Position Detail

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty

Hampshire College, an independent, innovative liberal arts institution and member of the Five College consortium with Amherst, Smith, and Mount Holyoke Colleges and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, seeks a highly accomplished and skilled academic leader for the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty. Hampshire College, founded in 1965, offers approximately 1500 full-time students a full range of liberal arts programs through an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based curriculum. The College is located in the beautiful Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts and contributes to the rich cultural environments of the college towns of Amherst, South Hadley and Northampton.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty (VP/Dean) is the chief academic leader of the college and has overall responsibility for the academic mission of the college, including all educational and research activities. Reporting directly to the President and with the President, the VP/Dean is responsible for insuring that Hampshire builds on its reputation as a leader in innovative education, and adapts effectively to the new challenges and opportunities confronting higher education. The VP/Dean is the primary spokesperson for the goals, needs, and aspirations of the faculty. A member of the faculty and its chief representative in the administration, the VP/Dean works for the well-being and quality of the faculty, assisting and supporting individual faculty members and groups as they seek to realize and advance their ideas, plans, and careers. The VP/Dean also serves as the principal liaison of the President to the Faculty.

The VP/Dean's leadership of the faculty and academic program is exercised through several key governance relationships that embody the College's commitment to shared governance. The VP/Dean staffs the Trustee committee on Academic Affairs, and convenes and chairs the Deans Meeting which consists of the Deans of the college's five schools (Cognitive Science, Critical Social Inquiry, Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, Interdisciplinary Arts and Natural Science) and other key individuals involved in the academic program, including but not limited to the Dean of Advising, the Dean of Student Services, the director of the library, the Special Presidential Assistant for Diversity and Multicultural Education and the directors of Institutional Research and Central Records. The VP/Dean works closely with the Executive Committee of the Faculty (ECF) to formulate the agenda for faculty meetings, and the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) which studies major academic policy issues and formulates motions for faculty consideration. 

As the chief academic officer, the VP/Dean oversees and is ultimately responsible for a broad range of support and leadership concerning faculty, curriculum, academic support, and administrative partnership.  The VP/Dean will be expected to provide leadership in all critical college matters and work as a supportive team member with all other senior administrators at the college and within the Five College consortium.

The VP/Dean will be expected to have an overall commitment to and personal resonance with Hampshire's mission of innovation and building a learning environment in which students work with faculty to develop and reflect on their educational programs. A Ph.D. or a comparable terminal degree is required. Candidates for the VP/Dean must show a distinguished record of college or university teaching and scholarly/artistic production; managerial experience at a senior level including budget, personnel, and program development; and a record of leadership and achievement in administering innovative educational institutions or programs. Candidates should have a commitment to diversity in the faculty, student body, and academic program as well as the demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups of faculty to create a vision of the academic program and build campus-wide commitment to realizing the vision. Knowledge of and experience with international education and community-based learning preferred. An understanding of and commitment to the content and methods of a full range of academic disciplines and interdisciplinary programs is highly desirable. Applicants should have previous experience with the use of systematic institutional research and assessment data to guide programmatic improvement and change, and an ability to oversee a fair and rigorous system of reappointment and promotion and to foster faculty development.

The salary for this position is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Hampshire College also offers an excellent benefits program. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2012. Applicants should provide the following: 1) cover letter of approximately two pages which emphasizes experience and vision related to the job qualifications and responsibilities; 2) a current resume or vita; and 3) the names, titles, addresses and telephone numbers of five references who can address qualifications and experience; all to be submitted via our website at http://jobs.hampshire.edu.

Hampshire College is an equal opportunity institution, committed to diversity and inclusion in education and employment.