Dean, Lewis Honors College

Job Title
Dean, Lewis Honors College

Requisition Number
FE04765

Working Title
Dean

Department Name
89000:Provost

Work Location
Lexington, KY

Type of Position
Faculty

Position Time Status
Full-Time

Tenure Track Status
Tenure Track

Required Education

Ph.D. or equivalent degree.

Required Related Experience

The dean will have at least five years of significant academic administration experience in higher education at the level of department chair, department head, director, associate dean or higher. Successful candidates will possess a distinguished record of teaching, research and service sufficient to qualify for appointment as a professor with tenure in a University of Kentucky academic department.

Required License/Registration/Certification

N/A

Job Summary

The dean serves as the academic and administrative head of the Lewis Honors College (LHC) and is responsible for the leadership and administration of all aspects of the college. These responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Communicating with prospective and current LHC students;
• Promoting engagement and success of honors students;
• Leading enhancements to the curriculum and ensuring appropriate instructional resources for college programs;
• Developing cocurricular activities suitable for honors students;
• Integrating LHC with the other academic colleges and departments to ensure coordination among the deans to promote honors education;
• Maintaining strong working relationships with other deans and department chairs to continue to build a portfolio of challenging and engaging classes for UK’s honors students;
• Collaborating with the vice president for student success on student recruitment, admissions and retention;
• Managing the budget and its various funding sources;
• Collaborating with the Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement to enhance private funding and alumni relations;
• Overseeing the annual performance evaluations of all faculty and staff. This includes conducting the evaluations of all direct reports (e.g., the college’s associate and assistant deans and key administrative staff) and reviewing and approving the performance evaluations of faculty submitted by the associate dean;
• Maintaining strong relationships across honors organizations, such as the Council on Honors Education, National Collegiate Honors Council, Honors Education at Research Universities and Southeastern Conference (SEC) Honors; and
• Assuming such other duties and responsibilities as may be requested by the provost.

WittKieffer is assisting the University of Kentucky in this search. Applications and nominations are now being accepted. Inquiries, nominations and application materials should be directed to Ryan Crawford and/or Jenna Brumleve from WittKieffer. Application materials should include:

• A letter of interest that clearly states the applicant’s qualifications for the position
• A current résumé/curriculum vitae

The search will be conducted with a commitment of confidentiality for candidates until finalists are selected. Initial screening of applications will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. For best consideration, you must complete the UK application and also direct inquiries, nominations and application materials to UK-LHCDean@wittkieffer.com:

• Ryan Crawford, Senior Partner, rcrawford@wittkieffer.com
• Jenna Brumleve, Senior Associate, jbrumleve@wittkieffer.com
  
  

Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

• Views the dean position as an opportunity to serve and inspire all LHC stakeholders.
• Advocates for and champions the college to advance its academic mission and support the professional goals of staff, students, and faculty across its institutional and service networks.
• Nurtures the professional growth and success of LHC leadership, faculty, staff and students.
• Possesses an energetic, well-grounded and success-oriented personality driven by a desire to help others.
• Shows initiative and self-discipline, with the confidence and charisma to lead, encourage and empower others.
• Promotes a collaborative environment and consensus-building through shared decision-making practices.
• Seeks collective wisdom and input from all college stakeholders.
• Facilitates multiple competing priorities and divergent viewpoints.
• Executes complex decisions that align with university policies based on the university principle of shared governance.
• Models a strong moral compass with unquestionable integrity and high professional standards.
• Possesses effective social skills.
• Supports the well-being of college stakeholders through transparent leadership, accessibility, and respectful workplace practices.
• Possesses excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate complex or technical information clearly to a range of audiences.
• Values collaborative engagement and actively seeks opportunities to connect with a broad range of institutional and external partners to support the college’s mission.

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities?
Yes

Preferred Education/Experience

Serving as the dean of the Lewis Honors College (LHC) requires previous leadership and administrative experience in higher education. Administrative experience in an honors college or honors program is desirable but not required.

• A solid record of visionary, innovative leadership in higher education;
• An established background as an exceptional teacher, including excellence in undergraduate instruction, and scholar;
• Outstanding communication and leadership skills;
• Demonstrated administrative, budgeting and governance skills;
• Interest and ability in fundraising and other activities to enhance the academic and financial strength of LHC; and
• Proven ability to effectively collaborate across campus and relate effectively to a variety of internal and external constituencies.

Deadline to Apply

Open Until Filled
Yes

Our University Community

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with University regulation concerning smoking.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.