Dean of the Carlos Alvarez College of Business

 Dean, Carlos Alvarez College of Business Search

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) invites nominations, expressions of interest, and applications for the position of Dean of the Carlos Alvarez College of Business.

Under the leadership of President Dr. Taylor Eighmy and Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy, the campus has developed a bold and ambitious vision for UTSA’s future and its pursuit of excellence as an urban-serving, Hispanic-thriving discovery enterprise (https://www.utsa.edu/strategicplan/). The University seeks a collaborative, dynamic, and entrepreneurial leader and scholar who will build upon the faculty's existing strengths, engage with the business community to advance workforce and economic development, and further the college's untapped potential to advance the University’s progress toward its goals.

The Alvarez College of Business

This spring, UTSA received its largest non-estate gift thanks to the generosity of longtime university supporters, Carlos and Malú Alvarez. Their $20 million gift to establish UTSA’s first named college – the Alvarez College of Business – will advance research-enhancing activities and provide the College with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build its international brand and position it for an ambitious, bold and dynamic future. The future Dean will largely direct the allocation of this gift and will also benefit from ongoing resources provided by two endowed chairs: the newly established Tom C. Frost Distinguished University Chair for Business Excellence and the Bodenstedt Chair for the Dean of Business

The Alvarez College of Business is UTSA’s second-largest college and is home to more than 7,900 undergraduate and graduate students in 29-degree programs, supported by 205 tenure/tenure-track and fixed-term faculty and a dedicated cadre of staff. Each of the college’s seven departments brings unique value for advancing its mission—these include the Departments of Accounting, Economics, Finance, Information Systems & Cyber Security, Management, Management Science & Statistics, and Marketing. The College is one of the 40 largest business schools in the nation and offers a comprehensive curriculum at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral level that expands the boundaries of a traditional business education. UTSA was named the #1 ranked cyber security program in the country according to a national survey of certified information technology security professionals conducted by the Ponemon Institute. Nationally ranked and recognized, the Alvarez College of Business was named one of the Top 5 undergraduate business programs in Texas by Bloomberg Businessweek. At the graduate level, the college was ranked the No. 10 graduate business school in the nation for Hispanics by Hispanic Business. Faculty scholarship is well regarded, ranked in the top 100 in the UT Dallas Research rankings.

The college is accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. For more information about the Alvarez College of Business, please visit https://business.utsa.edu/.

The University of Texas at San Antonio

As the third-largest of nine academic universities and six health institutions within The University of Texas System, UTSA is a leading public Hispanic Serving Institution Research University specializing in health, cybersecurity, fundamental futures, and human-social development, reflected in its urban-serving mission. With over 34,000 students supported by more than 1,400 faculty and 5,600 staff and student employees, both benefits- and non-benefits eligible, it is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region. As one of the first universities designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution Research University committed to learning and discovery, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and is highly focused on student success and meeting the educational needs of many first-generation, persons of color, transfer, DACA, Veteran, and international students. UTSA prides itself on its diverse student population, and 63% of its students come from San Antonio and South Texas. Approximately two-thirds are persons of color from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education (with more than half of the student body identifying as Hispanic) and nearly half (45%) of UTSA undergraduates will be the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, transfer students comprise about 40% of UTSA’s total undergraduate population. Further enhancing an already diverse student population is UTSA’s military community, which makes up approximately 13% of total students and includes active-duty military members, veterans, reserves/guard, and their spouses and dependents. For more information about UTSA, please visit https://www.utsa.edu/about/.

Position Summary

The Dean will serve as the leader for the Alvarez College of Business with responsibility for developing and implementing a comprehensive, ambitious, and dynamic vision for the college’s future that leverages the unique strengths of the university, and the San Antonio and regional business community in a manner that is mutually beneficial and accelerates mutual success. The Dean will serve as a passionate advocate for these ideals—working in collaboration with college stakeholders and as a fellow team member of the university leadership to create a refined plan for the college’s future.

The new Dean will play a critical role in effectively overseeing the college’s efforts to continuously improve its academic plan and guiding the college through the process of refining its identity, increasing its academic culture of excellence and business engagement, and strengthening external partnerships to advance student success, workforce preparation, and R&D innovation. The Dean will be responsible for leading the faculty and staff collaboratively as a part of the university in a manner aligned with regional business needs to advance the college and university as a whole, and will represent the college on campus and externally, including alumni, donors, and other stakeholders.

Business education is changing rapidly in the digital era with greater demands for experiential learning, critical thinking, analytics, data-informed practice, and the emergence of innovative technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and others that promise to transform how work gets done. Business schools like the Alvarez College of Business have the opportunity to support “career entrepreneurship” through ongoing upskilling education opportunities for graduates from hiring to retiring to enable continued marketplace competitiveness success. In leading the college during this important period of institutional growth and transition, the new Dean must be prepared to capitalize upon this opportunity and serve as a visible and engaged leader leveraging the San Antonio business and innovation ecosystem for the benefit of business students by embedding business experiences in and out of the classroom.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will possess a distinguished record of academic accomplishment, superior interpersonal and management skills, and demonstrated leadership and success in stakeholder engagement. In addition, will possess:

  • An earned doctorate/terminal degree in a discipline represented in the college from an accredited university;
  • Administrative and/or leadership experience in a research university;
  • An outstanding record of scholarly achievement and international reputation commensurate with appointment as full professor in one of the departments in the college;
  • Experience as an innovative, collaborative, decisive leader and diplomat with strong organizational and consensus- and team-building skills;
  • Personal character that promotes the university’s core values, including integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration, and innovation;
  • The ability to inspire and lead faculty with diverse interests and scholarly approaches and the ability to work collaboratively and collegially in and out of the university;
  • History of providing students with a high-quality educational experience focused on experiential learning, entrepreneurship, and innovation and aggressively advancing student success, and in forecasting educational trends;
  • Demonstrated experience in improving research and scholarship, growing its impact and increasing external sponsorship (including corporations, foundations, and donors);
  • Building creative interdisciplinary teams and external partnerships that advance cutting- edge academic innovation;
  • Proven expertise and skill in executing processes for effective change management in a dynamic environment and a demonstrated record of collaboration with other disciplines to advance college and university goals.

For a full position profile and list of qualifications, please visit https://www.spaexec.com/pd/UTSADeanACOB.pdf

Application and Nomination Process

The Search Advisory Committee will begin reviewing applications immediately and continue to accept applications and nominations until the position is filled. Applicants must submit: a current resume or curriculum vitae and a cover letter describing relevant experience and interest in the position. Nomination letters should include the name, position, address, and telephone number of the nominee. All applications and nominations will be handled in confidence.

Applications and letters of nomination should be submitted by email to:

Alberto Pimentel, Managing Partner

Marianne Hudz, Principal

Email: apsearch@spaexec.com

Refer to code “UTSA-DeanACOB” in the subject line

SP&A Executive Search

6512 Painter Avenue

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As an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer, it is the policy of The University of Texas at San Antonio to promote and ensure equal employment opportunity for all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetic information, and veteran status. The University is committed to the Affirmative Action Program in compliance with all government requirements to ensure nondiscrimination. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. UTSA campuses are accessible to persons with disabilities.