Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Transcription

1 Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University profile Hofstra University is located on a scenic 240-acre campus in Hempstead, Long Island, 25 miles east of New York City. Hofstra was founded as a private, nonsectarian, coeducational institution in 1935 on the estate of William and Kate Hofstra. In 1963, the New York State Board of Regents approved Hofstra as Long Island s first private university. The University was a pioneer in ensuring that all students had access to education as, in that same year, Hofstra s Board of Trustees decided to make the University s architecture entirely accessible for persons with disabilities. The Hofstra University Museum, which is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and has a permanent collection of 5,000 works of art, was also founded in Hofstra currently has an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students, with 6,900 undergraduate students and 4,300 students enrolled in graduate and professional programs. In the diverse firstyear student body, half of the students are from outside New York State and represent 37 states and 32 countries. The University has 1,180 faculty members who are represented in collective bargaining by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). The student to faculty ratio is 14 to 1, and the average undergraduate class size is 21, providing students with an intimate learning experience. Hofstra s primary mission is to provide a quality education to its students in an environment that encourages, nurtures, and supports learning through the free and open exchange of ideas, for the betterment of humankind. Hofstra University is fully committed to academic freedom and to the transmission, advancement, and preservation of knowledge for its own academic community and for the community at large. Hofstra University offers undergraduate and graduate programs taught by a research-active and professionally engaged faculty. Academic excellence guides everything the University undertakes. Hofstra offers six undergraduate degrees, 14 graduate degrees, three professional degrees, and 16 dual degrees. The University comprises the following colleges and schools: Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Honors College Frank G. Zarb School of Business Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science School of Health Professional and Human Services 1

2 Maurice A. Deane School of Law Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine at Hofstra University Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies Hofstra University Continuing Education As the only private university on Long Island with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, Hofstra continues to build upon a trajectory of increasing national recognition. The University was chosen to host three consecutive presidential debates in 2008, 2012, and Hofstra is consistently recognized in the Best Colleges list in several publications. In 2015, Forbes named Hofstra one of the top 50 most entrepreneurial universities in the U.S. The PayScale College Salary Report identified Hofstra in the top 11 percent of colleges and universities nationwide for mid-career salary of graduates with a bachelor s degree and in the top 24 percent nationwide for return on investment. Hofstra earns 4.5 stars out of 5 for diversity and inclusiveness from the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index. The University was named to the 2016 Military Friendly School list by Victory Media, a data-driven survey that recognizes the top 20 percent of colleges and universities that are providing support and services to veterans, active military, and their families. In addition, for the past eight years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has named Hofstra on the list of Great Colleges to Work for. Leadership Stuart Rabinowitz, the eighth president of the University, was appointed in December of Prior to his appointment, he served as Dean of Hofstra University School of Law from 1989 through He joined the faculty of the Law School in President Rabinowitz currently holds the Andrew B. Boas and Mark L. Claster Distinguished Professor of Law. President Rabinowitz has held positions with a number of important government and community organizations, including the Judicial Advisory Council of the State of New York Unified Court System, County of Nassau. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the Long Island Association and as co-vice chair of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Committee. He has also served as a trustee of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities and on the board of directors of the Long Island Technology Network. He is active with county boards and local government and has received numerous awards for his service to the area and the legal community. President Rabinowitz received a juris doctor, magna cum laude, from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a member of the board of editors of the Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He graduated from City College of New York with honors and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the American Law Institute. Dr. Gail M. Simmons became Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hofstra in July As chief academic officer of the University, Dr. Simmons is responsible for overseeing the full range of administrative responsibilities for the smooth operation of the academic units of the University including all of the University's Schools and Colleges as well as the libraries of the University. 2

3 Prior to joining Hofstra, Dr. Simmons served as provost and vice president of academic affairs as well as a professor of biology at Manhattanville College. Prior to Manhattanville, she served as the Dean of the Division of Science and Technology at the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York (CUNY), founding Dean of the School of Science at The College of New Jersey, and Associate Dean of the Division of Science at The City College of CUNY. Dr. Simmons has also served as a board member of the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester, Bet Am Shalom Synagogue in White Plains, the Philomusica Chorus in East Brunswick, N.J., and the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium as well as associate editor of the Journal of Molecular Evolution and a panelist for the National Science Foundation. She recently joined the board of the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York. Dr. Simmons is a geneticist and biologist. She received her PhD from the Department of Genetics at the University of California, Davis, and a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh. Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences The largest college at Hofstra University, with 3,990 students, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ( HCLAS ) comprises four schools: Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics School of Education Curricula in all four schools are informed by the liberal arts tradition and structured so that graduates gain the skills of critical thinking and effective oral and written communication that are essential to professional success and constructive membership in one s community. The schools are also responsible for delivering the general education that virtually all undergraduates must complete to earn their respective bachelor s degrees. HCLAS is dedicated to the genesis of knowledge and creative works in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, and to the transmission, preservation, analysis and evaluation of knowledge and creative works within the Hofstra University academic community and across larger regional and global communities. The following principles guide the mission of HCLAS: The liberal arts are the foundation for all higher education. The main objective of a liberal arts education is to enable students, working with faculty and with one another in an atmosphere of freedom and tolerance, to gain an understanding of how people have attempted throughout history to render the breadth of human experience intelligible. To that end, students explore the various ways in which the human mind has engaged, and continues to engage, its physical and social environment through art, literature, philosophical and historical inquiry, scientific and mathematical reasoning, and social scientific analysis. A liberal arts education develops critical thinking skills and the ability to access and analyze information and ideas in a technologically sophisticated world. 3

4 Students also master the oral and written communication skills required for active ethical participation in a society characterized by increasing interdependence and diversity. Thus, HCLAS graduates emerge as lifelong learners who are intellectually ambitious and adaptable to change. HCLAS is further committed to broadly cultivating the moral judgment, aesthetic sensibilities, and emotional maturity of students to prepare them for lives of social responsibility as members of their local, national and global communities. HCLAS faculty are members of two academic communities, one internal to Hofstra University, the other composed of the web of scholars and professionals external to Hofstra University. As members of the former, HCLAS faculty are committed to contributing to the academic environment of Hofstra University through excellence in teaching, mentoring and interdisciplinary engagement. As members of the latter, HCLAS faculty are committed to the production and dissemination of knowledge and creative works beyond the Hofstra campus. Within the context of its liberal arts mission, HCLAS is committed to the development and support of selected pre-professional programs, both graduate and undergraduate, that further the career aspirations of students and that meet the needs of society. The purpose of anchoring pre-professional programs to the liberal arts is to awaken and develop the students intellectual powers before they enter upon their chosen careers, ensuring that each student brings to his or her profession the greatest possible assets of intelligence, resourcefulness, judgment, and character. HCLAS offers programs leading to licensure or certification in psychology and in education, in accordance with New York State requirements, along with doctoral degrees designed to prepare leaders in these professions. HCLAS recognizes that academic excellence is nurtured in a community of scholars united in the common goal of mutual enlightenment. To that end, HCLAS is committed to attracting, supporting, and retaining a diverse community of talented students and distinguished faculty. A comprehensive list of program offerings in HCLAS is available at The Role Reporting directly to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean serves as the chief academic officer responsible for promoting academic excellence in HCLAS. Responsible for all curricular and faculty matters, assessment activities, and accreditations, the Dean provides leadership and broad oversight over all of HCLAS s academic programs; at the graduate level, the Dean works closely with the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies. S/he advises the Provost on all academic matters and leads the academic budget process, ensuring that academic priorities are established after full consultation with affected constituencies and that resources are strategically allocated in support of HCLAS s academic mission. As academic leader of the faculty, s/he maintains HCLAS s high standards for teaching and research by reviewing and making recommendations to the Provost regarding faculty appointment, reappointment, tenure, and promotion. 4

5 The following report directly to the Dean: Senior Associate Dean for Curriculum and Personnel Senior Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs Senior Associate Dean for Budget and Planning Senior Associate Dean, School of Education Executive Dean, Kalikow School Associate Dean for First-Year Programs Director of Library and Information Services Assistant Dean for Study Abroad Programs Assistant Dean and Internship Coordinator Assistant Director, First-Year Connections Priorities The new Dean will have the extraordinary opportunity to chart a bold and innovative path for the future of HCLAS. Priorities for the new Dean include the following: Articulating a strategic vision Lead the development of a compelling and unifying vision of liberal arts education at Hofstra and of strategic planning for all of the units; Catalyze the creative talents and strengths of the faculty and inspire collaboration within HCLAS; Develop and enhance partnerships with other Schools and Colleges at the University to further integrate the liberal arts with pre-professional experiences for students; Fully incorporate the University s commitment to diversity and inclusion into the undergraduate academic experience; and Solidify the identities and administrative structures of the four Schools within HCLAS to foster innovation in teaching, program development, and scholarly and creative work. Furthering academic excellence Lead HCLAS s curricular review to build on the tradition of interdisciplinary academic excellence and strengthen the liberal arts core of the Hofstra academic experience; Lead graduate program review and work with the faculty to develop new graduate programs where appropriate; Use quantitative and qualitative data to improve curricular and co-curricular offerings at both the undergraduate and graduate level; and Provide the administrative, intellectual, and logistical support to enable faculty to enhance their current scholarly and creative projects, to conduct and present research in their fields, and to create and implement new programs and initiatives. Enhancing the student experience Support efforts to enhance student recruitment and improve undergraduate student retention and graduation rates; Strengthen the collaborations between academic affairs and student affairs, particularly in the key areas of academic advising and co-curricular programming; and 5

6 Collaborate with faculty to advance opportunities for integrating traditional classroom learning with experiential learning, including research. Key qualifications The Dean must hold a terminal degree and a distinguished record of scholarship and teaching that merits appointment as a tenured full professor in one of the academic departments in HCLAS. In addition, the ideal successful candidate will have many of the following professional qualifications, skills, experience, and personal qualities: Substantial, relevant senior-level administrative experience; Expertise and experience in curriculum development, academic program planning and review, and assessment; A record of recruiting, developing, and retaining outstanding faculty and staff; An entrepreneurial and visionary spirit, including the willingness and desire to embrace change and to find new and innovative solutions to challenges facing private higher education; Passion for the holistic student experience; Demonstrated management skills in strategic planning and goal setting, including the ability to use data to make evidence-based decisions; Experience in budgeting and financial management and in dealing with faculty personnel issues; Experience in dealing with external accrediting bodies; Experience in securing external funding for research and/or teaching; Experience in and commitment to programs involving international outreach, including study abroad, international student recruitment, and/or student and faculty exchanges; An appreciation of the challenges facing higher education, including enrollment, retention, tuition revenues, and academic innovation; A commitment to technology as a means to move the College forward; A commitment to diversity and inclusion, including a demonstrated ability to operate in a culturally diverse environment across all areas of the College; Commitment to a shared governance process taking place in a unionized environment with an ethos of academic freedom; An engaging, collaborative leadership style and ability to work well with both internal and external constituencies; A personable, visible, and accessible presence; Excellent listening and communication skills; and The highest integrity and uncompromising standards of excellence. Contact All inquiries, expressions of interest, and nominations should be sent to: HCLAS@storbecksearch.com Hofstra University is an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering diversity in its faculty, administrative staff, and student body, and encourages applications from the entire spectrum of a diverse community. 6