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
24599935660103
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, four undergraduate majors, 13 master's and PhD programs, and 21 research centers and institutes.

Embedded in the ethos of BU Engineering is a calling to use our engineering training to create opportunities for all. The College graduates are trained to be 'Societal Engineers' -- engineers committed to creating solutions in service to society. They are challenged not simply to solve problems, but to solve the problems that matter the most to people, their communities, and the world's future. BU Engineers also recognize that solving these important problems requires that engineers embrace the opportunity to work with experts from other domains in the sciences, arts, and humanities, business, law, medicine, public health, and more.

Unlike most of our peers, the College is organized around a small number of academic departments with cross-cutting academic divisions rather than a more-traditional approach of many siloed smaller departments. This design is intentional and is meant as a structure that fosters and celebrates collaboration and cross-disciplinary research and learning. Within this environment, students are guided to make connections between their coursework and real-world problems; combined with an emphasis on hands-on learning, this naturally leads to developing confidence, intellectual agility, and a knack for creative problem-solving.

Nurturing such an environment begins with our faculty. BU Engineering faculty are internationally recognized for their path-breaking discoveries, teaching and mentorship, prestigious awards (including Guggenheim and Sloan Fellowships), and memberships in the National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Inventors. With cross-disciplinary work, collaboration, and convergence as the organizing principles of BU Engineering, faculty leverage the breadth and depth of Boston University to innovate in research and education, advancing and even creating new fields such as neurophotonics and synthetic biology that expand the power and potential of engineering.

BU's College of Engineering is also deeply committed to the value of experiential and hands-on education. To that end, it has built out a 15,000 sq. foot Engineering Product Innovation Center, a 5000-sq. ft. Bioengineering Technology and Entrepreneurship Center, and a 2500-sq. ft. Robotics and Autonomous Systems Teaching and Innovation Center. All of these spaces are run in deep partnership with product development, biotechnology, medical technology, and robotics companies.

Boston University: An Overview

Boston University, a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is one of the leading private research and teaching institutions in the world, with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the globe. Chartered in 1869, BU emerged in the twentieth century as a Boston-area institution. Until the early 1970s, the University was mainly nonresidential, with a modest research profile and limited on-campus housing. the University today enrolls more than 36,000 students, including over 17,000 undergraduates, and employs more than 4,000 faculty members across 17 schools and colleges offering more than 300 programs of study. Its current annual operating budget is approximately $2.5 billion. Moody's Investors Service recently affirmed BU's ranking of Aa3, reflective of the University's increasing financial strength, growing donor support, and effective governance and leadership.

BU is one of the largest private research universities in the United States and one of the Boston area's largest employers. BU's students come from all 50 states and more than 180 countries. Students pursue studies on the Charles River and Medical Campuses, as well as more than 75 study abroad and internship programs in over 25 cities around the world.

Today, BU is committed to a vibrant academic experience and research that matters. We place a strong emphasis on collaborative research efforts of both faculty and students, with major initiatives in emerging areas such as neuroscience, systems biology, photonics, engineering biology, computing and data sciences, urban health, global health and development, and emerging infectious diseases.

BU is also committed to being a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive institution and to cultivating diverse communities where individuals can learn, grow, and engage across a large, urban campus and around the world. From its earliest days, BU has opened its doors to women and scholars from under-represented communities. Today BU is home to community centers such as the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, the Newbury Center for First-Generation Students, and the LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty and Staff.

For several decades now BU leaders have invested in building and sustaining cutting edge core facilities and cultural and residential infrastructure. These facilities now include: the Center for Computing & Data Sciences, BU and Boston's greenest building to date with a geothermal energy system and striking views of the city skyline from its public spaces, and state-of-the-art laboratories; CFA's Booth Theatre; the preservation award-winning renovation of BU School of Law; residential high-rises that anchor the John Hancock Student Village; and a Fenway Campus based at the site of the former Wheelock College.

BU's transformation is perhaps most evident in the national and international recognition achieved by faculty in diverse fields on both campuses and in prestigious grants to distinguished programs or departments. U.S. News & World Report ranked BU #41 in their 2024 rating of Best National Universities in the United States.

Required Experience

Contact

Nominations and expressions of interest should be addressed to the search firm, Isaacson Miller who is assisting Boston University with this search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/boston-university-college-engineering/dean

Prospective candidates should include a letter expressing interest and current curriculum vitae. Candidates will be asked to provide references after preliminary review and screening.

Confidentiality will be maintained by all faculty and staff involved in the search process; references will be contacted only with the express consent of the applicant.

While nominations and applications will be accepted until a new Dean is selected, interested parties are encouraged to submit their materials by February 3rd, 2024 to ensure full consideration.

Compensation

Boston University will provide a competitive compensation and benefits package appropriate for a position of this scope, stature, and level of responsibility.

BU is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

BU conducts a background check on all final candidates for certain faculty and staff positions. The background check includes contacting the final candidate's current and previous employer(s) to ask whether, in the last seven years, there has been a substantiated finding of misconduct violating that employer's applicable sexual misconduct policies. To implement this process, the University requires a final candidate to complete and sign the form entitled 'Authorization to Release Information' after execution of an offer letter.


Job Location: BOSTON, MA
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular
Salary Grade:

To apply, visit https://jobs.silkroad.com/BU/Faculty/jobs/315108







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