for the Arts in Society. The College is home to 165 full-time faculty, 30 part-time faculty, and 239 staff, and provides an education to nearly 1,400 students across 24 undergraduate majors, 30 master’s programs, and 4 doctoral programs.

Reporting to the provost, the dean will champion the arts and advance a dynamic vision for the future of the College. The dean will oversee the College’s operating budget of $40 million and will work collaboratively with school heads, faculty, staff, and students to enhance the unique strengths of individual units, identify shared commonalities, and advance collective ambitions. The Schools in the College of Fine Arts have a long tradition of school autonomy and the dean must develop long-range plans that demonstrate a commitment to transparency and shared governance while articulating the needs of the whole in a coherent and integrated fashion. As the leader of the CMU arts community, the dean will bring the intellectual breadth and energy needed to advance creative momentum building across CFA, ensure that the College’s achievements are broadcast widely and strategically, promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and articulate, both within CMU and far beyond, the power of the arts to transform future thought and practice.

Carnegie Mellon University is committed to equity and inclusion and strongly encourages applications from people from historically marginalized and/or underrepresented backgrounds. To read the full position description and to submit inquiries, nominations/referrals, and applications, visit Isaacson, Miller’s website at www.imsearch.com/7387      

Carnegie Mellon University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, gender, race, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.