Job Announcement: Dean of the Division of Humanities

Dean of the Division of Humanities

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites inquiries, nominations and applications for the position of dean of the Division of Humanities. One of the four academic divisions of the UCLA College of Letters and Science (the College), the division of humanities includes the departments of art history; Asian languages and cultures; classics; comparative literature; English; European languages and transcultural studies; linguistics; near eastern languages and cultures; philosophy; Slavic, east European and Eurasian languages and cultures; and Spanish and Portuguese. All departments offer undergraduate majors and graduate Ph.D. programs. In addition, the division has a Ph.D. program in Indo-European studies; an undergraduate major in the study of religion; undergraduate minors in digital humanities and in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer studies; a graduate certificate program in digital humanities; and the law and philosophy program, a unique collaboration between the UCLA School of Law and the philosophy department. The division is also home to the UCLA Writing Center and Writing Programs and a number of research centers including the Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies, which administers the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library; the CMRS Center for Early Global Studies; the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture; the Pourdavoud Center for the Study of the Iranian World; the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies; the Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions; and the UCLA Center for the Study of Religion. The division has approximately 207 ladder faculty, 2,200 undergraduate majors, 450 graduate students and an annual operating budget of approximately $80 million.

The dean provides strategic vision and operational leadership for the humanities division, creating an environment and community that supports its faculty and students. Building on deep academic strength, the dean sets the standard for intellectual engagement and scholarly accomplishment, advancing research and education in the humanities, encouraging distinctive programmatic innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, and providing leadership to ensure excellence through diversity in undergraduate and graduate programs and faculty recruitment. The dean serves as the division’s public voice, articulating its contributions to local, state, regional, national and international communities, and pursuing an aggressive development program to build the division’s resources. Reporting to the executive vice chancellor and provost (EVCP), the dean serves on the deans council and the Chancellor’s Council on the Arts, and collaborates with the chancellor, EVCP, 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 life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences and undergraduate education to promote synergies within the College.

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 substantial administrative leadership experience at a research university; a record of distinguished teaching, research and intellectual leadership in a field in the humanities division; success in — or aptitude for — external and alumni relations and development; an established record of advancing equity, diversity and inclusion; and credentials that merit appointment at the rank of full professor. Experience in, and/or significant knowledge of, the University of California is preferred.

Situated on 419 acres, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, UCLA is enriched by the cultural diversity of the dynamic greater Los Angeles area, as well as the geographic advantages of Southern California. One of the world’s preeminent public research universities, UCLA is an international leader in breadth and quality of academic, research, health care, wellness, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs, with more than 5,200 faculty members who teach approximately 46,000 students in the UCLA College and 12 professional schools. UCLA is consistently ranked among the top institutions nationally for research funding, having generated an average of more than $1.1 billion in research grants and contracts annually for more than 10 years.

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 HumanitiesDeanSearch@conet.ucla.edu by January 18, 2022. 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 – https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/DiscHarassAffirmAction.