Vice Provost & Founding Dean, Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, & Economic Development

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Vice Provost and Founding Dean of the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development

A new kind of leader for a new kind of College

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), one of the nation’s top technological research universities, invites nominations and applications for the position of Vice Provost and Founding Dean of the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development.

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is seeking a bold and visionary leader of the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development. A spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, and the land-grant mission of economic development and outreach are in Missouri S&T’s DNA, and the dean is therefore expected not only to lead the new college but also to collaborate with other members of the senior leadership team in all matters of academic strategy and shared operations.

This is an exciting time in Missouri S&T’s history, with fresh leadership, a focused vision, and the transformational opportunities afforded by several significant philanthropic gifts. The dean will join the university’s leadership team of Chancellor Mo Dehgani, Provost Colin Potts, Vice Chancellor for Research Kamal Khayat, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations, Alysha O’Neil, and the new deans of Missouri S&T’s other two colleges: the College of Engineering and Computing, and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education. All are working toward four “north star” goals: to increase enrollment significantly, especially in graduate education; promote student success, thriving, and retention; broaden the research base, and achieve Carnegie R1 status; and elevate Missouri S&T’s national and international stature and reputation. Several significant endowed positions are being filled in all three colleges, enabled among other gifts by a transformational donation of $300 million by Fred and June Kummer.

Missouri University of Science and Technology is one of the nation’s top technological research universities and one of four distinct universities of the University of Missouri System.  The University offers quality educational opportunities, with 101 different degree programs in 40 areas of study in engineering, science, computing and technology, business, social sciences, humanities, and education. Together, the colleges are home to almost 400 full-time faculty, in addition to part-time faculty. Missouri S&T has a total student enrollment of 7,271 for Fall 2021 with graduate student enrollment of approximately 1,545 and is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a doctoral university.  Missouri S&T has a growing reputation for its high research activity, and at the close of FY2021, research expenditures at S&T were $53,315,090, with approximately two-thirds of funding coming from federal sources and the remaining one-third of funding coming from industry/private partnerships.

The Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development is a new kind of academic school for the mid-21st century. The Kummer College will be established in the summer of 2022, consisting of the Departments of Business and Information Technology, Economics, and Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, providing those departments’ existing degree programs at BS, MS/MBA, and PhD levels with new interdisciplinary programs soon to follow. In addition to its permanent faculty, faculty members from the other colleges will be eligible for affiliate faculty status, particularly at the intersection of STEM applications, arts, and innovation. Robust graduate certificates such as Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation; AI, Machine Learning, and Automation in Business; Financial Technology; and Management and Leadership will prepare students for leadership roles in fast- changing tech industries. Innovative new degrees and emphasis areas will be developed in alignment with the vision of the donors, the founding dean, and the faculty of the Kummer College. 

The Kummer College will not just be a locus for teaching, researching, and fostering innovation; it will be innovative to its core. The college will be the home of educational innovations in areas such as stackable credentials; modular, self-paced learning; continual online and distance learning; the integration of traditional curricula and co-curricular experience, etc. The college will also serve as a higher-education innovation incubator for Missouri S&T as a whole.

Reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, the Vice Provost and Founding Dean of the Kummer College will develop an inspirational vision, key strategies, and ambitious goals that will establish the College as a global leader in transformational education and research. The Dean will create an environment of innovation at the nexus of technology and business that yields real-world applications and solutions to drive economic development at regional, statewide, national, and global scales.

The Dean will facilitate effective and productive collaborations across disciplines that engage key industry, government, and academic partners. The Dean will work with the university community and external partners to link fundamental and applied research that builds on  systems thinking and prototyping.

The Dean will be committed to organizational excellence through respectful and inclusive communication and processes; prioritizing the academic, professional, and personal development of students, staff, and faculty; conflict resolution through creativity, cooperation, and teamwork; responsible management of the College’s finances, personnel, and physical assets; and engagement of faculty and University Advancement to grow and diversify revenue streams into the College.

Qualifications

  • An earned doctoral degree from an accredited university.
  • Academic and scholarly credentials in a subject area and at a level appropriate for appointment as tenured full professor within one of the departments of the college.
  • A record of outstanding administrative and leadership success in academic, corporate, or research organizations.

Application materials should include a letter of interest addressing how the candidate’s experience matches the position description, a current curriculum vitae, and a statement explaining how their previous and potential contributions enhance a culture of diversity and inclusion through administration, teaching, research, creative activity and/or service.

To receive the full position profile, as well as to submit applications and nominations, please contact the University’s executive recruitment consultants:

Martin M. Baker, Managing Partner

Chelsie Whitelock, Principal

Buffkin/Baker

mstkummerdean@buffkinbaker.com