Open Searches

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is seeking a dynamic, visionary, and ethical leader to serve as the next dean of the globally renowned Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. This exceptional leader, innovator, and scholar will have the opportunity to shape the future of one of the nation’s top-ranked nursing schools. This individual will carry on its legacy of excellence in education, research, and practice while fostering the next generation of transformative healthcare leaders, educators, and researchers. Importantly, the dean will support the advancement of CWRU President Eric W. Kaler’s three institutional priorities: to elevate academic excellence, expand the research enterprise, and enhance community engagement and impact.

The new leader of the School of Nursing will join CWRU and guide the school amid rapid advancement and accelerated accomplishment, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and inspiring a culture of inclusion, innovation, and excellence. Building on its history of producing transformational nurse leaders—many of whom have become deans, chief nursing officers, healthcare executives, and other national leaders—the dean will elevate the school’s national profile, attract top-tier talent, and secure resources for growth. This leader will advance research impact, build upon record-breaking fundraising efforts, expand and improve facilities, cultivate a culture of belonging, and champion the school’s mission of preparing nimble, collaborative and empowered healthcare leaders. With strategic foresight and an unwavering commitment to inclusive excellence, the next dean will ensure the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing remains a beacon of leadership, innovation, and community impact.

CWRU is among the country’s leading independent private research institutions. The university has been a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and by several nationally recognized professional accrediting associations. CWRU is located five miles east of downtown Cleveland in University Circle, a square-mile urban district full of renowned cultural, medical, educational, and social-service institutions.

Today, Case Western Reserve comprises the College of Arts and Sciences and seven schools—the Case School of Engineering, the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Law, the School of Medicine, and the Weatherhead School of Management. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate degree programs, about 160 graduate and professional options, and over 145 dual-degree programs. Additionally, CWRU has more than 100 interdisciplinary academic and research centers and institutes. CWRU also offers seven online master’s degrees and over a dozen non-credit online courses. CWRU is home to 12,475 students (6,528 undergraduate students and 5,947 graduate/professional students in fall 2024) with more than 125,000 alumni around the world.

Taking an experimental approach to education was one of the key conditions of Congresswoman Frances Payne Bolton’s 1923 gift of $500,000 to endow the school—the largest ever at the time for a university school of nursing. This spirit of innovation has remained one of the hallmarks of Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, which celebrated its centennial in 2023. The School of Nursing continues to enhance its impact on nursing education, research, and interdisciplinary scholarship and practice around the world. The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), the Master of Nursing (MN), the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD). Additionally, the school is the home of the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy, which is a global community for nursing leadership development to advance health globally and design the future of healthcare.

The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing stands as a leader in nursing research, ranked 5th nationally for NIH funding in the fiscal year 2023 among private nursing schools, with over $6.6 million awarded in NIH support and a total of $8.7 million in external funding. For more than a decade, the School has consistently secured its place among the top 10 private nursing schools in NIH funding, underscoring its commitment to excellence. Focused research areas within the school include caregiver well being, aging well, connected health & data science, health promotion & illness management, and translational nursing science, with a cross-cutting lens of health equity. The school’s faculty, staff, and students take advantage of a range of clinical, research, and service partnerships all throughout Cleveland and beyond, including five nearby American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet-recognized hospitals.

The dean of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing serves as the chief academic, executive, and fiscal officer of the school, reporting directly to the provost and executive vice president. As a member of the senior leadership team of Case Western Reserve University, the dean provides leadership, vision, and strategic oversight for the school’s academic programs, research enterprise, clinical impact, and service initiatives addressing significant issues in nursing, health, and healthcare. The dean manages the school’s $40 million budget and ensures excellence in faculty, staff, and student recruitment, retention, and achievement; research productivity and scholarship; and program review and accreditation. Additionally, the dean fosters productive relationships with alumni, donors, and the broader community, contributing to philanthropy efforts, which currently total $8–$10 million annually. The role also includes facilitating the growth of external research to support the university’s overall goal of achieving $600 million in annual research expenditures and beyond in the coming years.

Qualifications: The dean will possess stellar academic credentials, including a high degree of scholarship/research and a record of distinguished, recognized work in their area of expertise. The dean will hold a terminal degree and qualification for tenured appointment at the rank of full professor within the school.

More information, including full lists of responsibilities and desired skills and qualities, can be found in the institutional profile.

How to Apply

Applications should consist of a substantial letter of interest, a CV, and a list of five professional references with full contact information and a note indicating the nature of your working relationship with each. No references will be contacted without the explicit permission of the candidate. Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest can be submitted electronically, and in confidence, to:

CWRUDeanNursing@academicsearch.org

The position is open until filled but only applications received by Monday, March 17, 2025, can be assured full consideration. The university is being assisted by Academic Search. Confidential discussions about this opportunity may be arranged by contacting consultants Ann Hasselmo at Ann.Hasselmo@academicsearch.org and Chris Butler at Chris.Butler@academicsearch.org. Further information about Case Western Reserve is available at case.edu.

All applicants are protected under Federal law from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, age and genetics.

Case Western Reserve provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Equity by phone at 216.368.3066 or by email at equity@case.edu. Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicant will be made on a case-by-case basis.