Dean of Clark Honors College

Job no:533379
Work type:Officer of Administration
Location:Eugene, OR
Categories:Executive/Management/Director
Department:Honors College

Department: Office of the Provost
Appointment Type and Duration: Regular, Ongoing
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Compensation Band: OS-EXEC-Fiscal Year 2023-2024
FTE: 1.0

Application Review Begins

For full consideration, candidate materials required by March 29, 2024.

Special Instructions to Applicants

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile.
WittKieffer is assisting the University of Oregon in this search. For full consideration, candidate materials should be received by March 29, 2024.

Applications, nominations, and inquiries can be directed to Suzanne Teer and Lauren Bruce-Stets at [email protected] .

Department Summary

The University of Oregon opened the Honors College in September 1960 with a freshman class of 129 students. It became the first public honors college west of the Mississippi River. In 1975, administrators named the college the Robert D. Clark Honors College in recognition of the retiring UO president.

The Clark Honors College offers students the opportunity to have a small, liberal arts college experience along with the benefits of a major research university and its cutting-edge facilities. Honors College courses offer small, discussion-based class sizes averaging 15 students, allowing them to develop one-on-one relationships with award-winning faculty members.
CHC emphasizes critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. Honors College scholars are taught in a way that improves both communication and writing skills. The exclusive curriculum in natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities replaces all core education requirements at UO. Students follow a pathway toward involvement in hands-on research, along with access to internships and other professional opportunities.

The Honors College has experienced record growth over the last several years. Currently, there are more than 1,360 students at the Honors College. CHC students are regularly in contention for scholarships such as the Rhodes Scholars, the George Mitchell Scholarship program, the Morris K. Udall Scholarship, the Harry Truman Scholarship, the Marshall Scholarship, and the Goldwater Scholarship. Most nominees and winners of these prestigious awards are CHC students. In November 2023, CHC student and senior Nayantara Arora was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Oxford, making her the first University of Oregon student to earn the prized award in more than 15 years.

Position Summary

The University of Oregon seeks a forward-looking, innovative, and engaged leader with a deep commitment to excellence in interdisciplinary undergraduate teaching and research to serve as the next dean of the Clark Honors College. Reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President, the Dean serves as the principal academic and administrative officer of the college and an institutional leader in advancing the goals of the University of Oregon. Applications, inquiries, and nominations are invited.

Founded in 1876, the University of Oregon is the flagship institution of the state. It brings together more than 23,200 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries and offers 316 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its nine academic units. The UO is a member of the distinguished Association of American Universities and is designated as a Carnegie Tier 1 research institution. The university currently employs 1,992 teaching and research faculty and 3,600 staff. In the fiscal year 2022, UO received $180.2 million in grants, contracts, and competitive awards. The university serves as an integral economic driver for the state, with an estimated $2.6 billion annual economic return to Oregon. The university has an operating budget of $1.3 billion and an endowment of more than $1.4 billion. More than 263,000 Duck alumni live worldwide.

The Robert D. Clark Honors College (CHC) is one of the nation’s oldest and best public honors colleges. Over the years, it has continued to offer distinctive elements of a small liberal arts college experience within a large university context. CHC brings together broad, interdisciplinary liberal arts teaching with cutting-edge research, and the alchemy of great teaching and research is the foundation of all aspects of the College. While the College places emphasis on critical reading, writing, and discussion, it also stresses the centrality of research in the undergraduate experience.

The CHC enrolls students with wide-ranging skills and deep curiosity. Likewise, faculty members of the CHC are distinguished by their interdisciplinary vision, research achievements, and commitment to excellent undergraduate teaching. The central CHC education is composed of three parts: introductory liberal arts courses in the Social Sciences, Arts & Letters, and Natural Sciences; colloquia across all disciplines, including the professional schools; and a thesis students complete in their major discipline. CHC courses stress critical thinking, analytic writing, persuasive argument, discussion-oriented seminar-style communication, and inquiry across traditional disciplinary boundaries. Small, discussion-based class sizes average 15 students, allowing students to develop one-on-one relationships with award-winning faculty members.

The new dean has an exceptional opportunity to have a positive and constructive impact in charting the evolution of CHC, grounded in a commitment to outstanding undergraduate teaching and research in the context of a vibrant liberal arts environment. They will lead the thoughtful growth of the CHC, ensuring an ongoing commitment to an exceptional student experience. Supporting the success of and fostering a sense of belonging among CHC’s students, faculty, and staff must be top priorities. The new dean will continue to build a more inclusive and welcoming community while recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented faculty, staff, and student body. The incoming dean will also work collaboratively with the provost, academic deans, and other University leaders to align CHC’s direction with the university’s goals and aspirations. The incoming dean will build relationships across the campus to promote, advocate for, and expand interdisciplinary undergraduate education and research on behalf of the CHC. Working closely with University Advancement colleagues, the dean will develop, lead, and support the college’s fundraising and external relations activities, and ensure high visibility for CHC.

The next dean must have a record of scholarly achievement appropriate for a tenured appointment at the level of full professor in a department within the University. They must have a steadfast commitment to undergraduate education in the context of an interdisciplinary liberal arts environment and must have a track record of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The new dean must have a record of administrative leadership and demonstrate the administrative, fiscal, and operational acumen required to manage a distinctive program in the context of a large, complex research institution. The dean should demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities and exceptional interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills. Additionally, the dean should demonstrate the potential and desire to forge strong relationships and engage donors, alumni, and others in enhancing philanthropic support for the college. The dean will be a highly engaged and accessible leader.

Minimum Requirements

• Distinguished record in teaching, research/creative activity and professional service sufficient to merit appointment as tenured UO full professor.
• An earned doctoral degree.
• Administrative experiences including management of budgets and
personnel.
• Demonstrated record of leadership

Professional Competencies

• Commitment to Undergraduate Education and Student Success: A clear passion for and demonstrated commitment to outstanding undergraduate education. Experience with curricular and pedagogical innovation and development, promotion and adoption of new technologies, and program assessment. A strong commitment to student success, demonstrated by advocacy for suitable resources to support innovative teaching, academic advising, and the student experience. Experience within the context of an honors college would be ideal.

• Leadership Skills: The ability to develop a vision and strategic direction and support an environment that enables the College to succeed in accomplishing it. Leadership and facility in change management, with the ability to set priorities, build consensus, influence change, and inspire high levels of creativity and collegiality. Collaborative, transparent, inclusive, and relationship-based leadership style; experience bringing people together to solve new and complex challenges; experience supporting and encouraging the leadership of others.

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging: Demonstrated commitment to principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; evidence of success in recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and staff and student body and in supporting their academic and professional aspirations. Demonstrated experience working with underrepresented communities is valued.

• Administrative Experience: A history of administrative leadership, including personnel management, budget and financial management, development, strategic planning, and policy formation.

• University Leadership: An ability to play a key role in University leadership, advocate for the College, and forge advantageous and strategic connections across the University to build effective programs and partnerships across disciplines, within and throughout academic units, the University, and the broader community. Demonstrated capacity to work well in a complex, collaborative decision-making environment in the context of strong shared governance.

• External Relations: The capacity to attract external resources to the College through fundraising initiatives of all types, including from grants and private donors; the ability to promote, advocate for, and represent the College.

• Other Professional Qualities: Unquestioned personal integrity, ability to earn the trust of faculty, staff, students, and university leadership; the ability to respond with resilience under pressure; emotional and social intelligence; strong communication skills; and exceptional listening skills.

FLSA Exempt: Yes

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background inquiry.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit http://hr.uoregon.edu/careers/about-benefits .

The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply, and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at [email protected] or 541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, Office of Civil Rights Compliance, or to the Office for Civil Rights. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed on the statement of non-discrimination .

In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://clery.uoregon.edu/annual-campus-security-and-fire-safety-report .