Dean Boston University College of Engineering

Dean, Boston University College of Engineering

Job Description
Dean, Boston University College of Engineering

Category
Charles River Campus > Faculty
Job Location
BOSTON, Massachusetts
Tracking Code

Posted Date
1/3/2025
Position Type
Full-Time/Regular

Position: Dean, Boston University College of Engineering

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Position Summary:

Boston University is seeking applications for Dean of the College of Engineering (ENG). The mission of the College of Engineering is to expand the power of engineering to transform lives at scale. The College of Engineering embraces a convergent approach to research and education, and seeks to create a new kind of engineer, one who values the diversity of expertise, perspective, thought, and disciplines needed to accelerate progress towards addressing complex challenges that matter to society. The College has 145 primary faculty and is ranked 15th among engineering schools at private institutions and 31st among all engineering schools.

Boston University is an AAU institution with a rich tradition dedicated to inclusion and social justice. The University is proud that BU was the first American university to award a PhD to a woman and that Martin Luther King Jr. received his PhD here. The College is committed to this tradition by engaging all talented students and increasing participation of underrepresented groups at BU and beyond. The university community welcomes differences, encourages open-minded exploration, and upholds freedom of expression.

Competitive candidates for the College of Engineering Dean position should be internationally recognized scholars with a record of outstanding scholarship and professional accomplishment appropriate for a tenured full professor at Boston University. The successful candidate will also have a record of excellence in academic leadership and management experience. Experience with successful fundraising is also desirable.

Reporting directly to the University Provost, the Dean provides academic, intellectual, and administrative leadership of the College of Engineering and promotes excellence in all aspects of the College's teaching and research missions. The successful candidate will establish and lead the ongoing development of the vision and goals of the College, integrate the plans of the College with those of the University, and effectively communicate the vision and goals to constituencies within and external to BU.

Today's grand challenges necessitate deep integration across science and engineering disciplines which are constantly adapting and evolving with technological advances from quantum computing to AI and from genomic editing to neurotechnology. The College of Engineering has a stellar record of successfully integrating engineering disciplines with scientific applications in a variety of fields that span other schools and colleges at BU. This

is evident in the College's engagement in convergent research themes such as material science, synthetic biology, mechanobiology, and neurophotonics that bring seemingly incongruent disciplines together. To that end, the dean will play a central role in amplifying and deepening existing alliances with other BU academic units, schools, and colleges by facilitating collaboration and removing administrative barriers in support of on-going and new convergent research and teaching initiatives. The dean will also be responsible for deepening the College's relationship with local and regional industrial, governmental, and community partners, and for creating new ones in support of the mission and goals of the College and the university.

To position BU at the forefront of the rapidly evolving scientific and engineering landscape, the Dean must be a dynamic leader who embraces agility and who is capable not only of adapting the College in its current trajectory but also of steering it in new directions that capitalize on established strengths to take the College to new heights.

Required Skills

Role of the Dean of the College of Engineering:

The dean is responsible for crafting the vision of the College, leading and inspiring faculty, staff, and students to pursue and realize bold and innovative ideas. The dean is directly responsible for the College's research productivity and scholarship, academic programming, student affairs, and financial management. To advance these priorities, the dean is expected to pursue opportunities for development and fundraising and to actively participate in future University capital campaigns.

The dean works closely with a leadership team that includes a senior associate dean for finance and administration; a senior associate dean for academic programs; associate and assistant deans for outreach and diversity, research and faculty development, education initiatives, research administration, development and alumni relations, and graduate programs; and department chairs.

The dean serves within the University leadership structure, reporting to the University Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Boston University and participates in substantive ways as a member of the Council of Deans, University Council, and University Leadership Group. At Boston University, deans work with the University President on development, alumni relations, and other consequential issues.

Expectations and Qualifications for Leadership

The next dean of Engineering is expected to:
•   Propel the College to the forefront of the rapidly evolving landscape of science, engineering, and technology, achieving greater national prominence along the way through excellence in disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and convergent research and cutting-edge engineering education.
•   Drive expansion of research development and productivity, including publications and support from external funders, to enhance visibility of the scholarly excellence of the College of Engineering's faculty and programs.
•   Engage in strategic planning from inception to implementation, establishing specific, measurable goals and other performance expectations, and employing a systematic review of progress toward goals and objectives.
•   Engage effectively with leadership in industry, government, foundations, and local communities, developing and expanding the College's partnerships nationally and globally
•   Actively and substantially support development and fundraising efforts as part of the University's comprehensive campaign, deepening the financial resources of the College through the pursuit of development, fundraising, and major external grant opportunities
•   Establish appropriate mechanisms to select, support, retain, advocate, and elevate highly qualified faculty, department chairs, administrators and other staff, and acts to ensure their professional success, maximizing their ability to contribute to the College of Engineering
•   Empower and support faculty and staff to achieve performance goals and objectives, consistently raising the bar with regard to performance expectations, inspiring accomplishment of goals and objectives, and modeling professional excellence.
•   Embrace innovative pedagogies and support the advancement of rigorous curricular opportunities for undergraduate, master's and PhD students, and postdoctoral associates and fellows.
•   Create a positive, diverse, and inclusive work environment and ensure that all faculty and staff are treated with dignity and respect.

The next dean of Engineering must have the following qualifications:
•   An earned doctorate and a distinguished record of scholarship, sponsored research, teaching and service in a field appropriate for tenured appointment in one of the three departments in the College: Biomedical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, with potential for joint appointments in our two Divisions of Materials Science & Engineering, and Systems Engineering and/or other departments.
•   Strong and proven capabilities in complex organizational management, including strategic planning, financial stewardship, budget creation, resource allocation, human resource management, risk management, and related decision-making.
•   Demonstrated ability to create and sustain interdisciplinary research and education initiatives in collaboration with organizational leaders of cognate academic units and research centers across the university
•   Exemplary interpersonal and communication skills to effectively communicate with a wide audience of students, faculty, university administrators, alumni, advisory board members, community members, and potential benefactors

College of Engineering: An Overview

Established only 60 years ago, BU Engineering is a young college on a rapid ascent. Our engineering curriculum draws on Boston University's rich intellectual wellspring and on the varied curricular offerings in other schools and colleges, attracting students curious to explore questions that cross disciplinary boundaries, eager to immerse themselves in a city of technological innovation, and committed to making a positive difference in the world. The college has grown quickly in recent years: the number of undergraduate students has increased to nearly 1,800, over one-third of whom are women (10 percent higher than the national average); the ranking in U.S. News & World Report (U.S. News) has jumped 23 spots since 2005; and our $150M in research expenditures annually places us 16th among all engineering schools in the nation in research dollars awarded per faculty member. There are 145 faculty members, over 1000 graduate students . click apply for full job details