University of North Carolina at Asheville
Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina, us, 28814
Posting Number:
F0183 Department:
Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Overview
The dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences assumes leadership of a new college, inspiring a new vision, solidarity, and the pursuit of a future-facing curriculum with a strong liberal arts foundation. The dean serves an expanded portfolio, overseeing the departments of Art/Art History, Business, Drama, Economics, English, History, Interdisciplinary and Global Programs, Literature and Languages, Music, Mass Communication, Sociology & Anthropology, Political Science, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, as well as oversight of Africana Studies, Education, and Humanities programs. The dean will provide transformative leadership in the context of existing university circumstances and will value inclusive decision-making and collaboration with diverse campus partners. The dean will support engagement with students as part of the undergraduate experience and promote the relevance and intrinsic value of individual disciplines while pursuing interdisciplinarity and cross-disciplinary alliances within available resources. The dean will ensure ongoing quality and continuous improvement through assessment and academic portfolio review, and will solicit input from faculty and department chairs on developing new or improved programs. The dean will also consider external stakeholders, regional relevance, and higher education trends, including providing recommendations to the provost on resource allocation and faculty growth, while fostering professional development for faculty and contributing to enrollment growth and regional impact. The dean will be a representative and enthusiastic spokesperson for the college and university to the broader community, and will lead, mentor, and build an environment of integrity and united purpose. The dean will engage faculty with students, the university, and the larger community, encourage participation in the first-year experience, the senior year seminar, core curriculum, undergraduate research, and experiential learning, and will prioritize leadership that inspires engagement and productivity beyond monetary incentives. The dean will oversee transformation from a previous organizational structure of separate divisions into a dynamic college and will align with four strategic objectives identified by the Chancellor: A Technology Integrated Curriculum, Career and Leadership Development, Future-Facing Academic Programs, and Student Success and the Student Experience. VISION, CORE VALUES, AND COMPETENCIES FOR THE DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
In addition to aligning with the chancellor’s priorities, the dean will align actions and plans with the vision, core values, and competencies of the division of academic affairs. The provost’s priorities include: Results-based accountability:
establishing clear responsibilities, setting expectations for performance, measuring results accurately, and incorporating feedback. Commitment to excellence:
uphold liberal arts and sciences heritage while pursuing better, faster, and smarter practices, promote lifelong learning, and foster belonging among students, faculty, and staff in a post-pandemic world. Data-informed, strategic decision making:
leverage data and the university plan to prioritize goals and resources, with a future-facing campus-wide impact. Commitment to student success and career readiness:
remove barriers in policies, ensure high-quality curricula and teaching, and embed career readiness throughout the curriculum from first-year to senior year. Innovation and relevance:
lead an applied liberal arts focus, expand online offerings and non-traditional programs, and develop career-ready outcomes across degree programs. Qualifications: Minimum Education/Experience/Skills:
This position requires a PhD or terminal degree from an accredited institution. The successful candidate should hold tenure at the associate professor level or higher. Five to seven years of higher education experience with prior leadership and/or supervisory experience. This is a 12-month position with no teaching or research expectations. The successful candidate will have faculty status with a right of return to the faculty. The initial appointment will be for three years, with the possibility to extend after a 360-review and negotiation with the provost. This position serves at the discretion of the provost and terms may be shorter or longer than three years. Preferred Education/Experience/Skills:
At least three years of higher education administrative experience. Strong preference for a candidate who holds tenure in a discipline within the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
The dean will exhibit the following qualities; a candidate not yet possessing them should demonstrate a commitment to develop over time: High academic standards that support excellence in teaching, research, and service. Committed to student success, including knowledge of high-impact practices and enrollment/retention strategies, with curriculum infused with career readiness. Action-oriented focus on solutions that drive results. Inspirational, empowering leadership that builds relationships with faculty, staff, and students; collaborative and inclusive. Strong cross-campus collaboration and ability to gain cooperation for new policies, procedures, or programs. Experience in shared governance. Advocate for educational opportunity and access for all, including non-traditional, online, and hybrid learners. Commitment to high expectations and accountability for self and others. Fostering excellence in research and mentoring of students in faculty research agendas. Fostering excellence in teaching, including service learning, experiential education, and online learning. Knowledge of grant-writing and administration of grant-funded budgets. Experience in fiscal stewardship of complex budgets and pursuing status as an emerging research institution. Capacity for fundraising to establish partnerships and expand endowed professorships. Superb organizational skills and ability to execute plans and priorities. Strategic thinker aware of higher education trends, including learning technologies. Familiarity with policies and processes of SACSCOC, accreditation, UNC Asheville, and the UNC System. Highest standards of integrity, ethics, and transparency; confidence, humility, and openness to challenge and feedback. Responsibilities and Duties: In alignment with the priorities of Academic Affairs, the dean will develop concrete and measurable plans addressing the following expectations, forming the basis for yearly goal-setting and evaluation by the provost. Strategic visioning and planning:
Lead strategic planning to align the college with Academic Affairs and university priorities. Create, convey, and drive a new and united vision, mobilizing the team toward common objectives that promote enrollment growth, retention, and student success. Optimizing work processes:
Establish robust business practices, ensure fiscal management, supervise budgets and endowed positions, manage class sizes, course overloads, and summer teaching/enrollment initiatives. Ensuring accountability:
Oversee academic program reviews, enrollment and retention targets, and resource allocation based on performance. Innovation and relevance:
Drive a future-facing, agile culture, take calculated risks, and pilot initiatives to enhance division impact. Months per Year:
N/A Division:
Academic Affairs Department:
Office of the Provost Special Instructions Summary:
Please note that any documents submitted to Human Resources or the hiring departments become property of UNC Asheville and will not be returned. Posting date:
09/18/2025 Close date:
10/10/2025
#J-18808-Ljbffr
F0183 Department:
Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Overview
The dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences assumes leadership of a new college, inspiring a new vision, solidarity, and the pursuit of a future-facing curriculum with a strong liberal arts foundation. The dean serves an expanded portfolio, overseeing the departments of Art/Art History, Business, Drama, Economics, English, History, Interdisciplinary and Global Programs, Literature and Languages, Music, Mass Communication, Sociology & Anthropology, Political Science, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, as well as oversight of Africana Studies, Education, and Humanities programs. The dean will provide transformative leadership in the context of existing university circumstances and will value inclusive decision-making and collaboration with diverse campus partners. The dean will support engagement with students as part of the undergraduate experience and promote the relevance and intrinsic value of individual disciplines while pursuing interdisciplinarity and cross-disciplinary alliances within available resources. The dean will ensure ongoing quality and continuous improvement through assessment and academic portfolio review, and will solicit input from faculty and department chairs on developing new or improved programs. The dean will also consider external stakeholders, regional relevance, and higher education trends, including providing recommendations to the provost on resource allocation and faculty growth, while fostering professional development for faculty and contributing to enrollment growth and regional impact. The dean will be a representative and enthusiastic spokesperson for the college and university to the broader community, and will lead, mentor, and build an environment of integrity and united purpose. The dean will engage faculty with students, the university, and the larger community, encourage participation in the first-year experience, the senior year seminar, core curriculum, undergraduate research, and experiential learning, and will prioritize leadership that inspires engagement and productivity beyond monetary incentives. The dean will oversee transformation from a previous organizational structure of separate divisions into a dynamic college and will align with four strategic objectives identified by the Chancellor: A Technology Integrated Curriculum, Career and Leadership Development, Future-Facing Academic Programs, and Student Success and the Student Experience. VISION, CORE VALUES, AND COMPETENCIES FOR THE DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
In addition to aligning with the chancellor’s priorities, the dean will align actions and plans with the vision, core values, and competencies of the division of academic affairs. The provost’s priorities include: Results-based accountability:
establishing clear responsibilities, setting expectations for performance, measuring results accurately, and incorporating feedback. Commitment to excellence:
uphold liberal arts and sciences heritage while pursuing better, faster, and smarter practices, promote lifelong learning, and foster belonging among students, faculty, and staff in a post-pandemic world. Data-informed, strategic decision making:
leverage data and the university plan to prioritize goals and resources, with a future-facing campus-wide impact. Commitment to student success and career readiness:
remove barriers in policies, ensure high-quality curricula and teaching, and embed career readiness throughout the curriculum from first-year to senior year. Innovation and relevance:
lead an applied liberal arts focus, expand online offerings and non-traditional programs, and develop career-ready outcomes across degree programs. Qualifications: Minimum Education/Experience/Skills:
This position requires a PhD or terminal degree from an accredited institution. The successful candidate should hold tenure at the associate professor level or higher. Five to seven years of higher education experience with prior leadership and/or supervisory experience. This is a 12-month position with no teaching or research expectations. The successful candidate will have faculty status with a right of return to the faculty. The initial appointment will be for three years, with the possibility to extend after a 360-review and negotiation with the provost. This position serves at the discretion of the provost and terms may be shorter or longer than three years. Preferred Education/Experience/Skills:
At least three years of higher education administrative experience. Strong preference for a candidate who holds tenure in a discipline within the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
The dean will exhibit the following qualities; a candidate not yet possessing them should demonstrate a commitment to develop over time: High academic standards that support excellence in teaching, research, and service. Committed to student success, including knowledge of high-impact practices and enrollment/retention strategies, with curriculum infused with career readiness. Action-oriented focus on solutions that drive results. Inspirational, empowering leadership that builds relationships with faculty, staff, and students; collaborative and inclusive. Strong cross-campus collaboration and ability to gain cooperation for new policies, procedures, or programs. Experience in shared governance. Advocate for educational opportunity and access for all, including non-traditional, online, and hybrid learners. Commitment to high expectations and accountability for self and others. Fostering excellence in research and mentoring of students in faculty research agendas. Fostering excellence in teaching, including service learning, experiential education, and online learning. Knowledge of grant-writing and administration of grant-funded budgets. Experience in fiscal stewardship of complex budgets and pursuing status as an emerging research institution. Capacity for fundraising to establish partnerships and expand endowed professorships. Superb organizational skills and ability to execute plans and priorities. Strategic thinker aware of higher education trends, including learning technologies. Familiarity with policies and processes of SACSCOC, accreditation, UNC Asheville, and the UNC System. Highest standards of integrity, ethics, and transparency; confidence, humility, and openness to challenge and feedback. Responsibilities and Duties: In alignment with the priorities of Academic Affairs, the dean will develop concrete and measurable plans addressing the following expectations, forming the basis for yearly goal-setting and evaluation by the provost. Strategic visioning and planning:
Lead strategic planning to align the college with Academic Affairs and university priorities. Create, convey, and drive a new and united vision, mobilizing the team toward common objectives that promote enrollment growth, retention, and student success. Optimizing work processes:
Establish robust business practices, ensure fiscal management, supervise budgets and endowed positions, manage class sizes, course overloads, and summer teaching/enrollment initiatives. Ensuring accountability:
Oversee academic program reviews, enrollment and retention targets, and resource allocation based on performance. Innovation and relevance:
Drive a future-facing, agile culture, take calculated risks, and pilot initiatives to enhance division impact. Months per Year:
N/A Division:
Academic Affairs Department:
Office of the Provost Special Instructions Summary:
Please note that any documents submitted to Human Resources or the hiring departments become property of UNC Asheville and will not be returned. Posting date:
09/18/2025 Close date:
10/10/2025
#J-18808-Ljbffr