Director of the School for the Future of Innovation in Society

Search for the Director of the School for the Future of Innovation in Society

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona

 

Arizona State University seeks a skilled and visionary administrator and scholar to serve as the Director of the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS), heading up a transdisciplinary unit at the vanguard of ASU’s commitment to link innovation with public value. The new Director, with a concurrent appointment as a tenured Professor, will lead the school in pursuing a vision of responsible innovation that anticipates challenges and opportunities, integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, and engages broad audiences in order to build a future for everyone. The appointment will be located at the Tempe campus with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2022. The salary is competitive.

 

The new Director will lead SFIS at an exciting time. SFIS was founded in 2015 and has built a transdisciplinary faculty dedicated to futures, innovation, and development. In 2020, SFIS joined the School of Sustainability and the School of Complex Adaptive Systems to form the College of Global Futures (CGF). The CGF is part of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory (GFL), a new initiative at ASU dedicated to keeping our planet habitable and enhancing the options for future generations to thrive.

 

Working closely with the faculty and the Vice President and Vice Provost of Global Futures, the new Director will invigorate SFIS and its programs by establishing a clear and compelling vision and identity that builds on the School’s well-built emphases on transdiscplinarity, inclusiveness, global impact, and unorthodox approaches. SFIS is poised for growth in student enrollment and national and international profile and impact. The new Director will leverage the resources of the nation’s most innovative university toward imagining not only the future of SFIS, but also of an emerging interdisciplinary field crucial to the creation of an inclusively prosperous future.

 

In order to achieve these ambitious goals, the new Director of SFIS will address the following opportunities and challenges:

 

• Establish a coherent, compelling vision and identity for SFIS within a dynamic environment
• Inspire faculty and staff to unite around an inclusive common culture
• Enhance the School’s curriculum and communications to drive enrollment growth
• Identify and engage partners across the University to build collaborations
• Grow the School’s reputation, research portfolio, and public impact, both domestically and internationally

 

Qualifications and Experiences

 

Minimum qualifications and experiences:

• Doctorate or terminal degree in a relevant discipline or field
• A record of achievement commensurate with a tenured appointment at the rank of Professor at the time of appointment
• Experience with research, teaching, and community engagement related to the mission of SFIS
• Commitment to the mission and goals of the ASU Charter (https://newamericanuniversity.asu.edu/about/asu-charter-mission-and-goals)
• Experience with leadership and administration, preferably in higher education

 

Preferred qualifications and experiences:

• Leadership experience in research, teaching, public engagement, or policy initiatives related to the mission of SFIS
• Demonstrated ability to build coalitions and collaborations across disciplinary lines
• Demonstrated outcomes in advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Effective communication and engagement skills that reach multiple constituencies, including the ability to bring stakeholders together to advance a mission
• Fundraising and development experience
• Administrative, managerial, and budgetary abilities

 

Applications, Inquiries, and Nominations

 

Arizona State University has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/search-detail/S8-242. Full applications will consist of a curriculum vitae, cover letter, list of references, and a separate statement of goals and achievements related to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion and the ASU Charter. For full consideration, please submit application materials by February 11, 2022.

David Bellshaw and Hayden Lizotte

Isaacson, Miller

1000 Sansome Street, Suite 300

San Francisco, CA  94111

Phone: 415.655.4900

 

A background check is required for employment.

 

Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. ASU’s full non-discrimination statement (ACD 401) is located on the ASU website at: https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html   https://www.asu.edu/titleIX

 

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources.  ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf.  You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.

 

Under the recent executive order issued by President Biden requiring all employees of federal contractors to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, ASU expects all employees, including new hires, to be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation.  Proof of vaccination will be required by January 4, 2022.  For questions about medical or religious accommodations, please visit the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s webpage.