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Job Description

SUNY Purchase College
Dean, School of the Arts
Purchase, NY

Purchase College seeks an inaugural dean for its School of the Arts (SOA). The Dean will be the chief executive, intellectual, and artistic leader of the School and will report directly to the Provost. The successful candidate will be a creative educator who will forge connections within the arts and between the arts and the liberal arts.

This is an exciting opportunity for the arts leader who wants to make a profound impact on a campus widely recognized as a premier public institution. Purchase College, incorporating Schools of the Arts, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Liberal Studies and Continuing Education, offers a unique combination of innovative liberal arts programs and distinguished professional training in the visual and performing arts. Its prestigious faculty is composed of scholars and artists dedicated to student learning, liberal education, interdisciplinary studies, and professional training.

With responsibility for the SOA's academic and artistic programs; its faculty, staff, students, and facilities; and its performance and exhibition programs - and with broadly delegated authority from the Provost—the inaugural Dean of SOA will lead the faculty in envisioning and forming the new school and in developing and implementing its first strategic plan and articulating a shared vision that defines the standard of excellence, the directions of growth for the School, and new and multi-disciplinary connections among the arts and liberal arts.

The new Dean will arrive at Purchase College at a time of great potential. The School of the Arts occupies a position of prominence within the College, a prominence unique among public institutions whose programs are not devoted solely to the arts. The Dean of SOA will expand the resources and capacity of the College; other responsibilities include academic programs and services, curriculum development and assessment, faculty development and support, and supervision of the School budget. The conservatories comprising the new SOA together currently enroll 1,624 students.

Purchase is a cultural center with a celebrated architectural design. The Performing Arts Center and Neuberger Museum of Art are among the finest in the nation, and are extensively involved in the education of students and in the cultural enrichment of the community. The College enrolls approximately 4,200 students, with more than 2,600 in residence, and is located on 500 acres in Westchester County, a half hour north of New York City. For additional information, see www.purchase.edu.

Candidates should have an earned terminal degree in their fields and significant administrative experience. They must have a record of classroom, scholarly and/or artistic, and professional accomplishment, suitable for a tenured appointment as full professor at Purchase College, a strong commitment to the arts and the liberal arts, and a demonstrated capacity to work collegially with and be an effective spokesperson for the artistic and academic community. The position is available July 1, 2010.

Nominations, expressions of interest, and applications are invited. Applications should include a letter outlining the applicant's background, qualifications, and vision within the context of the leadership statement, a curriculum vitae, and a one-page statement of educational philosophy. Preference will be given to complete applications received by February 27, 2010; however, applications will be accepted until the position is filled. All materials will be treated in strict confidence. Please send nominations and application materials via email (attachments preferred) to Purchase@wittkieffer.com. Confidential inquiries and questions concerning this search may be directed to the consultants supporting Purchase College through the office of Leslie Donahue at 630-575-6178.

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