Job Listings

Portland State University seeks a Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Click here to view position profile: https://summitsearchsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PSU_Dean_CLAS_Profile.pdf

Location: Portland, Oregon

The Position:

The Dean is the chief academic and administrative officer and provides leadership to the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS). Reporting directly to the Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Dean works collaboratively both within CLAS and across other colleges to create a unified vision for the College and to provide strategic leadership to advance its overall quality, reputation, stature, and goals.

The Dean oversees teaching, research, and service missions; coordinates the faculty in developing academic policy and programs for the College; oversees the personnel, budget, and curriculum for all academic programs; and advocates for the College among external constituents, including business partners, the senior administrative team and the Academic Leadership Team. Positions reporting to the Dean include Department Chairs and Directors of Centers, Institutes, and Programs, as well as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Associate Dean for Faculty and Professional Staff, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Engagement and Dean’s Office staff.

CLAS plays an important role in advancing the University’s campus-wide initiatives, particularly with regard to student success, sustainability and diversity. The next Dean of CLAS will have a meaningful opportunity to position the College as a fully engaged partner in campus-wide efforts to live out its vision as a national leader for social mobility through higher education, a model for serving minoritized learners, and a driving force for Portland’s success.

Responsibilities:

Financial & Resource Development, Leadership, and Fundraising

• Lead the establishment of a vision for long-term financial health through the management of the fiscal affairs and the development of the CLAS budget that reflects long-term and short-term goals.
• Responsible for sound financial management and oversight to ensure the efficient use and strategic investment of College resources.
• Develop community and industry partnerships that support the goals of the College.
• Develop, lead, and encourage fundraising, in collaboration with the PSU Foundation, to support the College’s goals and the goals of its departments, programs and students, as well as outreach and public service efforts.
• Responsible for development of industry and community partnerships.
• Ensure that the College has sufficient physical space to advance its instructional and research objectives.
• Support the implementation of technologies that support students, staff, and faculty alike.

Academic Leadership

The Dean is the chief executive and academic officer for the College and is expected to:

• Develop a strong leadership team to provide effective management across a set of distinct but highly integrated academic divisions.
• Lead College strategic planning and oversee curriculum development.
• Ensure completion of assessment for all curricular majors and oversee the program-level and institution-level accreditation processes.
• Promote faculty research and creative work that engages with pressing societal and global challenges, contributes positively to urban environments, and gains from engagement with outside institutions.
• Foster a climate that promotes a collegial environment and supports excellence in teaching, research and service to the institution and the community.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration and research within the College across the University, and with community partners.
• Improve processes and systems to ensure that faculty are well coordinated and supported.
• Engage with a multidisciplinary faculty whose research interests and practice expertise span a wide range of areas, with undergraduate and graduate students, and with constituencies within the academy and in the public sphere.
• Serve as a catalyst for linking the work of CLAS faculty, centers/institutes, and students to other disciplines, and to external public and private communities.
• Assess, monitor, and guide overall College priorities and productivity in instruction, research, and service.

Administrative Leadership, Oversight, and Personnel Supervision

• Set the standard for intellectual engagement and accomplishment by providing strategic vision for, and operational leadership of, the College as a whole.
• Create opportunities for CLAS faculty and students to engage with other colleges and schools on campus.
• Recruit, develop, and mentor faculty and staff, fostering a culture of professional growth, collaboration, and accountability.
• Supervise and evaluate applicable college administrative staff, department chairs, and school directors.
• Lead the processes of college administrator hiring/selection and oversee the processes of faculty and staff hiring/selection and retention.
• Work with faculty to identify and seek investments for endowed chairs, fellowships, and expansion of PhD programs that strengthen the academic fabric of the College.
• Implement strategies to attract, support, and retain a diverse student body while ensuring an inclusive and academically rigorous environment.
• Promote the expansion of the diversity profile of both CLAS students and its faculty, as well as an inclusive community, in alignment with PSU Key Competencies and mission.
• Recruit and retain distinguished scholars and exceptional teachers, as well as outstanding students.
• Review the College policies, procedures, and recommendations for appointment, salary, retention, tenure, and/or promotion of faculty, and ensure that appropriate policies are followed.
• Conduct faculty reviews in accordance with the University and Unit-level Promotion & Tenure Guidelines.
• Provide recommendations to the Provost regarding tenure and promotion reviews, hiring, appointments, and sabbaticals.
• Assess, monitor, and guide overall School priorities and productivity in teaching, research, and service.
• Maintenance of accreditation, assessment, academic program review and licensures as specified by NWCCU and any applicable specialized accreditation agencies.
• Garner support from alumni and from internal and external stakeholders, including non-profit and for-profit sectors, government, and educational organizations.
• Collaborate with and coordinate with other deans.

Qualifications:

Required:

• An earned doctorate in an area related to one of the College’s disciplines, and a record of recognized research, scholarship, and teaching accomplishments sufficient to merit a tenured appointment as a full professor.
• 10 years of professional academic experience. This will include a minimum of 5 years of prior experience in a leadership role (such as associate dean, dean, or equivalent) with a demonstrated ability to manage teams and drive academic initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and articulate a compelling vision that: 1) excites, attracts, and retains high-quality faculty and students, 2) attracts capital, and 3) drives resource management decision-making.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising and/or securing external support.
• Outstanding oral and written communication: ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences, including faculty, students, staff, alumni, and external stakeholders.
• Experience improving the efficiency and effectiveness of organizations.
• Experience in managing financial and human resources and demonstrated success in fiscal planning and management of complex budgets in environments with limited resources.
• Ability to allocate resources and empower entrepreneurialism with a high level of transparency and fairness.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the capacity to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Demonstrated capacity to create and develop a cadre of leadership and work effectively with peer leaders.
• Proven ability to foster shared governance, transparency in decision-making, and openness to collaborative relationships with campus stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrated track record of effectively engaging governmental organizations and collaborating with diverse communities both internal and external to academic institutions locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
• Commitment to the College’s role in addressing critical policy and social issues.
• Commitment to creating and nurturing a distinguished and diverse faculty.
• Commitment to applied, professional, interdisciplinary, and community-based education and scholarship.
• Demonstrated experience with personnel development and decision-making.

Preferred:

• Experience serving as a Dean or in a similarly situated Higher Education Executive or Chief Officer role.
• Experience leading and working within a unionized environment and with collective bargaining agreements.
• Experience developing research programs that address important societal issues and that contribute to the economic vitality of the city and the state.
• A clear understanding of leading-edge methods and technologies to support a large public college.

About the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences:

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is the academic heart of Portland State University. As PSU’s largest and most diverse college, it is a vibrant community of 4,700+ undergraduates, 700+ graduate students, 300+ full-time faculty and 50+ staff within 24 units across the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.

CLAS offers more than 80 undergraduate programs, including majors, minors and certificates, and more than 45 graduate programs, including master’s, doctorates and certificates. The College’s extensive academic offerings benefit the entire PSU community, with 40% of total student credit hours across the University being taught in CLAS.

CLAS is also home to two distinctive schools. The School of Gender, Race and Nations, whose programs and scholarship play a critical role in PSU becoming the premier Minority-Serving Institution in the Pacific Northwest, comprises Black Studies, Chicanx/Latinx Studies, Indigenous Nations Studies, and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. The School of Earth, Environment and Society, launching this fall, joins together Anthropology, Complex Systems, Environmental Science and Management, Geography and Geology as an interdisciplinary hub of teaching and research.

Faculty across the College engage with some of the most important questions of our time with diverse perspectives and expertise. During the most recent fiscal year, CLAS had nearly $19.7 million in research expenditures and 135 active projects across disciplines and funding sources, including three major NSF research and training grants that provide research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

CLAS has the largest footprint on campus, recently celebrating the opening of the Vernier Science Center. A dramatic transformation of PSU’s undergraduate science building, the capital project - with visioning and leadership from CLAS-centered Indigenous perspectives and the voices of students from communities often not heard, resulting in a building where all students can feel a sense of belonging.

About Portland State University:

Portland State University (PSU) is Oregon’s largest urban university, located in Portland, Oregon. PSU enrolls over 22,000 students and offers programs for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. PSU is an internationally recognized university known for excellence in student learning, innovative research, and community engagement. PSU contributes to the economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and quality of life in the Portland region and beyond. Employees describe Portland State University as a vibrant, diverse, progressive place to work and an environment that welcomes process improvement and innovation. Portland State’s 50-acre downtown campus is located in the heart of the city; a hub of culture, business, and technology, and just 90 minutes from mountains and the Oregon Coast.

Portland State is composed of 10 constituent schools and colleges, offering undergraduate degrees in 123 fields and postgraduate degrees in 117 fields. Academic units at PSU include The School of Business, College of Education, School of Social Work, College of Urban and Public Affairs, College of the Arts, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Combined OHSU/PSU School of Public Health, the Graduate School, and the Honors College. The athletic teams are known as the Portland State Vikings and compete at the NCAA Division I Level, primarily in the Big Sky Conference. See www.pdx.edu for additional information about the institution.

To Apply:

Confidential review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applications will be reviewed as they come in. Those received by April 1^st, 2025 will be given first consideration.

To apply, go to: https://theapplicantmanager.com/jobs?pos=su449

Applicants must submit a CV, a letter of interest that details their related qualifications and vision for the role, as well as a statement (one page maximum) that describes their commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion personally and/or professionally.

For more information or to offer recommendations or nominations:

Caitlin Hummel

Senior Consultant

Summit Search Solutions, Inc.

(585) 880-7550

chummel@summitsearchsolutions.com