Job Announcement: Dean of the Division of Social Sciences

Dean of the Division of Social Sciences

On behalf of Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott L. Waugh, members of the search committee invite inquiries, nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the Division of Social Sciences.

The largest of the four academic divisions of the UCLA College of Letters and Science, the Division of Social Sciences is home to some of the university’s highest-ranked academic programs, including departments in the long-standing disciplinary fields of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science and sociology. A leader in interdisciplinary studies, the division also includes departments with strong interdisciplinary cultures, including African-American studies, Asian-American studies, Chicana and Chicano studies, communication studies and gender studies, and two interdepartmental degree programs in American Indian studies and archaeology. The division is home to aerospace studies (ROTC), military science and naval science and three organized research units: the Center for the Study of Women, the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, and the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. The division also partners with the J. Paul Getty Trust to offer a master’s program in archaeological and ethnographic conservation. The division has 292 ladder faculty, 9,000 undergraduate majors, 800 graduate students and $120 million in annual expenditures. The faculty includes 37 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, 75 Guggenheim Fellows, five MacArthur Fellows and three Pulitzer Prize winners. The division attracts approximately $25 million in external research funding and gifts annually, and has a total endowment of $110 million.

The dean sets the standard of intellectual engagement and accomplishment for the division, providing strategic vision for and operational leadership of all aspects of the academic and scholarly program, promoting synergies within the College, encouraging distinctive programmatic innovation, and providing leadership to ensure excellence through diversity in undergraduate and graduate programs and faculty recruitment. Supporting the university’s research mission, the dean works to advance the faculty’s scholarly activities, including the opportunities that interdisciplinary approaches afford. In pursuing these responsibilities, the dean — reporting to the executive vice chancellor and provost — collaborates with the chancellor, executive vice chancellor and provost, vice chancellors, vice provosts, other deans and department chairs at UCLA and throughout the University of California system. As a member of the College Cabinet, the dean works closely with the deans of humanities, life sciences, physical sciences and undergraduate education.

The successful candidate will be nationally recognized with strong scholarly visibility; demonstrated leadership in teaching, research and public service; and the capacity to exercise policy leadership at local, state, national and international levels. Minimum requirements include a record of distinguished teaching, research and intellectual leadership in the social sciences; substantial administrative leadership, preferably at a research university; success in external and alumni relations and development; an established record of advancing diversity; and credentials that merit appointment at the rank of full professor. Experience in, and/or significant knowledge of, the University of California is preferred.

Confidential review of applications, nominations and expressions of interest will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. To be ensured full consideration, please email a letter of interest and curriculum vitae to SocialSciDeanSearch@conet.ucla.edu by Monday, February 27, 2017. Address inquiries to Traci Considine, manager of executive recruitment in the Office of the Chancellor (310-206-8003).

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct