Dean of the College of Education

The University of Texas at Arlington seeks applications and nominations for a visionary and strategic leader as dean of the College of Education (COE) with a proven commitment to academic excellence and shared decision-making. The dean fosters excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Reporting to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, the dean is responsible for providing visionary leadership, strategic direction, and administrative oversight for the college. The dean ensures the academic, research, and community engagement missions of the college are achieved, and that the college is well-positioned to address contemporary and emerging issues facing the field of education.

The dean serves as chief academic, administrative, and budget officer for the college and:

• Ensures that the college maintains accreditation and meets other regulatory requirements.
• Oversees academic personnel matters involving hiring, development, promotion, tenure, and evaluation
  of departmental chairpersons.
• Manages the college’s budget and financial resources, including allocating funds for research, scholarships, and other initiatives.
• Manages the personnel functions of the college with a commitment to collegial governance, cultural diversity, and equal opportunity.
• Supports the faculty in teaching, research, service, and professional development.
• Provides leadership in academic program reviews, program changes, and program development within the college.
• Calls and conducts faculty, staff, student, and other meetings in order to remain visible,
  collegial and transparent.
• Serves as the liaison for the college within the university.
• Develops and implements strategic plans for the college, including academic program development, student recruitment, and fundraising.
• Builds relationships with external stakeholders, including alumni, community organizations, and other academic institutions.
• Advocates for the college and promotes its mission and values to internal and external audiences.
• Promotes research and scholarly activities that address critical social issues and fosters an environment that encourages collaboration and innovation.

Required Qualifications:

• Doctorate within education or related discipline awarded by a regionally accredited
  higher education institution.
• A minimum of five (5) years of significant and progressive academic administration experience in higher education at the level of associate dean, department chair, program director, or equivalent role.
• Academic record sufficient to qualify as a tenured full professor.

A successful candidate:

• Is a servant-leader. Inspirational.
• Demonstrates candor and authenticity.
• Nurtures the successes of colleagues and students.
• Possesses an energetic, well-grounded, success-oriented personality.
• Shows initiative and self-discipline, with confidence and charisma to lead, encourage, and empower.
• Is creative, innovative, marketing-minded, and entrepreneurial.
• Builds consensus and is a team leader who seeks collective wisdom and input.
• Is flexible and able to facilitate multiple competing priorities and divergent viewpoints.
• Is an effective change agent.
• Possesses leadership and courage to make the tough decisions.
• Models a strong moral compass with unquestionable integrity and high professional standards.
• Possesses effective social skills.
• Is politically astute, yet not political.
• Possesses excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate complex or technical information clearly to a range of audiences. 
• Values diversity and actively looks for opportunities to engage with and elevate marginalized voices.

UTA's College of Education is one of the nation's top schools for education professionals. The COE strives to promote a collaborative culture of excellence in research, teaching, and service. The COE’s goal is to brighten students' lives, to provide them with unique experiences built on high standards, to encourage them to think critically and creatively, and to instill in them a lifetime commitment to learning and service to their communities.

The College of Education is fully accredited through the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation.

The college currently offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees through its academic units: the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Students may also pursue professional teacher, administrator, and other certificates or certifications.

Distinguished faculty are leaders in their fields. They study student learning, leadership, and teaching effectiveness as these are applied in today’s classrooms and schools. Faculty are also engaged scholars and practitioners who inform and shape education-related policies and practices through their impactful research. They bring their research discoveries to inform their teaching and student learning. The education that students receive at UTA is at a level expected from a world-class research university.

In addition to training and shaping the next generation of teachers, administrators, and education policy makers, the college’s faculty have and continue to make enormous contributions to our understanding of educational practice and policy.

Located on a 420-acre campus in the heart of the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area (population 7.6 million), UTA is a comprehensive teaching, research, and public service institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through scholarship and creative work.

As one of the largest and most diverse universities in Texas, UTA is committed to providing access and ensuring student success, and to a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization of discoveries by its community of scholars. The University promotes lifelong learning through its academic, continuing education, and experiential learning programs. The faculty, staff, and student community share diverse cultural values that foster inclusivity and cultivate mutual respect.

Founded in 1895 as a private liberal arts institution, UTA enrolls over 41,000 students and employs nearly 5,000 faculty and staff. The university has the fifth most ethnically diverse undergraduate population in the United States (U.S. News & World Report, 2023) and is a Hispanic- Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (U.S. Department of Education). UTA graduates the most African American students at the master's degree level and the second-most at the undergraduate degree level of any Texas university (Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 2022).

UTA is one of just six institutions nationwide this year to earn the Seal of Excelencia certification, a prestigious honor granted to colleges and universities for their commitment to accelerating Latino student success. U.S. News & World Report 2022-23 ranked UTA among one of the best graduate schools in the country, and it was chosen again by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society as one of the top 200 Colleges for Indigenous students. UTA is consistently ranked as a top institution serving first-generation and low-income students, and it was ranked fourth nationally for serving veteran students (Military Times, 2022).

Guided by world-class faculty members, students in the University’s campus-based and online degree programs represent 120 countries and pursue more than 184 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a broad range of disciplines. UTA is dedicated to producing the lifelong learners and critical thinkers that the region and nation demand. More than 60% of the University’s 250,000 alumni live in North Texas and contribute to an annual economic impact of $17.1 billion in the region.

In addition to nurturing student success, UTA is focused on making an impact through innovative research. Anchored by its five strategic pillars—health and the human condition, sustainable communities, global environmental impact, data-driven discovery, and culture and societal transformations—the University’s research portfolio saw significant growth over the past decade, with expenditures reaching $125 million in 2022. Faculty work in state-of-the-art facilities has resulted in important breakthroughs in areas such as sustainable infrastructure, healthy aging, high-energy physics, cardiovascular disease, machine-learning systems, and more.

In 2021, the combination of outstanding academics and innovative research contributed to the University
once again receiving Carnegie R-1 “Very High Research Activity” designation. By providing exceptional educational opportunities and addressing important societal challenges, UTA enhances the quality of life in
Texas and beyond.

The Search Committee invites letters of interest and nominations to be submitted directly to the search firm, Anthem Executive. Correspondence should include a curriculum vitae and a letter of interest describing relevant experience and interest in the position, and should be submitted to:

UTADeanEd@AnthemExecutive.com

Letters of interest and nominations will be accepted until the positions are filled; however, should be submitted as soon as possible in order to assure consideration. There will be an initial cut-off date for submission to the committee. Expressing interest is the first step in receiving consideration and does not make one an applicant for the position.

UTA is committed to providing equal employment and educational opportunities for all qualified persons without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, disabilities, pregnancy, genetic information and/or veteran status.