Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
Application deadline: January 18, 2024
Senior Consultant: Kate Nolde
Kate.Nolde@academicsearch.org
Associate Consultant: Marcie Mikolay
marcie.mikolay@academicsearch.org
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. The Dean is the chief academic officer for the College and reports directly to the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs. The Dean is responsible for providing a long-term vision for the College and its research centers and affiliated programs; implementing the university’s strategic plan, including its focus on Louisiana culture and heritage and its commitment to global citizenship; advancing and supporting excellence in teaching, research, and service; leading the College’s efforts to recruit competitive students; enhancing and sustaining the high quality of undergraduate and graduate programs. The Dean will lead a dynamic faculty and student body that is part of a university recently recognized for its productivity as a Carnegie R1 institution.
The successful candidate must have a terminal degree in the humanities or social sciences and have a strong record of scholarship, teaching and administrative experience, a flexible management style, a commitment to both undergraduate and graduate education, interdisciplinary activity and innovative program development, and a balanced appreciation for the humanities and the social sciences. They will be expected to build and maintain effective collaborative relationships both within and beyond the boundaries of the college and the university. The candidate will have demonstrated success in administrative leadership, managing budgets, management, operation, accreditation, and continuous improvement of educational, performance, and research programs, as well as fundraising and advancement activities. The successful candidate will have demonstrated leadership capacity for fostering diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion. The Dean will work with faculty in establishing the vision, mission and values that promote the departments, centers, and clinics in the College.
The College of Liberal Arts awards 16 bachelor’s, seven master’s, and three doctoral degrees. It consists of nine academic departments: Communication; Communicative Disorders; Criminal Justice; English; History, Geography and Philosophy; Modern Languages; Political Science; Psychology; and Sociology, Anthropology, and Human Development & Family Science. It also houses several research centers and affiliated programs, including the Center for Louisiana Studies, the University of Louisiana Press, the Cajun and Creole Archives, the Center for Moving Image Arts, the Blanco Center for Public Policy, the Ernest J. Gaines Center, the Early Childhood Lab, the Humanities Resource Center, the Writing Center, the Guilbeau Center for Public History, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program, the Louisiana Public Archaeology Lab, the Speech and Hearing Clinic, and the Psychological Assessment Clinic. The College has an enrollment of approximately 2,300 majors, including over 270 graduate students. The college faculty comprises 160 full-time faculty and about 50 part-time faculty. Additional information about the College is available at http://liberalarts.louisiana.edu.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is the largest of nine publicly supported state institutions governed by the University of Louisiana System. It has over 15,200 students and approximately 620 permanent faculty. Located midway between New Orleans and Houston, Lafayette is the center of Louisiana’s Acadian-Creole region. The city population is 121,000 located in one of Louisiana’s fastest growing parishes and is the hub of numerous cultural festivals and celebrations. Additional information is available at the University’s web site: https://louisiana.edu/
Academic Search, Inc. has been selected to assist the University in this important search. All inquiries and nominations can be submitted to Kate Nolde, Senior Consultant at ULLCOLA@academicsearch.org. Ms. Nolde is available to speak confidentially during the holiday break. You may wish to call her at 570-419-3457.
Interested applicants should send all the following materials to cola@louisiana.edu to be considered for this position: 1) letter of interest stating how the candidate’s experiences and qualifications address expectations and priorities of the position; 2) curriculum vitae; 3) statement of leadership philosophy; and 4) list of five references. All applicant names will remain confidential, except for those candidates invited for a campus interview. Screening of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. For best consideration by the search committee, candidate materials should be submitted by January 18, 2024.