Dean, Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies

The University of Central Missouri (UCM) invites nominations and applications in its search for a visionary, multidisciplinary leader to serve as dean of the Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies (HCBPS).

Founded in 1871, the University of Central Missouri is a public, Midwest regional comprehensive university with top ranked academic programs serving more than 12,000 students. The university is centrally located in the State and is comprised of two campuses, one located in the vibrant community of Warrensburg, about 50 miles southeast of Kansas City and the other in Lee's Summit located in the Kansas City metro area. The university takes pride in providing exceptional academic programs through affordable access to high quality student-focused education for over 150 years. UCM also boasts a highly engaged and active alumni base of over 100,000.

The new dean will report to the Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Phil Bridgmon. HCBPS has a current enrollment of nearly 2,000 undergraduate students across four schools (Aviation, Business Administration, Human Services and Public Services) and over 60 majors. The college also serves over 600 graduate students across nine master's programs. The college houses several accredited and nationally recognized programs where students learn in an applied experiential environment. There are 87 full time faculty and 39 full time staff in the HCBPS.

In July of 2022, UCM will implement a new academic structure. For the HCBPS it will involve restructuring its four schools and replacing them with the following eight departments: 1. Criminal Justice and Criminology; 2. Military Science and Leadership; 3. Human Services; 4. Aviation; 5. Accountancy, Big Data Analytics, and Computer Information Systems; 6. Economics and Finance; 7. Marketing, Public Relations and Sport Management; and 8. Management. HCBPS will continue to support the Max B. Swisher Skyhaven Airport and serve as the home for the Central Missouri Clinic for Individual, Couple and Family Therapy as well as the Welch-Schmidt Center for Communication Disorders.

The university seeks an experienced leader to help advance the following priorities: Refining and shaping strategy; developing and implementing enrollment growth plans and retention efforts; working with faculty across all disciplines to initiate program development and change; building relationships with college constituents, enhancing external engagement and collaborating with university advancement to create fundraising initiatives; and developing initiatives to foster diversity, equity and inclusion.

The successful candidate will be an experienced administrator with five or more years of leadership experience at the departmental level or higher. The dean will be a strong communicator and collaborator with experience working across diverse disciplines. The dean will possess a distinguished scholarly reputation and strong record of academic and teaching accomplishments, commensurate with appointment as a full professor, including an earned doctorate in a discipline housed within the college. For more information, please visit www.wittkieffer.com.

WittKieffer is assisting the University of Central Missouri in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by Friday, March 11, 2022. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal. Nominations and inquiries can be directed to: Jeff Compher and Cathryn Davis at UCMDeanHCBPS@wittkieffer.com.

The University of Central Missouri actively follows a policy of nondiscrimination in regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, disability, and all other legally protected classes. This policy applies to educational programs and activities including athletics, instruction, grading, the awarding of student financial aid, recruitment, admission, employment, housing, placement and retention of students, faculty and staff. The university complies with applicable federal and state.