Open Searches

Westfield State University seeks an innovative and collaborative leader who will bring scholarly and administrative skills to the role of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Reporting to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean will serve as the senior academic officer for the most diverse College at the University in terms of the breadth of disciplines represented.

The Dean will be a champion of the liberal arts, leading the faculty in developing a compelling vision for what it means to provide a public liberal arts education in disciplines ranging from Data Science to Music. The Dean must provide active leadership for the College’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and promote an environment that advances inclusive excellence and actively opposes discrimination and intolerance. The Dean will work with the campus community to sustain a learning environment that recognizes the value of an education in Arts and Sciences and the value of a transformative education for Westfield’s diverse student body. The Dean will also maintain a quality assurance system for continuous program improvements. The Dean will supervise an Administrative Assistant and the academic department chairs; manage a significant budget; and provide leadership to the College of 112 full-time, tenure/tenure-track faculty and a comparable amount of part-time faculty.

Founded in 1839 by Horace Mann, Westfield State was the first co-educational college in America to offer an education without barrier to race, creed, or economic status. The University sits on an expansive 256-acre campus and has about 4,000 undergraduate students and 800 graduate students across several professional graduate programs.

Academic Search is assisting Westfield State in this search. Potential candidates may arrange a confidential conversation about this exciting opportunity with one of the two Senior Consultants leading the search: Dr. Cynthia Patterson (cynthia.patterson@academicsearch.org) or Dr. Maria Thompson (maria.thompson@academicsearch.org). Please include a copy of your CV to inform the conversation.

For more information about the position, institution, qualifications, and application process, please download the position profile from the Academic Search website: https://www.academicsearch.org/open-searches-public/

When submitting a nomination, please send the nominee’s full name, title, position, and email address to WestfieldDeanAS@academicsearch.org. The deadline for initial consideration is Monday, February 17, 2025. Review of applications will continue until the search is completed.

The University will ensure that employment and academic decisions, programs and policies will be based solely on the individual eligibility, merit or fitness of applicants, employees and students without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital or parental status, or veteran status.