Dean, College of Engineering and Sciences at Anthem Executive in Odessa, Texas

Job Description:

The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) seeks applications and nominations for a visionary and strategic leader as Dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences with a proven commitment to academic excellence and shared decision-making. The Dean fosters excellence in teaching, research, and service. Expected start will be Summer 2024.

Reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (Provost) and serving as the Colleges Chief Academic Officer, the Dean will play a central role in enhancing academic excellence and aligning priorities with the strategic plans for Academic Affairs and the University. The Dean serves as a member of the Provosts senior leadership team and will work directly with the Provost, other University leaders, faculty, and staff in formulating the Colleges academic goals and policies. The Dean is a role model of integrity and professionalism for the Colleges faculty and is accessible to undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, the Dean is responsible for the articulation of the Colleges vision in alignment with the University mission on academic distinction; the development and administration of academic programs; scholarship, research, and service initiatives among faculty; college policies relating to instruction, curriculum, student success, research, and other high impact practices; and faculty and academic staff appointments and performance assessments.

The Dean supervises activities within the Colleges program areas, including Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Chemistry, Geoscience, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics, including four masters programs, as well as several research centers and other units that support the academic mission of the College.

Working collaboratively with all stakeholders, the Dean supports excellence in teaching, research, creativity, and service while fostering activities that improve student retention, achievement, and timely graduation. Additionally, the Dean works with external sponsors, funding agencies, industry, and community leaders to develop research and educational partnerships that contribute to the region's economic vitality.

The Permian Basin is one of the country's fastest-growing, culturally vibrant, economically invigorated regionsfull of industry, culture, and wide-open spaces. Spanning an area of 75,000 square miles, the low-lying geological formation of the Permian Basin is a stunning stretch of land with unique beauty thats home to the big, beautiful Texas skies. Its also home to the worlds largest petroleum eld.

Accounting for more than 30% of the domestic oil production and recently named the largest oil reserve on the planet, the Permian Basin region of West Texas is poised to boost local and global economies for decades. As the U.S. is set to surpass Saudi Arabia as the worlds largest oil producer, much of the growth in domestic oil production will come straight from the Permian Basin. The International Energy Agency expects global oil demand to grow until around 2040, which experts predict will support the creation of approximately 45,000 jobs across the Permian Basin through 2030.

However, its not only oil fueling the regions substantial energy boom; wind and solar developments are diversifying the Permian Basin, putting it on the map as a critical energy provider for the future. West Texas is seeing an explosion in economic activity as other industries such as nance, construction, healthcare, digital technology, transportation, real estate, and public sector jobs grow alongside it. As the only major university in the Permian Basin, UTPB is positioned as its academic center, providing leadership and skilled professionals across the regions prominent and growing industries.

One example led by the College of Engineering and Sciences is a new and innovative Sustainable Energy strategic growth initiative. In support of this initiative, the Dean will lead efforts to hire nationally recognized faculty, combined with existing faculty, and will promote UTPB as a national leader in energy-related areas. Under the leadership of the Dean, the college will lead additional faculty searches over the next few years. The result will be a robust group that will provide broad capacity for developing innovative academic programs and conducting much-needed research in the area of sustainable energy sources, such as renewable energy and chemical production; electrochemical systems for energy storage and energy conversion; solar thermal systems; environmental sciences, geosciences, catalytic processes and materials for sustainable applications; and data analytics and computer simulations to discover methods that lead to progress in these and other areas of sustainable energy.

The engineering building is located on UTPBs Midland campus, where an exciting expansion of the University will take place in partnership with the Permian Strategic Partnership (https://permianpartnership.org/), the city of Midland, and healthcare professionals in the region. This new development will include hike and bike trails, green spaces, housing, mixed-use development, a new outdoor amphitheater, and future academic expansion for engineering, health sciences, and business development.

The College of Engineering has long-established accredited degree programs in Mechanical Engineering and Petroleum Engineering and has initiatedthree new degree programs in recent years: B.S. in Electrical Engineering, B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Civil Engineering is the latest program, which will begin in Fall 2024. Notably, the College is also home to the Texas Water and Energy Institute and a new Advanced Manufacturing Center. The College is housed in a 105,801 square feet building that opened in 2019, with excellent facilities for instructional and curricular activities and research and development. A second adjacent building houses a state-of-the-art Innovation and Commercialization Center, Advanced Manufacturing Center, and additional support services. In addition, the University recently completed an academic program reorganization process. They will add several science programs to the College over the next academic year, including Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Geosciences, and Physics.

The other science departments are located on our main campus among two different buildings. A 70,000 square-foot Science and Technology Building houses Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Math, and Computer Science departments. In addition to faculty offices and lecture halls, the building contains teaching laboratories, research laboratories, and several computer labs. 2,876 sq. feet of space is dedicated to research laboratories, and 3,364 sq. feet is dedicated to teaching laboratories with 24 fume hoods. The University also has other program-specific teaching and research facilities.

The Dean strategically leads and manages all aspects of the College of Engineering and Sciences, providing collaborative leadership in developing high-quality engineering, science, and related STEM academic programs and research.The Dean will work with faculty and University leadership to develop strategic directions for the College, including a phenomenal opportunity to implement the academic reorganization by forming the College of Engineering and Sciences. In addition to strong administrative experiences, the selected candidate will have proven success in leading faculty in developing strong teaching, research, accreditation, and community/industry outreach efforts.

Specific Tasks and Duties - Collaborate with faculty and University leadership in the following areas:

• Creating/designing engineering/science curricula for next-generation engineering and science with relevance to regional and state needs
• Developing and executing strategies for strong student recruitment, retention, and graduation rates
• Promoting innovative and effective teaching in the College and providing appropriate supervision to the program coordinators, chairs and other faculty colleagues.
• Promoting faculty and student scholarly activities to enhance research productivity and extramural funding in the College
• Providing regular mentorship for our faculty or direct reports to meet their professional goals while achieving UTPB expectations
• Managing processes required for successful ABET accreditation and initial accreditation of Chemical and Electrical Engineering for Fall 2024 (work is already ongoing)
• Providing effective management of fiscal policies and procedures
• Making decisions in a clear, timely, and collegial manner in accordance with the principles of shared governance
• Facilitating faculty professional development
• Planning and coordinating program reviews to acquire and maintain ABET and other programmatic accreditation.
• Collaborating regularly with the active 50-member Engineering Advisory Board external advisory board to nurture research and education partnerships, expand the impact of the Colleges work, and secure significant contributions of time, talent, and treasure
• Creating a collaborative/collegial environment in the College and all other campus stakeholders
• Working closely with the faculty to promote and develop interdisciplinary research and academic programs while managing advantageous disciplinary mergers across colleges
• Providing oversight and insights for academic and extracurricular programs in STEMfields
• Making recommendations on programs and services to promote STEM fields, especially engineering and sciences, to area schools and colleges
• Creating and maintaining community, industry, and government partnerships that support College research and education programs
• Fostering a climate focused on student success by providing a comprehensive array of student professional, career, and leadership development programs and support services
• Other duties as assigned by the Provost

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal Degree in Engineering/Sciences, a related applied science, or equivalent field from a regionally accredited institution.
• Progressive academic and administrative or professional experience with significant accomplishments, including credentials that qualify for a faculty position at the rank of Professor or equivalent executive-level experience served in professional institutions.
• Success in attracting, recruiting, retaining, and evaluating faculty consistent with the highest standards of scholarship.
• Experience in building successful, productive administration-faculty relationships and shared decision-making
• Success in leading programs to ABET accreditation or others.
• Experience in developing/restructuring interdisciplinary research and academic programs.
• Demonstrated success in developing productive partnerships with community/industry.
• Success building and executing a strategic and fiscally sound unit budget.
• Solid track record in meeting the Institution's mission concerning enrollment, graduation, research, and others.
• In addition to the preferred qualifications, candidates with at least five years of administrative experience overseeing complex operations, documented industry experience and/or leadership roles, skill set in business development, and experience working with industry/government partners will be given priority for the position of Dean.
• UT Permian Basin takes great pride in being part of The University of Texas System, known for its exceptional academic success, breakthrough research, and international reputation for excellence and innovation. It includes 13 educational institutions throughout the state, including eight universities and five health institutions.

Home to over 7,500 enrolled students, UT Permian Basin benets from the vast resources and support of the world-renowned University of Texas System yet is lean enough to foster a connected, tight-knit community while remaining nancially accessible to any student. With an unwavering commitment to students, a strategic approach to designing higher education, and the resources to ensure academic success, UTPB is set to nurture the leaders who will go on to shape the future of West Texas and the nation.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recognized UT Permian Basin as the rst public university in the state to implement AVID strategies at the post-secondary level. The University offers dual credit courses that serves remote school districts using a blended online and in-person arrangement and with online dual credit courses available to schools throughout the state of Texas.

The Search Committee invites letters of interest and nominations to be submitted directly to the search firm, Anthem Executive. Correspondence should include a curriculum vitae and a letter of interest describing relevant experience and interest in the position and should be submitted to Michael Ballew, J.R. Wheless or Florene Stawowy:

UTPBDeanEng@anthemexecutive.com

While applications and nominations may be accepted until the position is filled, interested parties are strongly encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible to assure consideration. Anthem and the University reserve the right to end or extend the application process at any time. Expressing interest is the first step in receiving consideration and does not make one an applicant for the position.

UTPB is committed to providing an educational, living, and working environment that is welcoming and respectful to all members of the University community. Its an environment that allows members of the University community to excel in their academic and professional careers. UTPB follows all applicable federal and state laws.

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