Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University at College Station seeks a Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. The Dean is the chief academic and executive officer of the college and reports to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academics. Candidates must be able to articulate a vision for the connections as well as distinctions between the humanities, social science, and performing arts as well as the unique role of the liberal arts at a public, land grant, top research institution; they must also be able to execute that vision.

The College of Liberal Arts graduates more students than any other college at Texas A&M University, and nearly every student takes our courses in the humanities, social sciences, and performing arts as part of the required core curriculum. There are approximately 6800 undergraduate students earning one of 25 degrees in 12 departments and the interdisciplinary programs; over 850 graduate students earn MA and PhD degrees in 11 different programs. With 440 total faculty, the student-faculty ratio is 17:1. The college also promotes several interdisciplinary institutes and research centers, including the Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, the Census Research Data Center, the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute, and the Initiative for Digital Humanities, Media, and Culture. Seventeen interdisciplinary degrees and certificates offer further evidence of the college’s dedication to interdisciplinarity. The college offers significant scholarship support for students and research and teaching support for faculty to attend and develop study abroad programs on every continent but Antarctica, and the university has a branch campus in Qatar and centers in Mexico City, Costa Rica, and Santa Chiara, Italy. Nearly 1000 Liberal Arts majors participate annually in study abroad programs through faculty-led field trips, summer courses, and semester-long immersive programs as well as exchange programs with foreign universities. Faculty scholars have received a range of external fellowships, including substantial current funding from the NSF and NEH as well as 5 Guggenheim and 24 Faculty Fulbright awards. Additional information may be found on the Dean Search website, http://cladeansearch.tamu.edu.

Texas A&M University is currently in the “quiet” phase of its third, multi-billion dollar, comprehensive campaign, which will officially launch October 2015. The campaign’s purpose is to elevate all aspects of the University, and will be among the largest capital campaigns attempted by a public research university. Leveraging existing academic strengths across multiple colleges to develop interdisciplinary solutions, the campaign centers on six initiatives addressing serious social challenges facing our state, nation, and world. The College of Liberal Arts participates in four initiatives, One Health, Strengthening Democracy, Economic Development, and the Natural and Built Environments, through scholarly research, creative work, and undergraduate and graduate curriculum. These are not the exclusive objectives of the campaign, however, and each college will have other important initiatives to promote. The new Dean will lead the college in support of the campaign by providing vision and actively participating in pursuing philanthropic gifts. Therefore, a proven record of major gift fundraising is preferred.

Qualifications also include an earned doctorate or equivalent, an outstanding record in research and teaching commensurate with the appointment to the rank of professor with tenure in one of the departments of the college, and demonstrated excellence in academic and administrative leadership at the college or department level. In addition, successful candidates will have a record of consensus building and active collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders; management skills consistent with leading a large, complex college; and a demonstrated commitment to recruiting and supporting a diverse faculty, staff, and student body.

The search committee will begin reviewing nominations and information from prospective applicants November 15, 2014 and will continue until a new Dean of Liberal Arts is appointed; the target appointment date is July 1, 2015. Prospective applicants should include a letter describing their interest in and qualifications for the position; a curriculum vitae; and the names, addresses (including email), and telephone numbers for at least five references. The committee will make every effort to maintain the confidentiality of applicants’ candidacy. Submit nominations and application materials by email to CLADeansearch@tamu.edu. Texas A&M University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and encourages applications from candidates who will enhance the diversity of the University’s administrative team.