Eastern Washington University invites applications and nominations for our Dean for the College of Arts, Letters & Education
We seek an experienced and dynamic leader, who has a comprehensive understanding of a university education for the 21st century. The Dean will advance our vision for the future of the College to meet evolving student needs, wherever and whoever they are. Further, our Dean will foster a work environment that continues to welcome change, innovation, and collaboration to meet new challenges.
Vision and Context
The College of Arts, Letters, and Education (“CALE”) integrates discovery, creativity, personal reflection, and professional exploration to encourage holistic development of the mind, body, and spirit. We achieve this mission by providing opportunities for creativity, intellectual development, and professional training; by supporting faculty and student research and innovation, collaboration, and life-long learning; by immersing students in the humanities and human development; by engaging in interdisciplinary conversations, local and global relationships, and critical thinking; and by building an appreciation for the arts and world cultures.
CALE is the heart of Eastern Washington University. We envision a future of leaders, innovators, and creators who elevate the human experience and change the world for the better.
The College is located on Eastern's primary campus in Cheney, but of course it offers expanding online options. The College offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate programs, many of them nationally accredited. Departments include: Art; Education; English; Modern Languages & Literature; Music; Physical Education, Health & Recreation; and Theatre & Film, plus additional affiliated programs.
Eastern students come from over 40 states and 70 countries; over 30% are from diverse backgrounds, and over 50% are the first in their families to attend college. Our population of non-traditional students is also growing, including working students, students with children, delayed starters, veterans, and career changers.
Overview of the Dean's Role
As the chief executive officer of the College, the Dean is responsible for creating and supporting educational programs of the highest quality, serving as the chief spokesperson and College advocate, recruiting and maintaining an excellent and diverse faculty, promoting a comprehensive advisory board, managing budgets and resource allocation, and contributing to college advancement, including fund-raising and enhancing relationships with alumni, donors, partner institutions, and community and civic leaders.
Additionally, the Dean is responsible for defining the College's strategic priorities, will be proactively involved in continuing the growth of the College in areas that are aligned with the needs of our region and state, and will work effectively with other constituencies in the university, as well as with external constituents outside the university.
The Dean will be a key member of the academic leadership team as the University continues to serve a diverse student body with high-quality professional and liberal arts programs. Reporting to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean is a member of the Academic Affairs Council and Cabinet, and participates in university-wide decision-making and planning.
We are particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who can reinforce EWU's commitment to intellectual and cultural diversity. We seek an educator who offers a sustained record of excellence and who embraces development of a student-centered learning community, backed by experience with fostering effective methods for teaching and learning. The selected candidate must have an understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with a regional comprehensive university, where nearly 50% of our first-year students are the first in their families to attend college.
Signature Contributions of the College
o The College plays a primary role in educating the whole person and in preparing our students for the job market and a rewarding, meaningful life as citizens of our democracy. We teach students to become lifelong learners, to understand how the arts and humanities inform and enrich other disciplines. With this as context, and as a result of a lengthy cross-college collaboration, the university has revamped our general education program, with CALE strongly represented in required general education courses.
o CALE, through the Modern Languages & Literatures Department in particular, has taken the leadership role in study abroad, including faculty-led trips. Over 120 students travel annually to Germany, Spain, England, France, and other countries.
o The College plays an integral role in the visibility of EWU in the community in the area of culture, with programs such as the Spokane International Film Festival, plays, musicals, concerts, and art exhibits.
o Our music faculty are part of the region's dynamic musical community, including the Spokane Symphony, Northwest Opera, Northwest Bach Festival, and the Spokane Jazz Orchestra.
o The College hosts the annual Get Lit! literary festival along with affiliated programming, engaging members of the Inland Northwest community in a celebration of the written word. With thousands of people attending from Spokane and the surrounding region each April, the festival has become an integral part of the artistic and cultural landscape of the Inland Northwest, with its educational outreach programs reaching more than 5,000 K-12 students annually.
o Teacher candidates in Eastern's superior educator prep programs are guided by our nationally recognized Education faculty through the most challenging and comprehensive education preparation programs in the state. We recently obtained several grants aimed at bringing opportunity to underserved rural areas, beginning micro-credential programs to help alleviate teacher shortages, and have established NSF-funded STEM programs in local K-12 schools in collaboration with other state universities.
o Our Physical Education, Health & Recreation Department offers accredited professional preparation programs, some of which are not replicated at other Washington state institutions. Degree programs include athletic training, recreation, exercise science, public health, and health and fitness, preparing students to sit for national credentialing examinations and to enter a wide variety of professional careers.
Necessary Characteristics and Roles of the Dean
The Dean will exhibit a strong commitment to collaboration among faculty, staff, administration, and students and will be committed to developing the full potential of the college's human resources as well as strong functional relationships with other constituent groups. The successful candidate's management and communications style will be open and collaborative, encouraging and enabling faculty and staff to experiment with new ways to develop, update, and deliver high-quality programs and services.
Additionally, the Dean will support our commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive community for all its members. EWU seeks a Dean who offers professional or personal experience and interest in culturally diverse groups, diverse learning styles, and the ability of higher education to contribute to a more just and inclusive society.
The position requires a high standard of personal and professional ethics and the ability to communicate and work effectively with all constituent groups, internal and external to the institution, and in a collective-bargaining and shared-governance environment. Prior leadership roles in more than one of the following areas are expected: program development at the undergraduate and graduate levels, assessment (program and student learning), accreditation, fundraising, outreach, external relations, and successfully promoting faculty and staff development initiatives.
See the Duties section for a listing of specific position responsibilities and accountabilities.
About the College
Offering a wide variety of academic programs ranging from the arts to languages and literatures and from education to health and recreation, CALE is proud to be the most distinctive and diverse academic unit at Eastern Washington University. As a community of scholars, teachers, and learners, we are committed to an education that develops excellence in communication and critical thinking that fosters creativity and an appreciation of the arts, that promotes healthy lifestyles and ethical choices, and that celebrates the life of learning.
What makes the college so special are the people who live, learn, and work here. We offer small classes that provide students with personal attention and learning opportunities that engage minds and change lives. Our faculty are active in their disciplines, participating in and contributing to the expansion of human knowledge and creativity, but also bringing their specialized knowledge and expertise to the classroom. Students are encouraged to get involved outside the classroom through internships, study abroad, and community service. The professional staff are committed to excellence as they assist students and faculty alike.
About Eastern Washington University
Eastern is a regional, comprehensive university located in Cheney, 20 minutes from downtown Spokane. In addition to Eastern's Cheney campus, we also offer our Riverpoint campus in Spokane, plus additional teaching/learning centers located in other cities throughout Washington State. Enrollment has reached nearly 13,000 students.
The Cheney-Spokane area on the east side of Washington State is in the heart of the Inland Northwest, with excellent restaurants, theater, shopping, high quality schools, and a choice of living in a medium-sized city or a small town.
Our region boasts over 220 days of sunshine per year, with a four-season climate. Average temperatures are a high of 83° in the summer and 34° in the winter. Average annual snowfall is 49 inches, and we have affordable skiing at five regional resorts. We offer a great diversity in outdoor recreation opportunities: lakes, rivers, mountains, and trails, plus over 35 public and private golf courses.
Spokane offers a lively arts, entertainment, and sporting scene. Our many cultural attractions and conventions bring nearly three million visitors a year. Downtown Spokane is clean, safe, and beautiful; more than half of its buildings are on the Historic Register, and we have the country's second largest urban waterfall.
Spokane appears on multiple lists of Best Places to Live, and it's easy to understand why. Good schools, a robust economy, and low unemployment, no state income tax, boundless recreation opportunities, and affordability. The median price of homes currently listed in Spokane is $194,500, less than the national average.
Recruitment Information
Applications will be accepted at least through October 30, 2018; see below for application instructions. Nominations may be sent to Lori Livingstone, HR Associate for the College of Arts, Letters & Education, via email to: llivingstone@ewu.edu, or via regular mail to: Lori Livingstone, Office of Human Resources, 314 Showalter Hall, Cheney, WA 99004. Applications may be submitted through our online jobs site at: https://jobs.hr.ewu.edu/postings/3856. The expected start date for this position is July 1, 2019; start date is negotiable.
About Eastern Washington University
Eastern is a regional, comprehensive university located in Cheney, 20 minutes from downtown Spokane. In addition to Eastern's Cheney campus, we also offer our Riverpoint campus in Spokane, plus additional teaching/learning centers located in other cities throughout Washington State. Enrollment has reached over 12,000 students. The Cheney-Spokane area is the heart of the Inland Northwest, with excellent restaurants, theater, shopping, skiing, hiking, lakes, a choice of living in a medium-sized city or a small town, and high quality schools and housing.
Eastern Washington University is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, staff, students, and academic program offerings and to strengthening sensitivity to diversity throughout the institution. Eastern Washington University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, and applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged.
Conditions of Employment
Candidates must offer experience and qualifications to warrant appointment as a tenured Professor in a discipline affiliated with the College.
Eastern seeks an experienced and innovative administrative leader to advance the College in education, research and/or creative works, and service to the community. Required qualifications:
- Earned doctorate or terminal degree from an accredited institution in a discipline appropriate for the College
- Demonstrated record of teaching, scholarship, and service commensurate with a tenured faculty appointment at Eastern Washington University
- Demonstrated record of progressive academic administration and fiscal management equivalent to but not limited to that of a department chair, program director, or associate dean
- Demonstrated record of a high standard of personal and professional ethics
- Demonstrated ability to communicate and work effectively with all constituent groups, both inside and outside the university, including ability to work effectively in a collective-bargaining and shared-governance environment
- Demonstrated record of working for the betterment of the university and ability to work in a cooperative, collegial, collaborative, and student-centered environment
- Demonstrated leadership role in successfully promoting faculty, staff, and program development initiatives
- Demonstrated ability to balance core programming responsibilities while working effectively with educational and community leaders to promote strong external relations, including ability to fulfill the role of chief spokesperson for the college to both internal and external constituencies
- Demonstrated record of fundraising and outreach
- Knowledge of specialized accreditation processes in areas such as athletic training, education, music, and recreation
Additionally, candidates must offer demonstrated ability to apply a culturally responsive and flexible approach that supports the diverse needs, including universal accessibility, of our students, faculty, staff, and the public, with a commitment to developing a diverse, student-centered learning community, excellence in scholarship, and applied community service.
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