Dean, Meinders School of Business

Oklahoma City University seeks a Dean, Meinders School of Business
Click here to view position profile: https://summitsearchsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/OCU_Dean_Business_Profile.pdf
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The Position:
The Dean will lead the Meinders School of Business at a critical time in its development and will help design and execute a strategy to strengthen its position in the market and ensure its long-term academic and financial success. The successful candidate will be an experienced, innovative leader with the intellectual and managerial skills to position this dynamic School as a destination that connects the most talented business students in the region with the best employers in the Midwest.

The Dean works closely with the Provost, the President, and the rest of the president’s senior administrative team, and serves on the Deans’ Council. They provide leadership that ensures excellence in curriculum design, scholarly activity, instructional delivery, assessment, and outcomes. Additionally, the Dean is responsible for supporting an environment of diversity, equity and inclusion, and student success.

Reporting to the Provost, and with a dotted line to the President, the next Dean will take a fresh look at the School’s strategy and opportunities and will work with the other deans to position Oklahoma City University as the premier private liberal arts University in the region.

Responsibilities:

• Manages the overall operations of the Meinders School of Business (MSB), in accordance with the University’s mission, core values, policies, and procedures.
• Plans and executes the budget for MSB, assuring that funds are requested for all necessary programs for the school. Assures that operations are executed within allocated funding.
• Continuously works to improve business educational programs. Provides leadership in assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the programs of MSB.
• Provides leadership for increasing student enrollment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and supporting appropriate retention efforts.
• Works with faculty to maintain AASCB and other appropriate accreditation.
• Plays an important role in the strategic planning processes of both MSB and the university.
• Assures that adequate provisions are made to advise business students regarding their academic programs.
• Actively engages in fundraising activities for the university and MSB in accordance with Oklahoma City University’s Office of Advancement Policies and Procedures.
• Oversees recruitment, supervision, professional development and retention of a strong and diverse faculty and staff. Ensures that faculty qualifications meet professional accreditation standards.
• Oversees faculty workload and performance issues. Coordinates with the Provost/VPAA on such issues as the promotion and tenure process, faculty development and evaluation, and faculty overload policies.
• Assures that MSB is organized efficiently to administer its academic and administrative programs and committees.
• Maintains collaborative relationships and represents MSB with other academic and administrative offices on campus.
• Maintains a presence in the local, state, national, and international communities. Represents the university and the school by engaging in public speaking and other roles as necessary.
• Takes part in overall campus activities as appropriate and/or as directed by university senior management.
• Assures that the Office of the Dean is administered in such a way as to foster responsiveness to students, faculty, senior university management, and other administrative activities in the university.
• Takes a leadership role in serving as a liaison between the university, and the business community.
• Develops and implements diversity and inclusion initiatives aimed at enhancing the academic programs and the faculty profile of MSB.

Qualifications:

• An earned terminal degree in a discipline associated with the university is highly preferred.
• Minimum of five years administrative experience with a track record of innovation.
• Demonstrated experience in graduate, undergraduate, executive and certificate programming.
• Understanding of and experience with AACSB accreditation.
• Commitment to fundraising and a passion to be successful in the pursuit of philanthropic support.
• A record of successfully leading change within a department or school/college.
• Significant experience in assessing current program offerings and designing new programs that are consistent with the mission of the School and that support positive learning outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with the greater college community.
• Minimum of three years full-time teaching experience at the college level is required.

Opportunities and Challenges:
Position the Meinders School of Business for long-term success
The Dean will help build a vision and strategy for the School that demonstrates commitment to a portfolio of programs relevant and responsive to changing demands and expectations in an increasingly competitive and dynamic environment. This effort will require engaging diverse constituents, both internal and external. Significant attention will be given to the review and reinvigoration of current programs and the examination of new programs and new delivery options. The Dean will take a leading role in university discussions related to expanding OCU’s presence in Oklahoma City and throughout the region.

Lead Meinders development efforts to ensure the continuing viability and success of the School
The Dean will play a critical role in raising funds to support student scholarships and to secure capital gifts in support of its faculty, staff, and programmatic initiatives. Working with the Vice President for Advancement the Dean will establish strong relationships with existing and prospective donors while enhancing the School’s name recognition and visibility.

Ensure that academic and operational resources are in place and optimally structured to support an ambitious agenda
The Dean will assess the current organizational structure and capacities of the Meinders School of Business to effectively support both the academic and operational needs of the School. This will include a comprehensive review of current human, physical, and financial resources to ensure that the School sustains the small, high-touch nature of OCU experience. A plan for recruitment of faculty with a passion for teaching and a record of scholarship will be a priority.

Enhance the visibility of the Meinders School of Business across the university, in the region, and beyond
The Dean will serve as a highly visible representative of the Meinders School of Business, circulating widely to develop strong and mutually beneficial relationships both on and off-campus. Internally, the Dean will be an active and engaged colleague — an advocate for the Meinders School of Business who works to engender trust and credibility and who identifies and supports ways to contribute to the larger university. Externally, the Dean will build on well-established relationships and establish new ones with leaders in business, government, and non-profit organizations in Oklahoma City and in the region, as well as with potential students, employers, the advisory board, and alumni, to generate a network of partners who will serve as Meinders School of Business champions. The Dean will take full advantage of every opportunity to be the face and voice of the School and to articulate a clear and compelling message about what is distinctive about the Meinders School of Business.

About the Meinders School of Business:
The Meinders School of Business, located in the heart of Oklahoma City, was founded in 2004. The School offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional development programs taught by a cadre of 17 full-time faculty and a complement of part-time, adjunct faculty.

The school offers Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degrees in accounting, business administration, economics, finance, and marketing and Master of Science degrees in accounting, energy management, and energy legal studies. Also offered are a Leadership MBA and an MBA in Healthcare Administration. Students can earn master’s certificates in Financial Fraud & Forensic Accounting and Health Care Practice Management.

Students can participate in business and ethics competitions, internships, study abroad programs, investment events, and industry visits. The Executive & Professional Education Center has professional development workshops, programs, conferences, training, and career coaching. The School of Business hosts the Meinders Business Academy, a three-day summer camp for high school students. Housed in the Meinders School of Business is the Oklahoma Commerce and Industry Hall of Fame. This Hall highlights specific community business leaders who have made an essential impact in Oklahoma and the surrounding region.

There are specific clubs offered to business students to build connections, learning opportunities, networking, and community. Some of these clubs include the Student Accounting Club, Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, Investment Club, Marketing Honor Society, and Toastmasters. For energy professionals, the Meinders Energy Association was created to help assist future energy managers and executives through education, networking, social events, and hands-on experience in the Energy industry.

It was through generosity of Herman Meinders that the development of the 80,000 square-foot building, known as the Meinders School of Business became a reality. This state-of-the-art facility promotes a quality educational experience through its learning center, resource center, study rooms, high-tech classrooms, a 230-seat auditorium, and lounge. It is also home to the Steven C. Agee Economic Research and Policy Institute, which includes the Center for Regional Economic Forecasting and Policy Analysis, the Ronnie K. Irani Center for Data Analytics, and the Center for Native American and Urban Studies.

There are financial scholarships available for qualifying students such as The Meinders Business Leadership Fellows Program for freshman, the Business Excellence Award, the McLaughlin Scholarship for Finance and Accounting majors, and the Native American Business Academy awards five full-ride scholarships to Chickasaw students. In addition, the School of Business offers three funds that serve to support student scholarships and operations including the Steven C. Agee Economic Research and Policy Institute Endowment; the Meinders School of Business Undergraduate Scholarship Fund; and the Meinders School of Business Graduate Scholarship Fund.

About Oklahoma City University:
Established in 1904, Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a coeducational, urban private university that occupies 104 park-like acres in the heart of Oklahoma City. The university is affiliated with The United Methodist Church and offers a wide variety of degrees in liberal arts, performing arts, health sciences, and business, with more than 70 undergraduate majors and 20 graduate degrees, as well as a J.D. degree through the Oklahoma City University School of Law. OCU enrolls more than 1,700 undergraduate students and 600 graduate students from 46 states and 43 countries. To learn more, https://www.okcu.edu/

OCU Accolades

• Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For" list multiple years.
• Ranked #28 in the Regional Universities West category by U.S. News & World Report “2019 Best Colleges” edition.
• Consistently ranked as a top-tier, master's-level university by U.S. News & World Report.
• Listed in Forbes magazine’s “Best Christian Colleges” and “100 Best College Buys.”
• Made the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus USA list more than once.

Mission
Oklahoma City University prepares all learners to Create, Lead, and Serve. OCU provides a diverse, inclusive culture committed to producing graduates who think critically and innovatively, communicate effectively, and use their knowledge and talents to make a local and global impact.

Oklahoma City University is committed to an education that:

• Provides students with the skills and confidence to adapt to and excel in a complex and dynamic world.
• Invests continually in its students, staff, faculty, alumni, and programming to enrich academic and co-curricular offerings.
• Fosters partnerships within and beyond the university to enrich lifelong learning.
• Develops informed global citizens ready to engage with their communities and contribute to the world.
• Develops graduates who are ethical, highly employable professionals.
• Honors its United Methodist history and tradition of scholarship and service.

Vision
Oklahoma City University will be an innovative academic institution with local impact and global reach and reputation. By providing a student-focused learning environment and an inclusive, values-centered culture that engages the community and the world, Oklahoma City University will be a university of choice for talented and high-potential students, faculty, and staff.

OCU Core Values
Integrity: We hold ourselves and each other accountable to do the right thing in all circumstances.
Respect: We honor the worth of all by treating ourselves and others with dignity and kindness.
Diversity and Inclusion: We strive to understand and embrace our differences. We take purposeful action to foster a welcoming and supportive environment for all.
Collaboration: We intentionally pursue our common goals with a genuine spirit of community.

United Methodist Affiliation
While the university is affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the university’s government and management are vested in its independent, self-perpetuating board of trustees. The university bylaws provide for an executive committee, the members of which include the chairperson and the vice chairperson of the board, the treasurer of the university, the resident Bishop for the Oklahoma Area of the United Methodist Church, and the chairs of certain standing trustee committees.

University Strategic Goals
During the 2017-2018 academic year, the university’s strategic planning leadership team engaged in a collaborative and participatory strategic planning process to develop measurable tactics for each approved strategic focus area, with the goal of moving the university forward toward the year 2023. President Evans, appointed in 2021, has indicated the university will undertake a comprehensive strategic planning process beginning in 2022.

Accreditation
The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to award six baccalaureate degrees (70 majors), ten master’s degrees (26 programs), four doctoral degrees, and 14 certificates. The university’s most recent decennial reaffirmation of accreditation from HLC was completed in 2011-2012. The next decennial reaffirmation from HLC will occur in 2021-2022.

The Meinders School of Business received initial AACSB accreditation in 2014 and in 2019 that accreditation was extended for five years.

Leadership
Dr. Kenneth R. Evans was appointed the 19th president of Oklahoma City University on July 1, 2021 after serving as president of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, for eight years and as dean of the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma for six years.

Dr. Evans holds a doctorate from the University of Colorado; a master of business administration degree from California State University-Sacramento; and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Davis. His research has been published in marketing and business academic journals and he has received national and international recognition for his contributions. Evans has been recognized for his work in the design and implementation of interactive learning experiences and graduate education.

The president reports to the board of trustees. OCU has a 46-member board led by chairman Paul McLaughlin. View a full list of university trustees.

Faculty & Staff
The university has a full-time faculty of 204 members as of the fall of 2021. To complement the university’s faculty, there are 319 full-time and part-time staff positions (non-faculty). The university staff is focused on supporting the educational endeavors of the institution in an employee-friendly environment.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Oklahoma City University is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and intentionally inclusive community. The University seeks and creates opportunities for each person to examine their own beliefs, values, and cultures so that, as a community, it can fully embrace the experience, ideas, perspectives, and traditions of all who come to learn and work here. The intention is to champion an environment where everyone collaborates to make OCU a place where people from all identities, backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences are embraced, validated, and supported. OCU recognizes that its students, staff, faculty, and community all benefit from and engage in its best learning, research, and community engagement when everyone is learning from and with each other. Campus diversity is an important part of strong liberal arts education and continues to work toward building a community that is inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible for all students, faculty, staff, and community members. This work is ongoing, and the dean’s council will be a key contributor as OCU works toward such a community through critical dialogue and action.

To Apply:
Confidential review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; parties who apply before or by January 26, 2022 will be given first consideration. Interested candidates should submit a curriculum vitae/resume and a letter of interest. To apply online, go to: https://theapplicantmanager.com/jobs?pos=su273

For more information or to offer recommendations:
Kristen Farha, MHR
Senior Consultant
Summit Search Solutions, Inc.
Direct: 316-650-0069
kfarha@summitsearchsolutions.com

Oklahoma City University pledges to recruit, select, and promote diversity by providing equality of opportunity in higher education for all current and prospective students, faculty, and staff with respect to hiring, continuation, promotion and tenure, and applications for admission or employment, without discrimination or segregation based on sex (gender), race, age, ancestry, color, disability, genetic history, national origin, marital status, medical condition, religious creed, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, parenting status, status as a veteran, or the perception that a person has one or more of these characteristics.