Dean, College of Business and Professional Studies #1
Mississippi University for Women invites applications for Dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies to begin July 1, 2024. Opportunity to start as early as June 3, 2024 if candidate is available. The dean reports directly to the Provost / Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The dean, in consultation with the provost, department chairs, and faculty, is responsible for the College of Business and Professional Studies unit management, faculty affairs, and instructional oversight. The Dean of Business and Professional Studies is responsible for the following departments: Department of Business, Culinary Arts Institute, and Department of Legal Studies. The W welcomes qualified applicants who wish to contribute to our tradition of excellence of building a diverse community reflective of our diverse student population.
Minimum Qualifications:
Earned doctorate in one of the disciplines offered within the college (or closely related field); qualification for faculty appointment at assistant professor (or above) in one of the college’s disciplines; university administrative experience as a department chair (or equivalent responsibility); strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills; strong belief in working with a collaborative spirit to achieve successful outcomes for students, faculty, staff, and the region.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience at the rank of professor; administrative experience with curriculum development, student advising, staff management, and development; administrative experience managing and balancing the needs of a large number of programs and degree offerings; administrative experience working with large number of adjunct faculty and online programs; experience working with SACSCOC (or other regional accrediting bodies) and accrediting or approving entities for programs within the college; experience developing educational partnerships with community colleges with particular emphasis on signing and/or managing transfer agreements; documented success in growing programs.
About The W: Founded in 1884 and offering higher education on its grounds since 1847, Mississippi University for Women made history as the first state-supported college for women in America. Coeducational since 1982, The W offers personalized attention, high-quality instruction, and a strong liberal arts education to prepare women and men to become leaders in a variety of business and professional fields. Recently admitted as only the thirtieth member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, now is a particularly exciting time in the university’s history with the recent completion of a $25 million capital campaign and the fall 2023 opening of a 40,000 square feet Culinary Arts facility. Work is also underway on a five-year quality enhancement plan to prepare students for life-long achievement by promoting professional development and career readiness through curricular and co-curricular programming. Finally, a Naming Task Force has been formed to explore the possibility of a new name for the university.
Accolades: The W leads Mississippi public universities in undergraduate degree attainment efficiency, awarding 33.9 undergraduate degrees per 100 full-time equivalent students. The university has been named among the Best Colleges to Work For Honor Roll by The Chronicle of Higher Education (ten consecutive years), Best Master’s Universities by Washington Monthly, a Four-Star University by Money Magazine, and Top Public Southern Regional Universities by U.S. News and World Report (including recognition as the #1 Best Value School in the South among public universities and #1 Least Debt among all Regional Universities in the South). The W (as it is called across the region) is located in one of the “50 Best College Towns to Live in Forever”. Known as “The Friendly City,” Columbus, MS, is a town of 23,000 located almost equal distance from Jackson, MS; Birmingham, AL: and Memphis, TN, and is home to Columbus Air Force Base.
Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. However, failure to disclose may disqualify a candidate.
