Loyola University Chicago invites applications for the position of Dean of the School of Environmental Sustainability (SES). We seek an innovative leader who can take a successful and growing school to its next level. The preferred candidate will have strong administrative experience and excellence in research, teaching, and service in any discipline associated with Environmental Sustainability. SES is an interdisciplinary school whose core identity lies within the environmental sciences, inclusive of ecology, earth sciences, environmental chemistry, biogeochemical science, atmospheric science, and geography. It also has interdisciplinary expertise that draws on the social sciences, most notably environmental economics, land use management, environmental politics and policy, and anthropology, as well as the humanities (theology/ethics and history) and sustainable business. We are searching for a Dean who will further expand the interdisciplinary reach of our expanding school, ensure outstanding academic support and career success for our students, support the faculty's collaborative and interdisciplinary research and teaching endeavors, promote a staff culture that values community and work-life balance, and enhance the school's reputation as a regional, national, and international leader in environmental sustainability. As a school situated in the world-class City of Chicago that is dedicated to mentoring a diverse student body, many of whom come from under-represented and under-served populations, we especially encourage applications from candidates from under-represented groups. The position will start in July 2025.
Loyola University Chicago
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is the largest of twenty-seven Jesuit colleges and universities (https://ajcunet.edu/) and one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Loyola enrolls approximately 17,000 students, including over 11,000 undergraduates, across its three campuses in the Chicago metropolitan area: Lake Shore Campus on Chicago's north side; Water Tower Campus near the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago; and Health Sciences Campus in the western suburb of Maywood. The University has over 1,600 full-time and part-time faculty. It also operates a study abroad center – the John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) – in Rome, Italy. Loyola offers programs in a variety of disciplines through thirteen schools and colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences (founded in 1870), the School of Law (1908), the Stritch School of Medicine (1909), the School of Social Work (1914), the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (1914), the Graduate School (1915), the Quinlan School of Business (1922), the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (1935), the School of Education (1969), the School of Communication (2008), Arrupe College (2014) which operates as a two-year college and confers associates degrees, the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health (2019), and the School of Environmental Sustainability (2020).
The School of Environmental Sustainability
The School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) was founded in 2020 when the Institute of Environmental Sustainability (2013-2020) was elevated to school status. SES is structured in five interdisciplinary units or focus areas to facilitate collaborative problem-solving as concerns: (1) energy and climate; (2) food systems and sustainable agriculture; (3) biodiversity and conservation; (4) environmental health and toxicology; and (5) environment and society. Through its range of degree and programmatic offerings, SES develops ethical professionals with the knowledge, skills, and dedication to make lasting contribution as society transitions to a more just and sustainable future. SES graduates pursue careers in diverse fields, advancing sustainability and making a difference in business, government, and non-profit sectors.
SES comprises a dynamic faculty and staff of thirty-eight fulltime members in a broad range of disciplines and roles. Collectively, the faculty and staff promote excellence in teaching, research, co-curricular activities like urban agriculture and biodiesel internships and student clubs, student academic and career success, and administrative management. The faculty includes seventeen tenure-track and tenured professors, ten non-tenure-track lecturers, and five part-time instructors from myriad sustainability-related fields in the biophysical sciences, social sciences, and humanities. All faculty teach and many facilitate high-impact learning experiences, such as service-learning courses, field courses, study abroad courses, and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Research-active faculty conduct research that advances scholarly knowledge and informs policy and practice. They regularly publish, mentor graduate students, and obtain external grants to fund their work. Several conduct research in the Great Lakes Region and others in countries around the globe. The staff consists of eleven members with specialized expertise in campus sustainability, urban agriculture, renewable energy, student engagement, experiential learning, administrative management, and marketing and communications. Staff facilitate extensive student engagement opportunities through internships, student clubs, and applied research that supports environmental sustainability on campus and in local communities. Together, SES faculty and staff provide robust teaching, learning, internship, guided co-curricular opportunities, and research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as other supports that lead to student success. Faculty and staff also engage with students in activities on campus and in the Chicago region that promote environmental justice and sustainability.
SES offers eight undergraduate majors, three undergraduate minors, one graduate degree, and three graduate certificates. Our growing school currently enrolls 521 students in SES programs with over 400 undergraduates and over 100 graduate students. SES launched the Master of Science in Environmental Science and Sustainability program in 2019, in which students can pursue a professional track or a research track. Additionally, Loyola's accelerated bachelor's/master's programs allow students to complete both their undergraduate degree and master's degree in just five years. We aspire to launch PhD programs in the future.
Environmental sustainability is a university-wide priority at Loyola that fosters enriching educational experiences for SES students that extend beyond the conventional classroom. Many SES students make the most of enriched educational opportunities to learn through applied research, internships, volunteer activities, and student-driven sustainability projects. SES faculty make use of the opportunities presented by Chicago's role as a global leader and our location on the shores of Lake Michigan at the confluence of the Great Lakes, the Northwoods, the agricultural Heartland, and the Great Plains. Faculty have active research sites throughout the region as well as locations domestically and internationally. SES has several facilities that make student enrichment possible. The Urban Agriculture program is housed in a 3,100 square foot greenhouse and provides students with hands-on experiences via the Winthrop Community Garden, the Food Recovery Network, and area farmers markets and non-profit organizations. In 2013, SES started the Searle Biodiesel Lab, where students gain valuable real-world circular economy experiences, such as transforming used cooking oil into renewable biodiesel fuel for Loyola's inter-campus shuttle and into environmentally friendly soap. The Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Center (LUREC) is a 98-acre facility located in Woodstock, Illinois – the only such facility in the Chicago region – where students can take immersive field-based courses and engage in hands-on research. LUREC also provides a backdrop for service projects and community engagement with SES student clubs, such as the Ecological Restoration Club and the Student Environmental Alliance.
SES oversees Loyola's University-wide Office of Sustainability, which plays a major role in implementing Loyola's Climate Action Plan, Zero Waste Plan, and hosts over two dozen events each year advancing a culture of sustainability for all Ramblers. Students are involved in a variety of sustainability events, such as themed weeks, regular research presentations, awards programs, and conferences, to learn from sustainability experts and to expand their professional networks within the field. The Office of Sustainability partners with all academic and operational units to support the faculty, staff, students, and alumni across Loyola in advancing sustainability through our campuses, curriculum, and community. The Office of Sustainability's programs and Loyola's commitment to sustainability have led to multiple recognitions and stand as a differentiator for students seeking the value of sustainability in their educational experience.
SES values and is committed to environmental sustainability as it intersects with environmental justice and anti-racism. The next SES Dean is expected to continue aligning SES's work with its Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including partnering with faculty and staff in other units such as the Institute for Racial Justice and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. SES has fostered efforts to increase dialogue across the University around indigenous rights and acknowledgement of the impacts of systemic oppression on the environment. The University's Strategic Plan includes objectives to diversify its faculty, staff, and students. Loyola is committed to providing support and structure so everyone can succeed and strongly encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply to become the next SES Dean.
Leadership and Mission at Loyola University Chicago
The Dean will join Loyola at an exciting time under the leadership of President Mark C. Reed, EdD, MBA, who joined Loyola in October 2022. He is working across the university to actualize a strategic plan based on the alignment of research, scholarship, and mission; the promotion of racial justice; and the institution's ability to address complex societal challenges. Provost Douglas W. Woods, PhD, who joined Loyola in July 2024, is a strong advocate for an integrated educational experience that provides students with a foundational liberal arts and sciences core curriculum, complemented by knowledge and skills developed across a range of disciplines to prepare students for successful careers and lives.
Loyola has always been guided by our identity as Chicago's Catholic, Jesuit institution of higher learning. We embrace Catholic Social Teaching (CST) in our prioritizing social justice and Ignatian Pedagogy in our daily work. Pope Francis' 2015 Encyclical on Ecology, Laudato Si', ignited and reinforced this work and is a guiding framework for Loyola's approach to sustainability and climate action. In 2021, Loyola committed to the
Loyola University Chicago, a private university founded in 1870 as St. Ignatius College, is one of the nation's largest Jesuit, Catholic Universities and the only one located in Chicago. Loyola University Chicago is comprised of four campuses: Lake Shore (LSC), Water Tower (WTC), Health Sciences (HSC), and the John Felice Rome Center in Italy, and is home to ten schools and colleges: arts and sciences, business administration, communication, education, graduate studies, law, medicine, nursing, continuing and professional studies, and social work. Loyola also features course locations in Beijing, China; Saigon-Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Vernon Hills, Illinois (Cuneo Mansion and Gardens); and a Retreat and Ecology Campus in Woodstock, Illinois. Recognizing Loyola's excellence in education, U.S.News and World Report has ranked Loyola consistently among the "top national universities" in its annual publications. Loyola is among a select group of universities recognized for community service and engagement by prestigious national organizations like the Carnegie Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service.