Job posting has expired
New 
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
 University of Colorado | |
$440000.00-$510000.00
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paid time off, tuition assistance
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 United States, Colorado, Boulder | |
 Nov 02, 2026 | |
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Requisition Number: 75877 Location: Boulder, Colorado City Boulder State Colorado Employment Type: University Staff Schedule: Full-Time Date Posted: 02-Nov-2026 Close All
Job Summary Please Note: Russell Reynolds is assisting the University of Colorado Boulder in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be submitted directly to CUBoulder.CAS@russellreynolds.com as soon as possible and no later than December 7, 2026. Applications will not be reviewed on the CU Boulder job site. Please submit all application materials directly to CUBoulder.CAS@russellreynolds.com.
The Dean is the principal academic and administrative leader of the College of Arts and Sciences and is responsible for advancing the College's academic and research excellence, student success, and organizational effectiveness. Working in close partnership with faculty, staff, students, Deans of Divisions, and university leadership, the Dean will articulate a compelling vision for A&S that builds upon the distinctive strengths of its three divisions, Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. The Dean will set direction, guide strategy, and foster effective governance, while strengthening the identity, impact, and cohesion of the College.
The Dean leads in a highly collaborative and distributed leadership environment. The Dean exercises leadership through and in partnership with the Deans of Divisions, who serve as the primary academic and administrative leaders of their respective divisions with delegated authority over divisional faculty affairs, academic programs, personnel, and resources. Thus, the Dean leads the Deans of Divisions and senior A&S staff as a cohesive team to establish and pursue shared priorities, promote collaboration across divisions, and ensure that A&S operates as a unified College while preserving the disciplinary strengths, cultures, and appropriate autonomy of its constituent units. The Dean will be expected to listen to A&S constituents and build trust while also providing clear direction, making timely decisions, and creating accountability for collective results.
As a member of the Provost's leadership team, the Dean will be a strong advocate for A&S and serve as an important partner in advancing CU Boulder's institutional priorities with a campus-first perspective. The next Dean will play a defining role in strengthening A&S as an innovative and influential academic community and in advancing CU Boulder's position among the nation's premier public research universities.
The Dean will champion the essential role of the liberal arts and sciences in the University's teaching and research missions; elevate the visibility of the College's exceptional scholarship, creative work, and educational impact; and foster interdisciplinary opportunities within A&S and across the University. Grounded in CU Boulder's vision to transform lives in service to a just and sustainable world, the Dean will also position the College to respond creatively to changes in higher education, research funding, technology, artificial intelligence, and the evolving needs of students and society.
The Dean will steward significant financial and human resources with transparency, discipline, and strategic purpose; strengthen support for and retention of faculty and staff; advance undergraduate and graduate student success; and lead an ambitious fundraising agenda. At a moment of renewed leadership and possibility at CU Boulder, the next Dean has an opportunity to bring greater stability, connection, and shared purpose to a college of extraordinary breadth and intellectual distinction and to make the whole of A&S greater than the sum of its parts. A&S is keenly interested in stable executive leadership. As such, the College hopes to recruit a Dean who will be long-serving and deeply committed to putting the College on a trajectory for long-term success.
The Dean serves as the College's chief academic officer and reports to the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The Dean will manage a $256M budget and be supported by a leadership team, which includes the following direct reports:
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. What We Can Offer The annual salary range for this role is $440,000-$510,000 plus consideration for one-time signing or housing support. Benefits At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County's largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of Forbes' America's Best Large Employers, ranking #4 among large employers in Colorado and #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program. Be Statements Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder. What We Require The next Dean will be an accomplished academic leader with the intellectual breadth and curiosity, administrative sophistication, financial acumen, and interpersonal skills necessary to lead one of CU Boulder's largest and most complex academic units. The next Dean will understand that effective leadership of A&S requires influence, collaboration, and distributed leadership rather than a top-down approach. It will be absolutely critical for the next Dean to listen extensively and synthesize differing perspectives before establishing priorities and launching new initiatives. CU Boulder seeks a leader with an entrepreneurial mindset who is willing to take calculated risks, make difficult decisions, and hold others accountable.
In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:
Required Qualifications:
Special Instructions Please Note: Applications will NOT be accepted via the CU Boulder job site. Please submit all application materials directly to CUBoulder.CAS@russellreynolds.com. Russell Reynolds is assisting the University of Colorado Boulder in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be submitted directly to CUBoulder.CAS@russellreynolds.com as soon as possible and no later than December 7, 2026.
In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
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