Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty

The Vice President and Dean of the Faculty will report directly to the president and serve as a critical member of the leadership team. As Bates' chief academic officer, the VPAA/DOF will be charged with broad oversight of the academic quality, integrity, and direction of the College. The VPAA/DOF will lead the academic mission of the College, be an advocate on behalf of the faculty, transparently communicate the mission to internal and external stakeholders, and, together with the president, senior leadership team, faculty, and staff, guide the College to a common vision for the future of the curriculum, teaching, learning, research, and scholarship at Bates. The VPAA/DOF is responsible for the hiring, review, and support of all full-time and part-time educators and members of the faculty.

The VPAA/DOF oversees a broad and diverse portfolio that spans the full range of academic experience at Bates. All academic departments, centers, and institutes report to the VPAA/DOF. The new VPAA/DOF will have the opportunity to review, advise on, and shape the position and the unit to ensure optimal efficiency and thoughtful organization. The VPAA/DOF oversees a $40+ million budget and has several direct reports, including three associate deans, assistant dean of strategy and analysis, assistant dean of the faculty for academic programs, assistant dean of curricular planning, assistant dean of the faculty for budget and administration, director of the Bates Dance Festival, director of sponsored programs and research compliance, registrar, director of Bates Museum of Art, director of the Harward Center, director of the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning, two administrative assistants, and the executive assistant to the dean. In addition, the VPAA/DOF chairs the Academic Affairs Council (AAC) comprised of the VPAA/DOF and four divisional chairs.

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following experiences, skills, and abilities or the demonstrated ability to grow and develop these traits:

● An earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree and a record of distinguished scholarship and undergraduate teaching, requisite for an appointment as a tenured full professor.
● An understanding and commitment to the liberal arts.
● A demonstrated ability to collaboratively and transparently develop a vision and build energy and execution around it.
● Substantial and successful experience in the development, leadership, and management of academic programs, projects, committees, or departments.

● Exceptional academic judgment and high standards, including a history of recruiting, developing, and retaining outstanding faculty.
● A track record of advancing diversity and fostering an inclusive environment. Sensitivity and broad experience with diverse students, faculty, and communities.
● Curiosity and open-mindedness. Receptiveness, broad intelligence, and the capability to serve as an intellectual leader for the entire campus community.
● Superb communication skills, both oral and written. Active listening skills. The ability to facilitate, convene, and mediate. Effectiveness in learning from others, translating thoughts for broader consideration, managing by influence, building unity around difficult issues, and explaining one's own views with transparency.
● Sophisticated interpersonal skills and diplomacy combined with a commitment to broad consultation and transparency.

TO APPLY:
Bates College has retained the national executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to assist in this search. All inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications should be sent electronically and in confidence to:

KATE BARRY, Partner
KAREN MCPHEDRAN, Managing Associate
KAITLIN CRUZ, Senior Search Coordinator

Isaacson, Miller
Boston, Massachusetts 02210

Benefits

Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, sick leave, 24 days of vacation, 2 personal days, 13 paid holidays, dependent care subsidy, pension plan, free parking, access to library and athletic facilities & more) and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug- and smoke-free workplace. 

About

Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.

Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.

Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.

The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine's second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.