Dean

The University of Michigan-Flint (“the University” or “UM-Flint”) seeks a visionary, collaborative, and energetic leader to serve as the next dean of the College of Arts, Sciences and Education (“the College” or “CASE”). CASE is an interdisciplinary college offering degrees in social and behavioral sciences, education, fine and performing arts, language and communication, and humanities while also providing general education coursework across all units in the University. CASE offers a broad-based education grounded in real-world experience with programs designed to help students develop key skills that employers seek both now and in the future. 

CASE supports a diverse community of learners and is dedicated to providing access and opportunity to a wide range of students, including a high percentage of first-generation, Pell-eligible, and part-time students. An intellectual base for the UM-Flint community, the College offers courses taken by the vast majority of UM-Flint students and guides them to foster big-picture thinking skills, curiosity, and resilience in support of lifelong learning and postgraduate success in a wide range of professions and careers. The College has experienced significant leadership and organizational transitions over the past few years, and the CASE community is excited to coalesce around a new leader and begin its next chapter. The dean will provide stable leadership with an acute and proactive eye toward student enrollment as well as financial and organizational strength.

The College is the largest academic unit on campus and enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students in a wide range of majors, minors, certificates, pre-professional programs, and graduate degrees that celebrate the arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and education. Centered in Flint, CASE students, faculty, and staff empower each other to affect positive change locally and globally and create an inclusive community of scholars, artists, and practitioners across a diverse set of disciplines. CASE also prioritizes connecting to and collaborating with schools, businesses, and organizations in Flint, across Genesee County, and beyond to provide and engage in enriching activities, educational workshops, and cultural events for the local and regional community. 

Reporting to the Provost, the dean will lead the College with a forward-thinking vision and strategy, represent CASE as its head academic and administrative officer, and advance the value of the arts, social and behavioral sciences, and education across the UM-Flint community. The dean will oversee all academic programs and services within CASE and provide intellectual and academic leadership to the faculty and staff in matters related to curriculum, research, student success, DEI, and faculty and staff development. 

All inquiries, nominations, and applications (including CVs and letters of interest responding to the position challenges and objectives outlined above) should be sent electronically and in confidence below.

Jeff Kessner is leading this search with Lauren Wilkes and Jenny Rubin.

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

The University of Michigan-Flint exhibits its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through enacting fair practices, policies, and procedures particularly in support of the equitable participation of the historically underserved. UM-Flint recognizes the value of diversity in our efforts to provide equitable access and opportunities to all regardless of individual identities in support of a climate where everyone feels a sense of belonging, community, and agency.

Diversity is a core value at University of Michigan-Flint. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for all students, staff, and faculty. The University of Michigan-Flint seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the diverse people of Michigan, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning for the purpose of becoming global citizens in a connected world.