General purpose:

Reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Sponsored Programs, and Creative Practice serves as the chief academic and administrative officer for graduate education and related interdisciplinary initiatives across the College. The Dean provides visionary, strategic, and operational leadership for graduate academic programs, sponsored research and programs, faculty creative practice, interdisciplinary initiatives, innovation ecosystems, and external partnerships that advance institutional mission, enrollment growth, workforce engagement, and public impact.

The Dean is responsible for strengthening the quality, distinctiveness, sustainability, and visibility of graduate education while fostering an integrated ecosystem connecting creative practice, advanced scholarship, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary collaboration, sponsored programs, applied research, community engagement, and professional development. The Dean oversees graduate academic operations, program portfolio strategy, faculty and graduate leadership support, enrollment growth initiatives, centers and institutes, external partnerships, and resource planning.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Graduate Strategy and Academic Programs

• Provide strategic leadership for the vision, growth, positioning, and sustainability of graduate education across the College.
• Lead graduate program portfolio management, including innovation, assessment, renewal, quality improvement, and new program development.
• Advance interdisciplinary, hybrid, online, low-residency, and professionally oriented graduate models aligned with evolving student, workforce, and industry needs.
• Support innovative curricular frameworks integrating creative practice, research, entrepreneurship, professional preparation, and experiential learning.
• Ensure academic rigor, market relevance, and alignment with institutional priorities and strategic opportunities.

Faculty Leadership, Creative Practice, and Sponsored Programs

• Collaborate with graduate directors and faculty to support academic excellence, interdisciplinary engagement, and graduate program quality.
• Support faculty creative practice, scholarship, exhibitions, publications, sponsored research, and externally funded initiatives.
• Advance institutional growth in grantsmanship, applied research, public scholarship, and sponsored partnerships.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive graduate culture grounded in shared governance, innovation, experimentation, and student success.

Centers, Institutes, and Innovation Ecosystem Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership, coordination, and oversight for institutional centers, institutes, and interdisciplinary innovation initiatives.
• Advance the vision and external positioning of the Design + Innovation Hub (D+I Hub) as a central platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, creative innovation, industry engagement, applied research, entrepreneurship, and public-facing partnerships.
• Oversee and support the Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship (RCCE) in advancing student entrepreneurship, venture development, experiential learning, industry engagement, and creative economy initiatives.
• Support the Center for Creative Impact (CCI) in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, social innovation, community partnerships, and public impact initiatives.
• Strengthen integration between graduate education, centers and institutes, workforce development initiatives, and external partnerships.
• Foster collaborations among faculty, students, alumni, industry leaders, nonprofits, foundations, cultural organizations, and government agencies.

Enrollment Growth and Revenue Development

• Partner with Enrollment Management and Marketing to strengthen graduate recruitment, enrollment growth, retention, and yield.
• Support strategic program positioning, market-responsive innovation, and portfolio optimization.
• Utilize data-informed planning and enrollment analysis to strengthen graduate program sustainability and operational effectiveness.
• Contribute to institutional revenue diversification through graduate expansion, sponsored programs, external funding, professional partnerships, and interdisciplinary initiatives.

External Engagement and Strategic Partnerships

• Cultivate partnerships with industry leaders, employers, alumni, foundations, nonprofits, cultural organizations, government agencies, and community stakeholders.
• Expand opportunities for internships, residencies, fellowships, sponsored projects, applied learning, workforce partnerships, and professional engagement.
• Represent graduate education and institutional initiatives in professional, academic, and public forums.
• Collaborate with Advancement on fundraising, donor cultivation, grants, sponsorships, and strategic partnerships.

Budget and Operational Leadership

• Develop and oversee budgets, staffing, and resource allocation for graduate education and assigned initiatives.
• Oversee graduate academic operations including scheduling, accreditation, assessment, reporting, and policy implementation.
• Ensure effective operational planning and resource management aligned with institutional strategy and enrollment priorities.
• Support continuous improvement and operational integration across graduate programs, centers, institutes, and interdisciplinary initiatives.

Institutional Leadership and Governance

• Serve as a member of institutional leadership councils, governance bodies, and strategic planning initiatives.
• Contribute to institutional transformation, academic innovation, and cross-campus collaboration efforts.
• Support accreditation, assessment, institutional effectiveness, and strategic planning processes.
• Collaborate across Schools and administrative divisions to strengthen institutional alignment and shared priorities.

Professional and Disciplinary Engagement

• Maintain an active and visible professional, creative, scholarly, research, or entrepreneurial practice appropriate to the discipline and administrative responsibilities of the role.
• Contribute to the advancement of the field through exhibitions, publications, presentations, commissions, professional service, industry engagement, sponsored projects, public scholarship, or related activities.
• Leverage disciplinary engagement to strengthen academic programs, expand partnerships, enhance experiential learning opportunities, support fundraising and external relations efforts, and elevate the reputation and visibility of the School and the College.

Culture and Institutional Impact

• Foster a collaborative, entrepreneurial, and inclusive graduate culture focused on excellence, innovation, experimentation, and student success.
• Promote interdisciplinary engagement, creative inquiry, entrepreneurship, and public-facing impact across graduate and sponsored initiatives.
• Align graduate education, centers and institutes, and innovation initiatives with broader College vision, mission, and strategic goals.
• Champion the role of graduate education, creative practice, applied research, and creative entrepreneurship within the evolving creative economy and future workforce.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Higher education governance structures, including shared governance models.
• Curriculum development processes and academic assessment frameworks.
• Accreditation standards and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Budget development, financial forecasting, and fiscal oversight.
• Faculty workload models, academic scheduling, and resource planning.
• Student academic policies, including waivers, substitutions, and appeals processes.
• Performance management principles in academic environments.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion principles within academic leadership.
• The curriculum of relevant faculty and staff policies.

Skills:

• Strategic planning and aligning academic priorities with institutional goals.
• Budget management and financial decision-making.
• Supervising and evaluating faculty and staff.
• Conflict resolution and complex problem-solving.
• Facilitating curriculum review and academic program development.
• Accreditation preparation and documentation.
• Data analysis to support academic and operational decisions.
• Collaborative leadership across academic and administrative units.
• Clear written and verbal communication at multiple stakeholder levels.

Ability to:

• Lead through influence in a shared governance environment.
• Make timely and sound academic policy decisions.
• Balance strategic vision with operational execution.
• Manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Foster faculty engagement and accountability.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise professional judgment.
• Build consensus while upholding institutional standards.
• Respond effectively to accreditation or regulatory review.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in a relevant discipline represented within the School.
• Distinguished record of creative practice, teaching, scholarship, or professional achievement.
• Demonstrated progressive academic leadership experience.
• Experience managing academic operations, budgets, and faculty affairs.
• Strong communication, strategic planning, and collaborative leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in art and design higher education or interdisciplinary creative environments.
• Experience with industry partnerships, sponsored projects, or creative entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Experience with enrollment strategy, program innovation, or workforce-aligned academic development.