Associate Dean/Professor Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs_Fall 2025
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Application
Details
Posted: 27-Nov-24
Location: Knoxville, TN
Internal Number: 158970
THE SEARCH
The Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs (the School) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) seeks an accomplished and highly entrepreneurial academic administrator to serve as Associate Dean. The Baker School is now serving nearly 150 students in its second year of operation. The school?s graduate programs are growing rapidly and the undergraduate degree, now in its inaugural year, has proven to be popular among first-year students at UTK. The School has an extraordinary building on campus, a faculty known for expertise in key public policy fields, and a dedicated group of faculty and staff who are committed to building a leading school of public policy and public affairs at the University of Tennessee. The Associate Dean will serve as the School?s chief academic officer, overseeing faculty and programs to set the School up for long-term success. In partnership with the Dean, the Associate Dean will operationalize the School?s strategic initiatives, lead all facets of faculty oversight, including recruitment, retention, and development, as well as curricular enhancements, and serve as the School?s liaison to the broader UTK campus, particularly those programs with cross-listed academic offerings and joint faculty appointments.
The Baker School has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this recruitment effort. All applications, inquiries, and nominations, which will remain confidential, should be directed to the search firm as indicated at the end of this document.
ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATE DEAN
The Associate Dean will have an opportunity to shape the Baker School?s trajectory at a critical moment in its development and help build a world-class public policy and public affairs school for students, faculty, and staff. Reporting directly to the Dean, the Associate Dean has a central role in the administration of the Baker School. This position provides leadership and direction for the Baker School's faculty and academic programs. The Associate Dean is responsible for setting the strategic hiring goals of the school, mentoring and retaining faculty, and overseeing tenure and promotion processes and the annual review process. The Associate Dean?s role in developing academic programs complements the faculty affairs portion of the position. The directors of graduate and undergraduate studies report to the Associate Dean, and the allocation and development of faculty teaching and research resources to meet program growth is a key part of the Associate Dean?s portfolio.
KEY OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE ASSOCIATE DEAN
The Associate Dean will be a highly collaborative and strategic leader with proven experience elevating academic excellence and driving key administrative decisions. To be successful in this work, the Associate Dean will address the following opportunities and challenges:
Partner with the Baker School Dean to drive strategy
Leaders inspire others to work toward a shared vision. The Associate Dean will help shape and drive the vision of the Baker School, serving on the Dean's cabinet and providing advice and information to the Dean on all matters related to faculty, academic programs, and curriculum. The Associate Dean will also serve as the voice of the faculty on the Dean?s cabinet, ensuring that the faculty perspective is well represented in strategic conversations about the future of the Baker School. In addition, the Associate Dean has an opportunity to provide fundraising support to the Dean and the School?s Director of Advancement in development activities focused on academic priorities.
As the Baker School grows and finds its foothold amongst its peers nationally, the Associate Dean will partner with the Dean and other School leaders in conducting national surveys, special events related to faculty and students, benchmarking, college-wide instructional activities, and public policy and public affairs education-related research and development. This is an opportunity for a systems-oriented leader to influence and execute the Dean?s strategic vision for the Baker School and build on a solid foundation primed for growth.
Serve as the chief faculty affairs administrator for the Baker School
As the Baker School continues to grow and meet increasing demand for public policy and public affairs education in Tennessee and beyond, the Associate Dean will be responsible for the professional growth and development of current and future faculty, including recruiting and hiring, retention, promotion and tenure, and annual reviews. As a critical liaison between the Dean and faculty, the Associate Dean is expected to be highly visible and accessible to faculty while serving as a key point of communication in both directions. The Associate Dean will help translate the Dean?s strategic goals for the Baker School into actionable initiatives that utilize and leverage the faculty?s expertise. As the Baker School evolves and matures, the Associate Dean will establish and refine shared governance processes and procedures that help shape its culture and community. By design, the Baker School is highly interdisciplinary and includes faculty from several academic disciplines including business, economics, international relations, political science, public administration, and others. The School derives great strength from this multi-disciplinary orientation, but it requires careful attention to faculty governance systems to ensure the potential for collaboration and engagement is fully realized. This work will be especially important as the Associate Dean recruits and onboards new faculty, particularly in the first five years as the School prioritizes senior faculty hires.
Further develop academic program infrastructure and student support systems
In partnership with the Graduate and Undergraduate Program Directors, and serving as ex officio member of their respective faculty committees, the Associate Dean will provide academic oversight to ensure the development of curricula, instructional resources, and academic processes of the highest quality. As the first classes of Baker School students progress through their degree programs, the Associate Dean will be integral in the assessment and refining of the curricula, as well as reporting for future accreditation requirements. In addition to curricular and pedagogical oversight, the Associate Dean will establish and interpret critical academic policies and procedures that inform the creation, maintenance, and revision of curricula, courses, and programs of study within the School. Working alongside the Baker School professional Student Success staff, the Associate Dean will also oversee academic policies and ensure the right systems are in place to support the academic success of students while maintaining a high level of academic rigor and quality.
Liaise with the broader University of Tennessee, Knoxville community
The Associate Dean will play a crucial role as a staunch advocate for the School in the broader UTK community. As the chief academic and faculty affairs administrator for the Baker School, the Associate Dean will serve as the liaison to UTK?s Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs, ensuring that School policies and procedures adhere to and align with the broader campus? practices. The Associate Dean will be a strong University citizen who will build and maintain relationships across departments, schools, and colleges at UTK to bolster the Baker School?s reputation and ability to partner with other academic units, particularly those programs with cross-listed academic offerings and joint faculty appointments.
ABOUT THE BAKER SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Information about Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs can be found at https://baker.utk.edu/overview/
QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
The ideal candidate will be a distinguished public policy/public affairs leader and scholar with substantive experience in academic administrative leadership. While no single candidate will possess all ideal attributes, we encourage you to apply if you bring many of the following experiences and qualities:
Required:
Professional & academic credentials: Demonstrated record of scholarly output and excellence in teaching and research. Qualifications appropriate to hold rank of full professor in the Baker School. Doctoral Degree in Political Science, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Public Administration, Economics, or a related field required.
Demonstrated success in executing a strategic vision. An understanding and appreciation for shared governance structures.
Demonstrated success in attracting, retaining, and mentoring faculty. Collegiality and an orientation toward teamwork and partnership. Experience assessing faculty?s annual performance as well as review and determination of faculty appointments and research through the promotion and tenure process. A genuine commitment to and track record in supporting faculty.
Superb written, oral, and interpersonal communication. High emotional intelligence and an active listener. An ability to engage individuals and groups internal to the Baker School and externally to the larger campus community to establish key partnerships and collaborations. Diplomatic savviness to manage competing needs and priorities of constituents. A commitment to intellectual diversity in all of its forms. Integrity, dependability, and steadiness. The ability to lead all members of a school with fairness, humility, compassion, and trust. Personal and professional drive, persistence, resilience, and optimism. Strong commitment to public policy and public affairs education, civic and public service values, and research.
Preferred:
Leadership experience: A record of dynamic partnership with people across schools and departments at all levels to align activities with broader school and institutional goals and interests. Accomplished executive management, including the formulation and implementation of organizational policies, processes, and procedures.
Administrative experience: Oversight and refinement of academic curricula and leadership through accreditation processes.
APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS
Screening of complete applications will begin on December 16, 2024 and continue until the completion of the search process. The anticipated start date is August 1, 2025. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-tennessee-knoxville-bakerschool-public-policy-and-public-affairs. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.
Jeff Kessner, Partner
Stephen Kalogeras, Associate
Jenny Rubin, Senior Search Coordinator
Isaacson, Miller
All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university. Requests for accommodations of a disability should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3560 or eoa@utk.edu or (865)974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation & Resolution 216 Business Incubator Building 2450 EJ. Chapman Drive Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 or (865)974-0717 or investigations@utk.edu.
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