Dean of the Graduate School

Northern Illinois University (NIU) seeks a dynamic, collaborative academic leader to serve as dean of the Graduate School.

NIU is a high research activity (R2) and Carnegie-engaged institution that enrolls about 15,500 students including approximately 4,000 graduate students. NIU is home to more than 115 graduate degree programs across seven colleges. The Graduate School is committed to the career success of its students and is proud of its commitment to graduate career and professional development. Located 65 miles from downtown Chicago, in DeKalb, Illinois, NIU is a thriving community of dedicated faculty, staff, students, alumni, local residents and friends. Together, we support the goal of providing upward social mobility to our students as well as the opportunity to make an enduring impact on our future.

The candidate will join an institution with a deep commitment to shared governance and must embody a respect for the role that faculty, staff and students play in governance of the institution. The candidate will be of unimpeachable integrity and superb judgment, exemplified by fairness, flexibility, empathy, responsiveness, and broad and compelling personal and professional experience. Exceptional communication skills are required — especially strong listening skills and an ability to find and build consensus.

The dean of the Graduate School will be an energetic, self-assured leader of stature with a deep knowledge of and commitment to graduate education. The dean will also be a capable executive with skills in fiscal and human resource management as well as fundraising development. The successful candidate must have the personal leadership style necessary to advance graduate education and inspire faculty and students.

The successful candidate will enhance the university’s growing reputation as a leading public and national research university; build on the institution’s substantial strengths in teaching, research, engagement and outreach; and, importantly, share in NIU’s commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive learning and living environment.

The successful candidate will possess qualifications appropriate to a tenured full professor in a department in one of the colleges at NIU.

Position Summary

The Dean of the Graduate School is the chief advocate and intellectual leader for the mission and purpose of graduate education, both internally and externally, helping define it in a manner that sets NIU apart from other institutions in the state and region. The dean is responsible for formulating and implementing a vision for graduate education within the framework of the university’s goals, mission, vision and values.  This position reports directly to the executive vice president and provost (EVPP) and is a member of the Provost-Deans Roundtable, Council of Deans, University Council and the EVPP’s leadership group.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Student Recruitment, Enrollment Management and Financial Aid
  1. Engages with faculty and the executive director of graduate enrollment to expand and enhance a strategic approach to graduate recruitment and admissions to create a multiyear plan to achieve sustainable enrollment and retention of students. This includes supporting equitable access, opportunity and success for students from diverse backgrounds where diversity is defined broadly.
• Administration, Planning and Management
  1. Oversees the day-to-day management of graduate school operations, delegating responsibilities to appropriate individuals as needed.
  2. Provides leadership in collaboration with the president and EVPP, in long-range and strategic planning that address the evolving academic environment of graduate education.
  3. Implements, monitors and reports on the progress of these plans in close collaboration with the faculty, president, EVPP, Board of Trustees, alumni and other constituencies.
  4. Ensures that financial resources are prudently managed through the development of an effective annual operating budget and multi-year financial planning.
• Collaboration with University Leadership
  1. Ensures that strong partnerships are nurtured and sustained among faculty, staff, students, other leaders and the NIU administration in furtherance of graduate education.
  2. Works collaboratively to formulate administrative, policy, budgeting and governance approaches that strengthen graduate education.
  3. Works in conjunction with other academic and senior leadership to further the overall mission of NIU.
• Excellence and Enhancement of Academic Reputation
  1. Guides and oversees the vibrancy of graduate education at NIU, while working with the faculty and academic leadership to maintain a culture of academic vitality and a superior intellectual climate.
  2. Supports and encourages graduate scholarship and artistic endeavors, facilitates teaching excellence, and cultivates collegial and constructive relationships with and among faculty.
  3. Upholds vigilance toward students’ needs and assesses current and new educational strategies to improve the learning experience and professional development of NIU’s graduate students.

Minimum/Basic Required Qualifications

• Earned terminal degree from a regionally accredited university.
• At least five years of progressive administrative experience in higher education.
• Record of teaching and scholarship that would merit appointment as a full professor with tenure in an academic department in one of NIU’s colleges.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven support for the success of graduate students with demonstrated positive results in developing student-centered administrative processes, especially in the areas of academic support services, career counseling and placement services.
• Evidence of strong and effective administrative skills, with a capacity to build and develop leadership teams at all levels of the graduate school, including administrative staff and faculty.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Demonstrated evidence of excellence in written and oral communication.
• Documented intellectual leadership to provide guidance to a vibrant community of scholars.
• Knowledge and understanding of the innovations taking place in graduate education and graduate career placement.
• Experience integrating new technologies to improve recruitment, retention, administration and service.
• Evidence of effective collaboration with faculty, staff, students, academic leaders and other campus leaders.
• Entrepreneurial approach evidenced through identifying and addressing opportunities for growth, collaboration and partnerships.
• Experience building consensus and resolving conflict.

Salary

The successful candidate will be offered a salary aligned with their experience and qualifications.  The range begins at $181,500.00/annually. NIU offers a competitive benefits package.

Appointment Status

• Regular appointment, 100% FTE, 12-months

Proposed Starting Date

• July 1, 2025

Application Materials and Procedures

For full consideration, prospective applicants should visit https://employment.niu.edu/postings/81271 to create an application profile or log in to an existing profile, to submit an application with the following two materials uploaded by January 31, 2025:

1. Curriculum vitae
2. Letter of intent that address the responsibilities and qualifications described in this position announcement.

Finalists will be asked to provide contact information for three to five professional references. Please note that references will not be contacted without permission from the candidate. Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. Review of completed applications will continue until an offer has been accepted. All inquiries and nominations may be directed to Mia Hannon in the Executive Vice President and Provost Office, hannon@niu.edu, 815-753-9400.

University AA/EEO statement

In accordance with applicable statutes and regulations, NIU is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, religion, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political affiliation, or any other factor unrelated to professional qualifications, and will comply with all applicable federal and state statutes, regulations and orders pertaining to nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action.