Dean of the College of Education
The University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (UA) seeks to appoint the next Dean ofthe College of Education. The successful applicant will be astrategic and collaborative leader with a high scholarly profile ineducation or kinesiology. The appointed Dean will further developthe vision for the College and bring inspiring and supportiveleadership to the role. The Dean will build on recent achievementsto lead the college towards greater success in Alabama and acrossthe nation in teaching, scholarship, advocacy, and service. Skilledin planning, curricular design, research, grant funding, andbudgetary matters the new Dean will steer a body of talented andhigh-achieving faculty, staff, and students to realize theirindividual and collective potential. The Dean will also engage withalumni, the business community, and state and federal governmentofficials to advance the goals of the College and University. Thesuccessful candidate will have a terminal degree and qualify forappointment at the rank of full professor in one of the College'sdepartments. The candidate will also possess a significant andprogressive record of higher education leadership.
Located in the heart of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, TheUniversity of Alabama is one of the nation's premier universities,offering bachelor's, masters and doctoral degrees in nearly 200fields of study. With more than 1,000 acres of tree-lined academiccore campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has beenranked among the most beautiful and most inspiring college campusesin the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation. In Fall2021, the Capstone set 47 new enrollment records, including thelargest first-year student class to ever enroll. In addition,enrollment of first-year students from Alabama rose over 8%, themost in a decade. UA is also a leader among public universities inthe enrollment of national Merit Scholars, with 281 first-yearstudents tallying a 27% increase from the previous year and a newUA record of 940 National Merit Scholars among all undergraduatestudents. Along with these records, its 6,632 graduate, law, andmedical students enrolled this fall are all-time highs for UA. Asthe state's flagship university, UA is also designated among thetop doctoral research universities in the United States in theCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Since2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus,adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g.,"The Alabama Research Institutes"), and a growing number ofpartnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.UA's research enterprise has been surging higher for sevenconsecutive years. For fiscal year 2020, sponsored awards reachedmore than $168.4 million, an increase of more than 27% over theprevious year, which was also record-breaking. Total sponsoredawards increased by 70% in the last two fiscal years (2019-2020),strengthening UA's position as one of the fastest growing researchinstitutions in the nation. The University employs nearly 2,100faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included inthe National Academy of Inventors. An additional 36 current facultyhave received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation's most prestigiousrecognition of top performing young scientists in disciplinesranging from nanoscience and engineering to biologicalsciences.
The mission of the College of Education can be traced to itsfounding as a Normal Department in 1844. The fundamental ideabehind the establishment of the department was to offer a programof study dedicated to "instruction in the art and business of ateacher." When the department adopted the signal charge to educateteachers for employment in the primary and preparatory schools ofthe state, it set the course for the development of a morefully-formed modern institution comprehensively involved in theeducational endeavor.
The College's normal school origins are still evident in itspresent-day work with school practitioners and professionals inallied fields. Teacher education continues to be a front-and-centermatter, as the College remains proudly committed to its historicalmandate to deliver first-rate educators to the schools of the stateand the nation. The work of the College has also extended its reachby involving itself with the training and development of schooladministrators and school-based researchers – in K-12 and highereducation settings – while also adopting a program for theeducation of sport and health practitioners in the field ofexercise science. These commitments have made the College amodern-day site for a variety of work that addresses issues andconcerns facing educators, parents, policymakers, legislators andcitizens interested in the educational experience, as it manifestsinside and outside of schools, as well as at sites dedicated to theeducation of sport and health professionals who work inrecreational and medical settings. Last year, the College procuredover 15 million dollars in grant and contract funding and continuesto strengthen its national visibility as a research productiveinstitution.
The College is organized into six departments, including theDepartment of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department ofEducational Leadership, Policy and Technology Studies, theDepartment of Educational Studies in Psychology, ResearchMethodology and Counseling, the Department of Kinesiology, theDepartment of Music Education and the Department of SpecialEducation and Multiple Abilities. There are also five certifiedCenters, including the Center of Educational Policy Center, theBelser Parton Literacy Center, the Center for the Study of EthicalDevelopment, the Center for Interconnected Behavioral and MentalHealth Systems and UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center. The work ofthe College is also embodied in critical service work. The AlabamaAdapted Athletics program, for example, aims to bring sportingopportunities to college-aged adults with ambulatory disabilities;the CrossingPoints Transition Program provides educationalopportunities to adolescents and young adults with cognitivedisabilities; the Alabama Superintendents' Academy provides anin-service training programs to sitting and aspiring schoolsuperintendents; the Evidence-based International EarlyIntervention Office offers assistant to the families of infants andtoddlers that have special needs; the Office of Extended Learningand Community Supports oversees a statewide network of afterschooland summertime programs for school children; the Office ofEvaluation and School Improvement offers client evaluation servicesto schools and other external agencies; the Office of SchoolPartnerships exists to promote innovative approaches to schoolreform and the Office of Strong Schools uses a whole child approachto help children make achievement and socio-emotional gains inschool.
Additional information about UA is available in the OpportunityProfile.
Applications should consist of a cover letter, a curriculum vitae,a list of five professional references with full contactinformation, and a request for confidentiality if desired. Noreferences will be contacted without the explicit permission of thecandidate. Applications, nominations, and expressions of interestcan be submitted electronically, and in confidence, to: UADeanEducation@academicsearch.org.Best consideration will be given to applications received byWednesday, August 30, 2023.
Confidential discussions about this opportunity may be arranged bycontacting Ann Die Hasselmo at Ann.Hasselmo@academicsearch.orgor Chris Butler at Chris.Butler@academicsearch.org,consultants with Academic Search, Washington, D.C.
Further information about the University of Alabama is available athttps://www.ua.edu/. For moreinformation on the College of Education see https://education.ua.edu/ .
The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/EqualEducational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants willreceive consideration for employment without regard to race, color,religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genderidentity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability,or protected veteran status, and will not be discriminated againstbecause of their protected status. Applicants to and employees ofthis institution are protected under Federal law fromdiscrimination on several bases.
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