Dean, Boston University, College of General Studies

Job Description

Position Summary:

The Dean of the College of General Studies provides leadership, vision, and inspiration to faculty, staff, and students, with direct responsibility for the College's academic programming, student support and advising, financial management, and strategic initiatives. The successful candidate will possess a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and a demonstrated understanding of distinctive academic models that prioritize interdisciplinary thinking, experiential learning, and collaboration. The Dean will lead the ongoing development of the College's vision and goals and effectively communicate these to constituencies within and external to BU. This position offers an exceptional opportunity for a transformative leader to build on CGS's strong foundation and further position the College as a nationally recognized model for student-centered liberal arts education.

Responsibilities:

The Dean will be responsible for:

• Strategic Visioning and Execution
  • Identifying and achieving strategic priorities in collaboration with university leadership and the College community
  • Communicating the value and importance of General Studies and the Liberal Arts to internal and external audiences
  • Partnering with university admissions to align enrollment goals set by the University's Strategic Framework
  • Supporting Boston University's Values through CGS's commitment to global education
• Collaborative Leadership
  • Serving as a visible, accessible, and engaged leader within the CGS community
  • Working effectively across diverse university departments and external communities
  • Communicating transparently and carefully, considering perspectives of faculty, staff, and students
• Alumni and Donor Relations
  • Leading the College's fundraising and advancement efforts
  • Further strengthening alumni and donor engagement
• Faculty Advancement
  • Elevating the reputation of the college through support of deeply engaged faculty scholarship, e.g., research, creative works, public intellectualism, and pedagogical growth
  • Supporting faculty opportunities, promotion, and professional development
• Academic Innovation
  • Providing academic vision and oversight for CGS's distinctive, team-taught, interdisciplinary curriculum
  • Fostering pedagogical excellence and innovation in academic programming, e.g. inclusive pedagogy, preparing students for a global future
  • Helping faculty, staff, and students adapt to the changing landscape of higher ed, including building AI literacy
• Strategic and Operational Oversight
  • Managing a dynamic administrative team to oversee college operations and budget
  • Responding deftly to fiscal changes in the educational landscape
  • Aligning personnel, physical space, and infrastructure with academic priorities
• Student Success and Belonging
  • Cultivating strong relationships within and with the student community
  • Supporting CGS's holistic approach to student advising
  • Expanding research and internship opportunities for students

Required Skills

Qualifications:

To be considered, the candidate must possess a record of outstanding scholarly and professional leadership appropriate for a tenured full professor at Boston University.

Additional qualifications for an ideal candidate include having a track record of:

• Prior academic leadership experience
• Experience with complex organizational management, including strategic planning, fiscal oversight, resource allocation, and human resource management
• A distinguished record of teaching at the undergraduate level
• Appreciation for the College's approach to the fields of General Studies and Liberal Arts
• Demonstrated commitment to supporting interdisciplinary, collaborative pedagogy
• Experience supporting faculty development, advancement, and success
• Strong communication skills that can translate singular strengths to the wider internal and external community
• Ability to adapt and respond to emerging issues with creativity and open-mindedness
• Experience with fundraising and philanthropic support

College of General Studies

CGS is a highly successful, nationally recognized, two-year interdisciplinary program that combines strong student outcomes, innovative pedagogy, high retention rates, and a distinctive global learning experience. With between 1,000 and 1,200 undergraduate students across first year and sophomore years, the college offers a broad and impactful general education that includes, for most first year students, a semester in London, and for all sophomore students, a Capstone project. CGS students have available the resources of a major research university: libraries, laboratories (both in-college and beyond), a writing center, a plethora of rich experiential opportunities in Boston and London, as well as undergraduate research and intern experiences organized by CGS's Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning. Having undergone significant structural change since its inception in 1952, the college remains deeply dedicated to providing an opportunity for advanced study in general education to students who earn their bachelor's degrees at other colleges at Boston University.

The college has a unique educational model built around an interdisciplinary, team-based curriculum in which cohorts of students share faculty and advisors. This team structure is CGS's defining feature, enabling deep integration across Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Rhetoric courses. The college also distinguishes itself by having all lectures, discussions, labs and grading carried out by 56 full-time, PhD-holding faculty, 90% of whom are engaged in research and publishing.

A hallmark of the first-year program is the Boston-London experience and Boston-New England option, which incorporates site visits, performances, museums, guest speakers, field experiences, and reflective learning activities. These experiences create strong engagement and learning outcomes, and 98% of students in the first year continue to the sophomore year, a retention rate exceeding overall BU averages. The sophomore year continues the college's commitment to the AAC&U's published High Impact Practices by creating common intellectual experiences and using collaborative assignments, but most notably by requiring the completion, at the end of sophomore year, of a group-written, real-world, problem-solving Capstone project, graded by way of an oral exam conducted by their three team professors. The Capstone experience is interdisciplinary and fosters teamwork, critical thinking, and research skills.

Additionally, the college provides ample opportunities for paid undergraduate research and professional internships (currently 80-90 per year), which leads to noteworthy postgraduate outcomes. With the plethora of opportunities for real-world research and experience, CGS students are well prepared for continuation in any of the other colleges and schools at BU as well as the workplace beyond.

CGS currently employs 19 staff members, whose work is central to the mission of the college. Eight of these are full-time advisors who are assigned to each first year and sophomore team. They play a key role on the team and expertly help students navigate their academic pathways starting as soon as students place deposits in May until the end of their sophomore year (and often, informally, beyond). CGS's staff is strong, combining a rich store of institutional experience and memory that benefits students, faculty, and leadership alike. Staff roles in addition to advisors include support for students through the office of Student Services; support for students in the science labs; support for faculty through the divisional administrators; support for first year faculty's planning for the experiential component of Boston-London and Boston-New England program; and management of finances and fundraising.

Compensation

Boston University will provide a competitive compensation and benefits package appropriate for a position of this scope, stature, and level of responsibility.

Application Process and Contact Information

A curriculum vitae (CV) and cover letter that describes how your experiences fit within the mission of Boston University and the College of General Studies must be submitted for full consideration by the committee. While nominations and applications will be accepted until a new Dean is selected, interested parties are strongly encouraged to submit their materials before November 6th, 2026 to ensure full consideration.

Application materials should be submitted to the Search Advisory Committee via email to or through the Boston University Human Resources website.