Dean, College of Science and Engineering

University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), an institution within the University of Houston System, seeks its next Dean of the College of Science and Engineering (CSE).

Since its founding in 1974, UHCL has provided educational opportunities to students in the Houston-Galveston area and beyond. The university offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs through its four colleges: Business, Education, Human Sciences and Humanities, and Science and Engineering. The university currently serves more than 9,000 students and more than 68,000 alumni. In its short history, UHCL has earned a distinctive reputation as a student-centered, community-minded, partnership-oriented university. Through its on-going community engagement, UHCL has developed alliances with area businesses, organizations, schools and governmental agencies that enhance the educational, economic, cultural, scientific and professional environment across the region.

Located adjacent to the NASA Johnson Space Center, UHCL is situated in the heart of the area’s high-technology community on a 524-acre natural-environment campus. UHCL is committed to supporting the education community as well as the region’s various commercial, engineering, computing, health care, petrochemical and aerospace industries. The university is distinguished by a strong commitment to student success, leadership development, career readiness and academic excellence. In August 2017, UHCL welcomed its fifth President, Ira K. Blake, Ph.D., who is developing bold plans and initiatives intended to further expand mutually beneficial opportunities for students, the university and the surrounding community.

UHCL was founded to meet the higher education needs of those working at NASA Johnson Space Center during the early days of space exploration. The CSE continues that tradition of innovation and excellence today. The College currently includes 1,709 undergraduate students, 551 graduate students, and 129 faculty across six departments. These include Biological and Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physical and Applied Sciences, Computer Sciences and Engineering. As the fastest growing College at UHCL, the CSE is working to meet future demands and needs. UHCL recently opened a STEM building which houses 13 faculty research labs and 15 teaching labs for mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, geology, industrial hygiene and occupational safety. An allied health science/classroom building will be opening at UHCL’s Pearland campus in 2019.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the next Dean will contribute to an emerging university experience, participate in institutional planning, build external relationships and community partnerships, develop fundraising and alumni relations efforts, and advance a culture of diversity and inclusion. To fulfill these needs, the next Dean will be a visionary scholar with impeccable credentials to lead the College into the future. She or he will have a record of instruction, scholarship, and research excellence that merits appointment as a tenured professor in one of the departments in the College of Science and Engineering. The next Dean will also have a history of strong administrative leadership, which will include effective human resource and financial experience, adeptness at conflict resolution and negotiation, and a willingness to take a stand. For more information about this position, please visit www.wittkieffer.com.

Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. For fullest consideration, applicant materials should be received by Friday, December 7, 2018. Candidates should provide, as two separate documents, a curriculum vitae and a letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described in this Leadership Profile. These materials should be sent electronically via e-mail to the University of Houston-Clear Lake’s consultants Robert W. Luke and Jane Courson at UHCL-CSEDean@wittkieffer.com.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity for all persons regardless of age, color, disability, ethnicity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status protected by law.