Dean College of Optometry

The Ohio State University•Columbus, OH

About The Position

The Dean is the Chief Executive Officer of the College of Optometry and is responsible for advancing the College's academic mission of education, research, and service. The Dean reports to the Executive Vice President and Provost and is a member of the University's Council of Deans. The dean is the chief academic officer of the college and as such sets vision and strategies aligned with the mission of the college and the strategic plan of the university overall. The dean has fiduciary responsibilities for oversight and maintenance of the established financial and operational processing environment to ensure adherence to established internal university control structures. This should include, but not be limited to, appropriate segregation of duties in the processing of all financial transactions, appropriate mandatory approvals, appropriate procedures to maintain effective custody over university resources, appropriate monitoring and oversight and appropriate mandatory reconciliations. About the College of Optometry The Ohio State University College of Optometry provides future optometrists with a comprehensive education that encompasses a strong scientific foundation, excellent clinical training, robust business acumen, and the development of leadership skills for the profession and the broader community. Each year, the college enrolls between 60-70 students and provides them with a far-reaching education. The college's intentional dedication to leadership development prepares students to be excellent doctors and problem-solvers. Our goal is to prepare future leaders, the next generation of professors, and the most successful practitioners in our field. We believe that our graduates are primed and ready to tackle important problems in health care. The Ohio State University College of Optometry’s research program is dedicated to the generation and dissemination of new knowledge in optometry and vision science. Our research includes the investigation of cellular activities that affect vision, adaptation of information from microscopic advances to optimal patient care, and studies that directly influence the care of optometric patients. In recent years, investigators at The Ohio State University College of Optometry faculty identified outdoor activity as protective against myopia development, discovered kids with uncorrected farsightedness lose ground on reading skills before first grade, and found that culture and language can influence color naming. The College’s research is internationally recognized in ocular imaging, contact lenses, refractive error development, binocular vision, infant and children’s vision, vision rehabilitation, keratoconus, visual psychophysics, and visual perception. The Buckeye Advantage encompasses the consistently highest pass rates on boards, the most comprehensive business education among optometry schools, a curriculum intentionally dedicated to building leadership skills, an opportunity to simultaneously earn a master’s degree with an OD degree, and much more! For a comprehensive description of what we offer at the College of Optometry —including our academic programs, clinical services, research initiatives, and our state‑of-the‑art facilities— please visit our website: optometry.osu.edu. The Dean will be expected to provide visionary leadership for the College of Optometry in academic programming and research, along with student, faculty, and staff recruitment, retention, and development. The dean will also be expected to provide financial resource management and development and play a significant role in the overall health and wellness initiatives. In addition, the dean shall have general administrative responsibility for the program of the college, subject to the approval of the president and the board of trustees.

Requirements

Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree.
Experience as a dean, academic director, chair or academic leader of a unit is required.
Record of teaching, research and innovation, and community engagement that meets professor rank requirements.
Demonstrated successful leadership and administrative accomplishments.
Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with communities and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated success raising funds through private individuals, foundations, and public grants.
Ability to meet requirements for tenure, at the full professor level.

Responsibilities

To uphold expectations of the Leadership Philosophy: Uphold Ohio State's Shared Values and build trust through words and actions.
Care for people and create conditions for well-being and productivity.
Set clear direction and goals for their teams and align to the mission of the tenure-initiating unit (TIU).
Set clear direction and goals for all faculty to align to the mission of the College.
Solve problems and support their teams to adapt to changing contexts.
Drive cross-functional collaborations to advance goals of the TIU.
Demonstrate commitment to continuous growth for themselves and their teams.
To assign workload according to the TIU's workload guidelines (and faculty appointment type and rank).
To evaluate and improve instructional and administrative processes on an ongoing basis.
To promote improvement of instruction by providing for the evaluation of each course when offered, including written evaluation by students of the course and instructors, and periodic course review by the faculty.
To evaluate faculty members annually in accordance with the Faculty Annual Review, Post-Tenure Review, and Reappointment Policy and TIU established criteria.
To preside at meetings of the college faculty and to appoint all college committees unless their membership has been designated by faculty rule or by the college faculty.
To approve courses of study for students in the College of Optometry, to warn students who are delinquent in their studies and to recommend appropriate student disciplinary action to the appropriate university disciplinary body or official, as needed.
To present candidates for degrees to the president on behalf of the college faculty and to serve as a member of the Council of Deans (see Rule 3335-3-22 of the Administrative Code).
After consultation with the college’s Executive Committee, to make recommendations to the executive vice president and provost concerning the college budget, the appointments to and promotions within the staff and the membership of the college faculty.
To review salary appeals and other faculty issues in a professional and timely manner.
Day-to-day responsibility for specific matters may be delegated to others, but the dean retains final responsibility and authority for all matters covered by the Patterns of Administration, subject to the approval of the Office of Academic Affairs and Board of Trustees.
Operational efficiency requires that the dean exercise a degree of autonomy in establishing and managing administrative processes.
The articulation and achievement of college academic goals, however, is most successful when all faculty members participate in discussing and deciding matters of importance.
The dean will therefore consult with the faculty on all educational and academic policy issues and will respect the principle of majority rule.
When a departure from majority rule is judged to be necessary, the dean will explain to the faculty the reasons for the departure, ideally before action is taken.

Benefits

Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.

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