Dean, School of Public Affairs

University of Colorado•Denver, CO

1d•$235,000 - $275,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The University of Colorado Denver is seeking a Dean for the School of Public Affairs. This leadership role involves providing strategic vision, fostering academic excellence, championing student success, cultivating external partnerships, and overseeing organizational, financial, and people leadership. The Dean will serve as the chief advocate and ambassador for the School, positioning it as a thought leader in addressing complex public challenges. The position emphasizes advancing teaching, scholarship, policy engagement, and public service, while strengthening the School's national reputation and impact. A key focus is on student success, leadership development, and preparing students for impactful careers in public-serving organizations. The Dean will also cultivate relationships with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic foundations to advance the School's reputation and resource base. Leadership is expected to be transparent, collaborative, and accountable, with a commitment to shared governance and fostering an inclusive environment.

Requirements

A terminal degree in a relevant discipline offered by the School of Public Affairs, from an accredited institution.
Record of transformative leadership demonstrating the ability to develop and execute strategic priorities, lead organizational change, and achieve measurable results.
Evidence of success building partnerships with government, nonprofit, and community organizations.
Demonstrated ability to successfully secure resources through fundraising, external partnerships, sponsored programs, or other revenue-generating activities.
Proven ability to lead collaboratively and effectively in complex organizations.
Substantial financial management experience, including the equitable allocation of resources across multiple programs and initiatives, and supporting innovation around new degrees, certificates, or other revenue generators.
Credibility with community and government leaders as a thought leader and innovator in industry practice and education.
Exceptional visionary and strategic thinking and leadership skills.
Excellence in leading, evaluating, recruiting and analyzing.
Demonstrated management and administrative ability.
Effectiveness as a fundraiser, networker and strategic alliance-builder.
Strong, demonstrated commitment and accomplishment in inclusive excellence, access and campus engagement.
Successful experience and/or strong potential for success building and/or enhancing strong programs of corporate sponsorships, funded research, and other mission-aligned revenue generation.
Success in establishing mutually beneficial relationships with internal and external constituents such as, but not limited to, alumni, government, and accrediting bodies.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
The ability to build and work with teams up and across the organization.
The ability to resolve conflict in a positive manner.
Demonstrable accomplishments in working with a variety of teams, groups, and leaders that will bridge to a university setting.
Experience with data driven decision making that translates to enrollment and marketing.
Ability to lead the development of strategies to increase enrollments, improve retention and enhance the student experience including internships and experiential learning activities.

Nice To Haves

Successful senior leadership experience at a research university, school of public affairs, or comparable complex organization.
Demonstrated record of advancing innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Experience leading initiatives that improve student success, enrollment growth, retention, and career outcomes.
An innovative, intellectually engaged leader who makes difficult decisions with reflection, fairness, and transparency and is willing to challenge the status quo to guide the college to further prominence locally, nationally, and internationally.
A clear, transparent, empathetic, and empowering communication style; an openness to listening and integrating the input of others; an ability to advocate for the college's priorities; an ability to convey the mission, vision, and impact of the college and university to both internal and external audiences; and the capacity to serve as a thought leader within Colorado and beyond.
A champion for inclusive excellence, access and campus engagement with exemplary skills in communicating, collaborating with, and supporting a diverse community, removing barriers to inclusion, promoting student voice, and valuing student agency.
Ability to foster a deep sense of community both internally at the college and externally with partners; desire to listen and learn and to serve as a visible and positive presence at the school and on campus; and ability to foster a culture and community where kindness, humility, and respect are high priorities.
A relationship-based leadership style that values teamwork and collaboration; a firm belief in shared governance and a high level of collegiality in working with faculty, staff, and students; experience bringing people together to solve challenges and seize opportunities; ability to delegate; respect and appreciation for all of the disciplines of the college; and experience facilitating strong partnerships among academic programs and other divisions of the university.
A leadership style that demonstrates accountability, integrity, compassion, empathy, kindness, humility, curiosity, enthusiasm, humor, flexibility, forward-thinking, good judgment, and discernment.
A deep appreciation for research and scholarly endeavors, a record of recruiting and developing both people and programs of the highest quality.
Successful experience in or a demonstrated capacity for fundraising; an eagerness to build relationships with donors, alumni, and community partnerships to help advance the mission of SPA.
Familiarity with the issues and opportunities across a range of academic areas and a natural curiosity about a broad range of intellectual endeavors, including those represented throughout the college’s programs.

Responsibilities

Provide bold, collaborative leadership to advance the School of Public Affairs and position it for long-term success.
Develop and implement a strategic vision for the School of Public Affairs that aligns with the university's refreshed strategic plan and reflects the opportunities of a leading urban research university.
Foster a culture of innovation, adaptability, and continuous improvement in response to emerging issues in public policy, public administration, social equity, governance, nonprofit leadership, criminal justice, public finance, and civic engagement.
Partner with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community stakeholders to identify priorities and achieve measurable outcomes.
Collaborate with the Provost, Deans, and campus leaders to advance institution-wide goals and initiatives.
Serve as the chief advocate and ambassador for the School of Public Affairs locally, statewide, nationally, and globally.
Position the School as a thought leader in addressing complex public challenges facing cities, states, nations, and communities.
Provide intellectual leadership for undergraduate, graduate, and professional education programs.
Support faculty excellence in teaching, research, creative work, policy engagement, and community-engaged scholarship.
Increase the visibility, impact, and external funding of faculty scholarship and research.
Promote interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships that address pressing public challenges and inform public decision-making.
Support applied research, policy analysis, and evidence-based solutions that contribute to the public good.
Ensure successful maintenance and continuous improvement of NASPAA accreditation and academic quality standards.
Strengthen the School's national reputation and ranking as a leading school of public affairs.
Advance scholarship and educational programs in areas such as public policy, public administration, nonprofit management, criminal justice, public budgeting and finance, sustainability, governance, technology and society, public health policy, and social equity.
Foster partnerships among faculty, research centers, policymakers, and practitioners to translate knowledge into action and public impact.
Lead strategies that increase enrollment, persistence, retention, graduation, and post-graduation success.
Prepare students for impactful careers across government, nonprofit, philanthropic, international, and public-serving organizations.
Enhance the student experience through experiential learning, internships, capstone projects, community-engaged learning, and public service opportunities.
Strengthen pathways that support student achievement, leadership development, and social mobility.
Expand partnerships that create employment opportunities, policy fellowships, public service experiences, and professional mentorship.
Foster an inclusive learning environment where all students can thrive and achieve their educational goals.
Utilize data-informed decisions to support enrollment management, student success, and program effectiveness.
Promote civic engagement, ethical leadership, and a lifelong commitment to public service.
Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with local, state, federal, and international government agencies; nonprofit organizations; philanthropic foundations; community organizations; and private-sector partners.
Expand collaborations that support research, policy innovation, experiential learning, workforce development, and community impact.
Serve as a visible and trusted leader in policy, civic, and community conversations that advance the public good.
Lead fundraising efforts in partnership with University Advancement to secure philanthropic support and strategic investments.
Engage alumni as ambassadors, mentors, advisors, practitioners, and donors.
Enhance the visibility and reputation of the School through thought leadership, public engagement, and professional association involvement.
Leverage the university's urban location and proximity to the seat of state government to create meaningful regional, statewide, national, and global partnerships.
Support executive education, professional development, and community-facing programs that serve public sector and nonprofit leaders.
Oversee the School's budget, personnel, facilities, and resources to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability.
Recruit, retain, develop, and support outstanding faculty and staff.
Support center directors and program leaders in achieving academic, research, and strategic goals.
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, trust, shared governance, and mutual respect.
Promote excellence through clear expectations, assessment, and continuous improvement.
Advance a welcoming and inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds.
Support faculty and staff development while fostering a culture of engagement, innovation, and high performance.
Meet established goals and performance expectations while ensuring responsible stewardship of university resources.