Dean of School of Arts and Sciences
Job Description
Job Description
The approximate base compensation range is posted, but the actual offer will reflect our total compensation and benefits package. The offer will be determined by a number of factors including the selected candidate’s experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, FTE, number of months worked, as well as internal equity among our team.
Salary Range: $114,620-$149,006
Note: Applications received by November 7, 2025 are assured full consideration
Dean, School of Arts and Sciences, College of St. Scholastica
The College of St. Scholastica seeks an experienced, accomplished, and dynamic leader to serve as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. The dean will support an outstanding community of faculty members who are dedicated to teaching, scholarly and creative work, and service. The School of Arts and Sciences includes a broad array of majors, minors, and pre-professional tracks spanning the humanities, natural and social sciences, fine arts, and global and interdisciplinary studies. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the School, the dean works with the faculty to ensure the success of academic programs, foster collaboration across disciplines, and offer students a mission-driven education in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The School of Arts and Sciences houses the Veritas Program in General Education and is the center of liberal learning at the College. The dean reports to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and is a member of the College’s Academic Council, together with other school deans and leaders.
Key Responsibilities:
- Deep appreciation and respect for the Catholic intellectual tradition, for Catholic social teaching, and for the College’s Catholic Benedictine identity and values, which are at the heart of the College’s mission and which inspire, shape, and inform our educational environment and our commitment to inclusive excellence.
- Strategic leadership, planning, and vision to advance the mission of the School and College.
- Effective advocacy among internal and external constituencies for the value and importance of a liberal education; cultivating strong campus and community partnerships to promote the liberal arts.
- Recruitment, retention, evaluation, and mentoring of faculty; guiding faculty through the tenure and promotion process; supporting their teaching, professional development, and scholarly and creative work.
- Working collaboratively with faculty, department chairs, and program directors to achieve strategic priorities and encourage new initiatives.
- Leadership in program and curricular design and development, in assessment and accreditation processes, and in collaboration across the School’s academic departments and programs.
- Working collaboratively with Enrollment Management to develop and pursue strategies for recruitment and retention of students.
- Developing community and corporate partnerships to support student experiential learning and career opportunities.
- Budget, fiscal, and resource management; grant-writing and other fundraising to support teaching and learning, research, and creative work; collaborate with College Advancement in fundraising and in developing relationships with external partners, donors, and supporters.
Qualifications:
- Earned terminal degree.
- Strong record of teaching, scholarship and/or creative activity, and service meriting appointment as associate or (preferably) full professor.
- Administrative experience demonstrating effective leadership at increasing levels of responsibility (minimum of five years of administrative experience).
- Demonstrated ability to meet the above key responsibilities.
College Profile
The College of St. Scholastica was founded as a Catholic institution in 1912 to educate women primarily in nursing, education and social work. Today, St. Scholastica is a co-educational, comprehensive institution of higher learning offering undergraduate and graduate programs under the sponsorship of the Duluth Benedictine Ministries, formally the Benedictine Sisters of the St. Scholastica Monastery, who continue to have a strong presence on campus.
Shaped by the Catholic Benedictine heritage, the College of St. Scholastica provides intellectual and moral preparation for responsible living and meaningful work. It aspires to be a diverse and inclusive academic community of excellence, sending forth thoughtful leaders sharpened and sensitized by the liberal arts who are prepared and committed to work for the good and transform the world.
The College serves about 3,000 students, both graduate and undergraduate. The student body comes from 49 states (plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) and 35 countries. St. Scholastica has been strategically increasing its diversity, with 18% of the student body from historically under-represented groups. The College is deeply committed to being a place of access and opportunity. First-generation students comprise 30% of the traditional undergraduate student body. Women comprise 69% of our total student body and 62% of our traditional undergraduate students.
Overlooking Lake Superior, the 186-acre Duluth main campus is in an area of striking natural beauty. The campus features new and historic buildings, including the iconic Tower Hall and a newly constructed Student Center. Duluth is a beautiful and vibrant city of 86,000 in a metropolitan area of more than 150,000, set on the shores of Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake. For outdoor enthusiasts, Duluth offers four seasons of first-rate opportunities: beaches, bike paths, jogging trails, ski resorts, cross-country skiing trails, boating and fishing sites, and rinks for skating, curling, and hockey. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is an easy drive. Outside magazine recently named Duluth the number one “Outside City” in the U.S. and the number two “Best Adventure Hub” in the world.
Application
We invite inquiries, nominations and applications. Applications must include a curriculum vitae and a substantive cover letter, both submitted as PDFs. The letter of application must address the key responsibilities and qualifications. References’ names and contact information will be required later in the search process. References will only be contacted with candidates’ prior approval.
Confidential questions, nominations and expressions of interest may be submitted to either of the search co-chairs:
Michael Wendinger, EdD
Essentia Health Dean of School of Health Professions
The College of St. Scholastica
Randall A. Poole, Ph.D.
Professor of Intellectual History and Chair, Department of Global Humanities
The College of St. Scholastica
#Ll-JG1