Dean, School of Business

Company: The George Washington University

Location: Washington

Closing Date: 02/11/2024

Salary: £200 - £250 Per Annum

Hours: Full Time

Type: Permanent

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Job Requirements / Description

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

The George Washington University will be assisted by Jackie Zavitz, Meghan Ashbrock, and Sulli Cressler of Heidrick & Struggles, Inc.
Nominations and applications should apply and email interest directly to:

I. JOB OVERVIEW

Job Description Summary:

The Role
The George Washington University’s School of Business (GWSB) seeks a forward-thinking, innovative, and dynamic academic leader, with demonstrated experience and proven success in building collaborative programs across a university, delivering operational excellence, building a vibrant organizational culture and raising funds to support these initiatives as its next Dean.

The Dean will join at an exciting and critical moment for the University. With the recent inauguration of a new President and the University’s recent inclusion in the Association of American Universities (AAU), there is a window of opportunity to position the School of Business as an integral part of the University’s elevated research mandate, to seize upon opportunities for collaboration and partnership with other academic units across the institution, to build momentum with other brand-defining programs with Fortune 500 companies and Federal Government agencies on the doorsteps of GW, and to further raise the School’s own national and international research profile.

The next Dean will inherit a school that is well-positioned to continue its success in a competitive, changing market, with distinct assets and advantages to leverage in a crowded business school landscape. Sustaining this momentum going forward will require new and strategic investments in the student, faculty, and staff experience including, but not limited to, a focus on research capacity (including doctoral programs), undergraduate and graduate student recruitment, and alumni engagement.

The next Dean will be adept at making connections between the School’s signature research areas and donors and funding providers. The Dean will lead a continued drive to excellence at GWSB with its programs and scaling those programs where appropriate; forge innovative partnerships with other schools at GW; leverage local and international business, policy, and government relationships; and fundraising that keeps pace with the advancement trends across business education. Finally, GWSB’s strong alumni base provides opportunities for the Dean to tap into significant potential for support on profile-raising, strength-building, and alumni engagement with students.

The Dean is the chief academic and administrative officer of GWSB and reports to the Provost. The Dean’s team includes the Vice Dean for Faculty and Research, Vice Dean for Graduate Programs, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Vice Dean for Executive Programs, and Vice Dean for Strategy. An Executive Committee, comprising the Dean, Vice Deans, Chief Diversity Officer, and Department Chairs, provides oversight of the School. In addition, the School’s Board of Advisors, Dean’s Corporate Council, and the Dean’s Diversity Council are ready to engage and support the Dean’s initiatives.

The Dean will bring a successful record of collegial decision-making relevant to a complex academic setting, a strong record of scholarly achievement deserving of tenure within one of GWSB’s eight departments, and an international reputation in the broader scholarly community. Consistent with GW’s culture of faculty governance, it will be important that the Dean values and upholds that tradition and approach in all decisions.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to active engagement with students, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders while fostering a sense of belonging and advancing the School’s core value of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Dean will exemplify an approach that showcases the University’s dedication to student success and wellbeing.

Responsibilities
As chief academic and administrative officer of GWSB, the Dean is responsible for providing leadership for the following specific activities:

Leadership and Strategic Planning: In collaboration with the faculty, staff, students, and alumni, the Dean develops and articulates the long-range vision, specific strategies, and detailed administrative and fiscal plans to catalyze a strong undergraduate and graduate student experience, improve student placement outcomes, ensure the excellence of faculty research, teaching, and outreach, as well as champion an outstanding and positive staff experience. A commitment to promoting the University as a whole and collegial decision-making are important components of the position.

Faculty Appointments: As the School’s academic leader, the Dean, in concert with the faculty, is responsible for the recruitment, appointment, promotion, and tenure of faculty in GWSB; in doing so, the Dean ensures that the University’s objectives, with respect to the quality and diversity of the faculty, are met or exceeded.

Budgetary and Administrative Oversight: The Dean is responsible for all aspects of GWSB’s budget, consistent with the University’s financial guidelines. Other principal areas of administrative responsibility include the allocation, stewardship of, and planning for academic facilities, as well as the establishment of effective internal controls within the School.

Stewardship and Development: The Dean has primary responsibility for articulating, developing, and implementing the philanthropic aspirations of GWSB, in conjunction with the long-range plans of the School and the University, and in cultivating new donors and existing relationships.

Multidisciplinary Partnerships: The Dean is responsible for managing GWSB’s engagement in cross-campus, multidisciplinary partnerships, along with partnerships with companies and institutions including Fortune 500 firms and Federal Government agencies.

About the School of Business
The George Washington University School of Business (GWSB), founded in 1928 and accredited by the AACSB in 1977, is the largest business school in metropolitan Washington and is recognized as a leading business school.

GWSB prides itself on “engaging the world from the nation’s capital,” and its location in the District of Columbia—one of the country’s most diverse cities—is a distinctive feature. In recent years, D.C.’s share of Fortune 500 company representation has grown, with nearly 20 leading companies headquartered in the region. The School sits just blocks from the White House, every major Federal Government agency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, regulators (including the Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission), embassies, multinational institutions, numerous non-profit organizations, and global businesses. GW students interact with these institutions and their executives, often as part of curricular and experiential learning opportunities, providing real-world experience related to the global business environment, finance, sustainability, ethics, data analytics, leadership, and corporate social responsibility. Faculty pursue research that informs national policy, including testifying before the U.S. Congress and frequent media coverage. This geographic advantage enhances teaching, thought leadership, and student learning and contributes to GW’s strong career placement outcomes.

GWSB comprises eight academic departments: Accountancy, Decision Sciences, Finance, Information Systems and Technology Management, International Business, Management, Marketing, and Strategic Management and Public Policy. GWSB supports scholars whose work appears in top-ranked business journals, including faculty members listed among the most-cited scholars in their fields. GWSB houses 12 research centers and institutes, including one of the country’s 16 federally funded Centers for International Business Education and Research. Its 115 full-time faculty are innovators on business and social issues, offering cross-disciplinary solutions for a rapidly changing business environment and informing local, state, federal, and international policy on a range of issues.

In 2023–24, GWSB enrolled approximately 3,000 students across undergraduate degree programs and graduate degree and certificate programs. The School also offers one of the few doctoral programs in business available in the region. Its undergraduate and graduate curricula respond to the needs of the market and teach students to build critical business competencies and leadership skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected global world. GWSB has reimagined its graduate programs through modular certificates that can be earned as standalone credentials or as building blocks for customized master’s degrees.

Experiential learning is a cornerstone of GWSB. Its students take advantage of an extended portfolio of global, national, and D.C.-based opportunities, including study abroad, exchange programs with more than 20 partner universities, and the flagship Global MBA Consulting Abroad Program, which just completed its 16th year. Experiential learning also shapes the GWSB F. David Fowler Career Center’s Careers360 with real-life opportunities in consulting, finance, and marketing. A similar program spearheaded by GWSB’s Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis provides students interested in commercial real estate with experiential learning and access to industry professionals.

GWSB boasts a strong co-curricular learning program that enhances student opportunities and outcomes. The Business Leader Development (BLD) Program, a sequence of three to four courses that all undergraduate students complete as a part of their Bachelor of Science program, prepares students to advance their career readiness and community connections by challenging them to become forward-thinking and inclusive business leaders. GWSB is home to more than 40 graduate and undergraduate student organizations. Students organize large-scale career networking conferences and treks annually with support from faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and business leaders. Students also have the opportunity to engage in case competitions and related business challenges with the support of faculty and staff coaches and mentors.

GWSB has significantly improved in both national and global rankings by ensuring its educational offerings are responsive to the needs of both business and society, making it a highly attractive option for a variety of students, from traditional undergraduate students to working executives. For instance, GWSB has been recognized as:

No. 1 in the U.S. for % of women enrolled in full-time MBA programs —Financial Times, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021
No. 1 among U.S. institutions in International Business—Financial Times, 2021, 2020
No. 2 Master’s in Finance Pre-experience —Financial Times, 2021
No. 3 for Diversity—Bloomberg Businessweek, 2022
No. 5 for Best Undergraduate International Business Programs—U.S. News and World Report, 2024
No. 3 Value for Money among Private U.S. Universities—Financial Times, 2024

GWSB’s flagship F. David Fowler Career Center serves as an attraction and differentiator to prospective students, their parents, and a wide range of employers. Unique among business schools, the career services are delivered by industry experts and are embedded throughout the curricula of both the full-time MBA and undergraduate programs.

The Dean benefits from an engaged advisory board. The Dean’s Board of Advisors provides strategic counsel to the Dean and is composed of alumni, friends of the University, and parents of current and former GWSB students.

GWSB is located in Duquès and Funger Halls. After securing a $2.5 million gift from the Duquès family, GWSB’s infrastructure was recently upgraded in 2023 with a modernized and upgraded lobby, lounge spaces, instructional innovation studio, and classrooms. These state-of-the-art spaces comprise approximately 236,000 square feet and provide students, faculty, and staff with a unified center for study and career development activities. The complex prioritizes student learning and includes a comprehensive career services center; software and financial information systems for financial modeling, trading, and portfolio management; office space for faculty and staff; breakout rooms; and faculty and student lounges. This role will perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Qualified candidates will hold a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization plus 10 years of relevant professional experience, Master’s degree, or higher, in a relevant area of study preferred. Relevant experience must include at least 6 years of senior leadership/executive level experience. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position.

Additional Required Licenses/Certifications/Posting Specific Minimum Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications:

Pivotal Criteria
The successful candidate for this position must possess superior academic credentials and a record of scholarly achievement that merit appointment with tenure at the rank of professor in one of the school’s departments, together with the following capabilities and experience:

Strategic and Organizational Management: The Dean will be an experienced academic leader with a track record of success in large, complex organizations, with organizational acumen that demonstrates an astute understanding of finances and the relationship between academic priorities and the budget. A record of accomplishment in academic program-building, fundraising, and recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, including women and those traditionally underrepresented in business schools, will be important.

Support Faculty in Research and Teaching: Over the past several years GWSB has recruited scholarly faculty who are recognized leaders in their fields. Combined with GW’s recent membership in the AAU, this presents a tremendous opportunity for the new Dean to raise GWSB’s research prominence and contributions, both on campus and globally. With the highest expectations of excellence in both scholarship and teaching, the next Dean will work with departments to recruit and retain top faculty who will position GWSB for continued success as a prominent research institution that values teaching and views the two missions as complementary and closely connected. A key opportunity in this regard will be working with research-active faculty to rebuild and revitalize the School’s Ph.D. program. To this end, candidates should bring a demonstrable track record of resourcing and nurturing high-quality research and teaching.

Stakeholder and External Engagement: The Dean will bring a record of developing mutually beneficial partnerships with external institutions. It will be important to bring a demonstrated ability to partner effectively and communicate with multiple stakeholder groups, including faculty, staff, students, fellow GW leaders, alumni, industry partners, and board members.

Student-Centered Leader: The Dean will demonstrate a commitment to GW’s student-first approach and the ability to inspire and excite a diverse, innovative, and driven student body.

Fundraising: The next Dean will be a strong leader in inspiring alumni, families, friends, and industry. By cultivating new donors and deepening existing relationships, the Dean will help the School support current and future goals. Of note, GWSB is among a handful of top 100 U.S. business schools that is unnamed, presenting an unparalleled opportunity for the next Dean to create a lasting legacy. Such new funds will support a new cohort of professorships, scholarships, centers of excellence, global initiatives, and advanced learning programs and opportunities. This additional private funding is critical as the School competes for the best students, faculty, and staff and pursues initiatives for innovation and research that will strengthen the School over the long term.

The School’s international reach, location in a major global center, and 55,000 alumni, provide strong opportunities to make a major impact. The Dean should demonstrate an aptitude for fundraising, given this incredible opportunity.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The Dean will convey a consistent commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, nurturing an organizational culture that embraces the exploration of new ideas and celebrates and leverages differences, and creates a sense of belonging.

Global Outlook and Interdisciplinary Appreciation: The Dean will bring an evident global outlook, with a strong commitment to realizing the potential contributions of GWSB to strengthening the broader University’s engagement with local, national, and international communities. Likewise, they will have a demonstrated commitment to the interdisciplinary nature of GW, with the proven ability to collaborate within the University and with external partners.

Further Qualifications and Experience
Candidates should have significant understanding of the academic fields of study commonly included in a school of business. In addition, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications, skills, experiences, and personal qualities:

A record of scholarly and/or professional achievement that qualifies for a tenured appointment in a school aspiring to join the top ranks of global, research-oriented business schools.
A demonstrated track record of operational leadership that provides strong evidence of the capacity to manage a school of comparable size and complexity and achieve results.
A demonstrated ability to make candid assessments of strengths and weaknesses, coalesce people around a strategic vision, and deliver organizational change to excel in a competitive environment.
A genuine appreciation of, and good rapport with, students.
A proven record of the ability to raise expectations for excellence across all missions of a business school.
The ability to work effectively with a range of diverse stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, industry, donors, and regional leaders as partners to advance the School and University.
Experience or demonstrated ability to raise the profile of the School with external constituencies, enhancing its visibility, impact, and support.
An understanding of the importance of the School’s value proposition and experience connecting with business and industry leaders.
Experience developing and expanding academic programs across all levels – undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and executive education.
A deep understanding of academic excellence and an appreciation for the fundamental importance of research, scholarship, and teaching to the School.
A keen understanding of marketplace trends in curricular and programmatic innovation within business schools and across colleges.
Strong written, oral, and interpersonal skills; the ability to effectively communicate the School’s needs, plans, and programs.
An understanding of and a commitment to diversity at all levels of the School.
Strong interpersonal and organizational skills with a history of enabling the success of others.
Successful experience attracting, mentoring, and retaining world-class research faculty and developing collegial leaders.
Fiscal management experience with a demonstrated track record of driving revenues, finding appropriate cost levers, and advocating for the School within the University budget model.
Insight into the global opportunities and challenges facing business education and practice in a continually changing environment.

GW offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, life & disability insurance, time off & leave, retirement savings, tuition, well-being and various voluntary benefits. For program details and eligibility, please visit

II. JOB DETAILS

Campus Location: Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C.

College/School/Department: School of Business (SB)

Family: Academic Affairs

Sub-Family: Academic Administration - School

Stream: Executive

Level: Level 3

Full-Time/Part-Time: Full-Time

Hours Per Week: 40

Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Will this job require the employee to work on site? Yes

Employee Onsite Status: Telework: No

Required Background Check: Criminal History Screening, Education/Degree/Certifications Verification, Social Security Number Trace, and Sex Offender Registry Search, Other

Special Instructions to Applicants: The George Washington University will be assisted by Jackie Zavitz, Meghan Ashbrock, and Sulli Cressler of Heidrick & Struggles, Inc.
Nominations and applications should apply and email interest directly to:

Internal Applicants Only? No

Posting Number: S013276

Job Open Date: 08/26/2024

Job Close Date: If temporary, grant funded or limited term appointment, position funded until:

Background Screening: Successful Completion of a Background Screening will be required as a condition of hire.

EEO Statement: The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.