Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

F0183

Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Minimum Education/Experience/Skills: This position requires a PhD or terminal degree from an accredited institution. The successful candidate should hold tenure from an accredited institution at the associate professor or higher. Five to seven years of higher education experience, with prior leadership and/or supervisor experience. This is a 12-month position with no teaching or research expectations. The successful candidate will have faculty status with a right of return to the faculty. The initial appointment will be for three years, with the possibility to extend after a 360-review and negotiation with the provost. This position serves at the discretion of the provost which may render terms shorter or longer than three years.

Preferred Education/Experience/Skills: At least three years of higher education administrative experience. Strong preference for a candidate who hold holds tenure in a discipline of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: The dean will exhibit the following qualities and experiences. A candidate who does not already possess these traits must demonstrate a commitment and capacity to grow into these characteristics over time:

• High academic standards that support excellence in teaching, research, and service.
• Demonstrated commitment to student success, including knowledge of high-impact practices, enrollment and retention strategies, and a willingness to infuse the curriculum with career readiness considerations.
• An action-oriented focus on solutions that drive results.
• An inspirational, empowering and approachable style that builds relationships with faculty, staff, and students. A team player who is collaborative, interpersonally skilled, inclusive, and committed to bringing others along with them.
• A leader with a track record of effective cross-campus collaboration.
• Demonstrated ability to gain cooperation and support from faculty and other individuals when initiating new policies, procedures, or programs.
• Experience working in a shared governance context.
• An advocate for educational opportunity and access for all, including non-traditional, online, and hybrid students, and those not seeking a 4-year degree.
• A commitment to set and meet high expectations for self and others with complete accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to foster excellence in research, especially mentoring of students and incorporation of students into faculty research agendas.
• Demonstrated ability to foster excellence in teaching, especially service learning, experiential education, and online learning.
• Knowledge of grant-writing and the administration of grant-funded budgets.
• Experience in fiscal stewardship of complex budgets with special attention to pursuing our status as an “emerging research institution”.
• A capacity for fundraising to establish new partnerships, increase the visibility of existing, create new fiscal revenue sources, and expand the current inventory of endowed professorships.
• Superb organizational skills with excellent execution of plans and priorities.
• A strategic thinker who maintains awareness of higher education trends, including learning technologies.
• Familiarity with policies, processes of SACSCOC, discipline-specific accreditation, UNCA, and the UNC System.
• The highest standards of integrity, ethics, and transparency.
• Confidence, humility, and an attitude that welcomes challenge and feedback.

Responsibilities and Duties: In alignment with the priorities of academic affairs, outlined above, the dean will be expected to develop concrete and measurable plans that address the following expectations. These expectations will form the basis for their yearly goal-setting and evaluation by the provost.

1] Strategic visioning and planning. The dean will lead strategic planning initiatives that align the college with the vision of academic affairs and the larger university. Through transformative leadership, the dean will work collaboratively and inclusively to create, convey, and drive a new and united vision for the college. They will infuse energy and motivate the team to contribute to a set of common objectives that will result in enrollment growth, retention, and student success. The vision will be forward-facing, propelling the college to align with the strategic objectives of the university, outlined above.

2] Optimizing work processes. Establish robust business practices that utilize our resources (people and finances) effectively; encourage collegiality, transparency, and accountability; demonstrate sound fiscal management in supervising departmental budgets, trust fund allocation, endowed professorships, course releases, stipends, and the use of adjuncts; shepherd progressive enrollment management plans by enforcing course enrollments, class sizes, and overloads; develop an initiative to increase summer teaching and enrollment.

3] Ensuring accountability. The dean will be a key component of academic program reviews, ensuring the viability and relevance of programs. The dean will oversee enrollment and retention targets, and provide resource allocation to departments in accordance with performance on these measures.

4] Innovation and relevance. We must increase the significance of each division by being future-facing, agile to the opportunities in our region, and sensitive to the challenges in the higher education landscape. The dean will drive vision and purpose by having the courage to take calculated risks and foster a culture of innovation where initiatives can be piloted.

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Academic Affairs

Office of the Provost

Please note that any documents submitted to Human Resources or the hiring departments become property of UNC Asheville and will not be returned.

09/18/2025

Yes