Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering

The University of Rochester seeks nominations and applications for the position of the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering.
Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) seeks an eminent, energetic, strategic, judicious, and collaborative leader to serve as its next dean. The dean is responsible for all aspects of AS&E’s academic programs, research activities, fundraising and outreach, finances, operations, undergraduate education, admissions, and athletics. The dean is charged with maintaining the highest standards of teaching, scholarship, and research and with fostering rich interactions among the curricular and co-curricular activities of the core academic unit of the university.
AS&E has approximately 370 tenure-track faculty; 5,400 undergraduate students; and 1,200 full-time graduate students. The faculty is comprised of 24 academic departments, offering 24 doctorates, across engineering, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Many of these programs are ranked in the top echelon by the National Research Council and generate (when including the Laboratory for Laser Energetics) more than $110 million in annual research funding. AS&E faculty have garnered numerous prestigious fellowships, including those from the National Endowment for the Humanities, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Woodrow Wilson Center, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation. The faculty includes fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, as well as recipients of medals and awards in virtually every major field. AS&E has grown its faculty by 20% over the past decade and is committed to building a more diverse, inclusive community.
The next dean will join the leadership team of the University of Rochester at a time of considerable achievement as well as opportunity. In 2016 the University completed its Meliora Challenge capital campaign, raising $1.373 billion against an original goal of $1.2 billion. New buildings and facilities have opened on campus including Wegmans Hall, home to the newly created Goergen Institute for Data Science; the Brian F. Prince Athletic Complex; new student activity space; a language center; and the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center. The University has taken significant steps toward developing a regional healthcare system and won approval from the New York State Education Department for the University, through its Warner School of Education, to serve as an Educational Partnership Organization for East High School in the City of Rochester. Building on this progress, the University has now defined an ambitious Next Level initiative emphasizing programs in data science, humanities, imaging, neuroscience and neuromedicine, optics, photonics, and performing arts, and, more broadly, a revitalization of the greater Rochester community. The community in turn is poised to capitalize on these initiatives with new public commitments to invest in the university and the region, including $600 million for the Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster and an additional $500 million as part of the Upstate Revitalization Initiative.
The University of Rochester ranks among the nation’s top research universities and has been a member of the AAU since 1941. The University consists of six closely co-located academic units: Arts, Sciences & Engineering (composed of the School of Arts and Sciences and the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences); the School of Medicine and Dentistry; the School of Nursing; the Eastman School of Music; the Simon Business School; and the Warner School of Education and Human Development. The University of Rochester Medical Center has received over $1.1 billion in total research funding over the last five years. Total research expenditures at the university as a whole are approximately $350 million. The University’s endowment exceeds $2.3 billion.
The successful candidate in the search will present a distinguished record of achievement in research, education, and administration. She or he will demonstrate impeccable academic judgment and an uncompromising commitment to academic excellence, a commitment to diversity in all its forms, excellent interpersonal skills, and a deep commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration. In consultation with the AS&E faculty and leadership, the dean will establish strategic priorities, articulate and communicate those priorities enthusiastically, and effectively raise and manage resources to bring them to fruition.
Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited. Although the search will remain open until the position is filled, candidate materials should be received as soon as possible. Candidates should provide a curriculum vitae, a letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described herein, and the names and contact information of five references. References will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval of the candidate.
Materials should be sent electronically via e-mail to the University’s consultant, Dr. Jonathan Fortescue of Park Square Executive Search, at 92271@parksquare.com. Documents that must be mailed may be sent to Jonathan Fortescue, Ph.D., Managing Partner, or Sam Boynton, Senior Associate, Park Square Executive Search, LLC, 125 Summer Street, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02110. Phone: 617-401-2986.
The University of Rochester is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to recruiting, supporting, and fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students. All applicants who share this goal are encouraged to apply.