Dean, Marieb College of Health & Human Services

Dean, Marieb College of Health & Human Services

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) seeks a dynamic and collaborative leader to serve as Dean of the Marieb College of Health and Human Services.  FGCU is a comprehensive public university offering undergraduate and graduate programs to 15,000 students.  One of 12 universities within the State University System of Florida, FGCU is Carnegie-designated as a master’s level university.  Founded in 1991 to serve the needs of the Southwest Florida community, FGCU has seen enormous growth in academic programs, research activity, campus life, donor support, and student outcomes.  Through its strategic planning process, five broad themes or pillars have emerged as priorities – student success, academic excellence, entrepreneurship, health sciences, and community engagement.  

One of five colleges within FGCU, the Marieb College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) offers high-quality, high-demand programs that prepare graduates to succeed in the competitive healthcare sector.  MCHHS comprises the School of Nursing and four academic departments (Counseling, Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences, and Social Work) and offers seven undergraduate degree programs and 12 graduate programs enrolling 2127 undergraduate and 409 graduate students supported by 80 full-time faculty and 20 staff.  MCHHS’s distinctive approach to education and clinical care emphasizes interdisciplinary and inter-professional learning and practice directed toward solving complex problems.  Student outcomes, including first time pass rates for licensure exams and employment rates, are outstanding, and there is extraordinary demand for the college’s graduates.

Reporting to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean is the chief academic and executive officer of the college and serves as a member of the University’s academic leadership team.  The Dean is responsible for the college’s leadership, strategy, and fundraising and for managing the faculty and staff, fiscal resources, and physical facilities of the college. The Dean is accountable for the quality of MCHHS academic programs and faculty and for building undergraduate and graduate programs of excellence on a foundation of innovative interdisciplinary education that supports all academic disciplines.  The Dean promotes and provides advocacy for the college within the university, throughout the state university system, and to regional, national, and international constituents and partners.  The Dean guarantees the integrity of all MCHHS programs, promotes quality and excellence in teaching, research, and service, and fosters an environment of openness and collegiality.  The range of MCHHS academic offerings requires a Dean who will be a strong advocate for the full array of disciplines and programs, employees, and students in the college and for an overarching vision that will pull these components into an integrated whole. The Dean has general administrative responsibility for the college, including its compliance with accreditation standards, community outreach, fundraising, marketing and enrollment, interdisciplinary initiatives, and the effective management of its administrative and financial affairs.  The Dean is responsible for increasing research, growing entrepreneurial activity, creating opportunities for students, and fostering a collaborative spirit in the college.

The University seeks an innovative leader and strategic thinker with a broad understanding of the future of health sciences, health and human services policy, and the impact of health disparities and the ability to articulate a collective vision for the college within a growing university. The Dean will have exemplary academic achievement together with strategic leadership ability, outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, entrepreneurial spirit and high energy, and a passion for the unique mission of the college and university.  The Dean will be a collaborator and convener, able to work effectively with a broad range of constituents, and a role model in team-building and establishing open communication with faculty and staff. The Dean must demonstrate excellent financial and management skills, the ability to make difficult choices, understand competing priorities and make decisions under constraints, a strong external focus, and an understanding of fundraising.  The Dean will demonstrate a track record of commitment to student success, to diversity, to strong engagement with diverse constituents, and to building a diverse leadership team. An earned doctorate or equivalent experience and academic qualifications that merit appointment as a full professor in an academic discipline represented in the college is required.  In addition to traditional backgrounds within higher education, outstanding academically qualified leaders from healthcare and social service environments will be considered.

Screening will begin in January and continue until an appointment is made.  Nominations, inquiries, and applications (including a cover letter, CV, and the names of five references) should be directed electronically to FGCU_MariebDean@divsearch.com.

Kim M. Morrisson, Ph.D., Senior Managing Director or John Mestepey, Managing Director

Nancy Helfman, Vice President and Senior Associate

Diversified Search

One Commerce Square, 2005 Market Street, Suite 3300, Philadelphia, PA  19103

215-656-3579

FGCU is a community committed to ensuring equity ad fairness in employment.  By cultivating diversity, we ensure an inclusive learning environment that contributes to student success. 

FGCU is an EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability Employer

For more information, visit www.FGCU.edu