Log In
Sign Up
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Dean of
Graduate and Professional and Continuing Education
Academic Career & Executive Search is pleased to assist
Massachusetts College of Art and Design in its search for Dean of Graduate and Professional and Continuing
Education.
For full consideration, please apply by April 30th.
This is a unique
opportunity to join Massachusetts College of Arts and Design (MassArt) as the next Dean in setting strategic vision for the departments of
Graduate Programs and Professional and Continuing Education (PCE). Celebrating a legacy of 150 years of excellence, MassArt is on a path to
recognition as a leading cultural institution. MassArt is the nation’s only independent public college of art and design with over
1,900 undergraduate, graduate and continuing education students. The Dean of Graduate and PCE is an integral member of the Academic Affairs
team and the President’s extended cabinet and leads multiple departments in driving growth and vision at MassArt. The successful
candidate is an innovative and resourceful leader with a background in arts and design and experience establishing and launching new
certificates and degree programs, and proven ability to cultivate highly cohesive and effective teams. The Dean of Graduate and PCE will be
passionate about the future of an arts and design graduate education and will oversee both state and non-state funded courses at MassArt and
must be comfortable managing budgets, solving complex fiscal issues and working with Finance.
This position reports to the Provost
and leads a graduate staff of five core employees, a PCE staff of five core employees, additional rotating staff/contractors, and 15
graduate and certificate program directors. Regular evaluation of staff as per the union contracts is included in this oversight.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the graduate, certificate, post-baccalaureate, and continuing education
programs focusing on both visioning for the future and ensuring academic quality and school wide work flows to support a seamless student
experience. - Provide oversight of assessment and licensure processes across programs (NECHE, NAAB, DOE, etc.).
- Manage the
graduate programs gallery, MassArt x SoWa. - Manage the Graduate and Certificate programs’ budgets in collaboration with the
Associate Dean, including financial visioning for new programming, and solving complex fiscal issues as they relate to MSCA faculty costs,
managing a non-state supported department, ensuring MSCA/DGCE contract compliance, etc. Managing these budgets includes fundraising
outreach, scholarship oversight, and developing and implementing admissions and marketing strategies. Management of the Continuing Education
and Youth Arts programs is done in concert with managers in each of those areas. - Lead fundraising events, build relationships with
donors, build endowed funds for graduate student scholarships and gather donations for special projects. - Develop and sustain
collaborative relationships with other institutions/organizations, including those that provide opportunities for alumni, and current
students and faculty. - Lead the evaluation and evolution of the curricula for graduate, certificate program, continuing education,
and youth arts programs in consultation with faculty. This implies the assessment of programs, curricula, classes, and faculty, as well as
rigorous review through the lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. - Build community with students and faculty by attending
presentations and events, offering introductions and presentations at events across programs and departments, and addressing/resolving
issues that come up in these communities. - Lead new program planning in graduate and certificate programs, including both in-person
and remote programs, as well as a review of the role of continuing education in the college (as it serves the public, as well as
matriculated students, and as a for degree granting programs) - Execute committee work and service as requested. The Dean of Grad and
PCE is a member of the Academic Affairs team and the President’s extended cabinet, leads the Graduate Education Council, convenes
monthly gatherings of the DGCE deans, and serves on several other committees in service to the broader institution. - Approve faculty
hires, faculty rank, independent studies, degree audit changes, budget approvals, and more.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND
ABILITIES
- Administrative leadership experience of multiple disciplines in higher education including financial
management and business process review - Evidence of commitments to community engagement, diversity, sustainability, collaboration,
and global competence. - Understanding and appreciation of excellence in the disciplines represented in the graduate programs at
MassArt. - Experience with assessment practices.
- Experience in the development of new degree programs.
- Teaching
experience, preferably at the graduate level. - Experience with program evaluation and accreditation processes.
- Understanding of traditional and emerging technologies and understanding of creative practice and visual learning.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- A terminal degree
- 5 or more years of higher level administrative
experience - Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong collaborative skills
PREFERRED
QUALIFICATIONS
- Professional accomplishment in a design or arts discipline.
About the
Institution
Founded in 1873, and celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2023, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
(MassArt), is the nation’s first and only independent, free-standing public college of art and design. MassArt is an inclusive community of
thinkers, doers, makers, educators, innovators, and leaders striving to shape the future through art and design. They’ve spent 150 years
demonstrating the truly amazing things that happen when a world-class art and design education is an option for every deserving student.
Located in Boston’s hub of arts and culture along the Avenue of the Arts, MassArt enrolls 1,700+ students and offers a comprehensive range
of undergraduate and graduate degrees in 18 disciplines, as well as continuing education and youth programs.
MassArt prepares
artists, designers, and educators from diverse backgrounds to shape communities, economies, and cultures for the common good. MassArt
provides state-of-the art facilities and studios housed in nine buildings along Huntington Avenue in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston,
close by the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The college offers twenty-two areas of concentration in fine arts,
design and art education, and awards one undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Fine Arts, and graduate degrees including the Master of Fine
Arts, the Master of Art in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Design Innovation, and the Master of Architecture. The college also
offers certificate programs in Communication Design, Fashion Design, Furniture Design, and Industrial Design.
The College is NECHE
(New England Commission of Higher Education) accredited and a member of AICAD (Association of Independent College of Art and Design), as
well as the Colleges of Fenway, a collaboration of five neighboring Boston-based colleges in the Fenway area representing more than 12,000
undergraduate students (16.2% of total Boston undergraduate population attending 4-year colleges, 700+ full time faculty, and 2300-course
offerings), and the ProArts Consortium (six institutions of higher education dedicated to the visual and performing arts).
Living in the Area
With a population of nearly 700,000, Boston often feels like a small town with the perks of
city life. It is a cosmopolitan city offering cultural diversity, a rich culinary and arts scene, and proximity to world-class schools,
employers and health care. It is on the cutting edge of medicine and technology but traditional in its love of sports and the city’s
deep history. With a modern, attractive, and completely walkable downtown, Boston is dotted with Revolutionary period historic sites along
the Freedom Trail and preserved old streetscapes mixed in with modern commercial office buildings. The scenic Charles River offers endless
opportunities for outdoor activities.
Arts and culture amenities in downtown Boston and the entire surrounding area are exceptional,
and most, like the Boston Pops and the Museum of Fine Arts, are well known beyond the city limits.
The surrounding suburbs offer an
excellent alternative to city living with access to a well-used commuter rail system. Each neighborhood has its own town center that is
functional, accessible by the rail system, and filled with local businesses.
Education, at all levels, is outstanding in Boston and
the surrounding areas. Public schools are nationally recognized, and a driving reason people move to the area. Additionally, the entire
Boston Metro area is centrally located near everything Massachusetts and the Northeast has to offer – skiing in New Hampshire, beaches
in Cape Cod, and trips to New York City are all only 2 to 3 hours away.
To Apply
For full
consideration, please apply by April 30th.
To be viewed by the search firm, you must apply directly
at: https://acesrch.applicantstack.com/x/detail/a21esjy8tgej
Please apply through the application
link and do not email applications.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received and should include a cover letter and
curriculum vita. Ideally cover letters should not exceed two pages. All applications are treated confidentially.
Inquiries,
referrals, and nominations are also treated confidentially
Inquiries and questions: Please send to [email protected]
Nominations and
referrals: Please send the nominee’s name, title, and contact information if available to [email protected].
Institution’s EEO
Statement
MassArt provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment
without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry,
disability, military status, genetic information, pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition, or membership in any other legally protected
class. MassArt complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in
which the college operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.
