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9 February 2021

Search for the Dean of Extension

UC San Diego is pleased to invite nominations and applications for the position of Dean of Extension. We have enlisted the assistance of leading executive search firm Storbeck Search/Diversified Search Group to help us manage the search process. James Antony, Dean of the Graduate Division, has agreed to chair the Search Advisory Committee, whose members are listed below.  Reporting directly to UC San Diego’s Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Dean of Extension provides leadership for the strategic direction and operations of the division in the development and delivery of continuing, professional, and pre-college education in traditional classroom settings at multiple locations, through online and other distance education modes, and via blended learning. The Dean will oversee and lead academic and strategic planning, educational needs assessment, academic program quality and delivery to diverse audiences of non-matriculated UC San Diego students; development of campus and community partnerships; leadership of 200 full-time academic and staff personnel; equity, diversity, and inclusion; organizational and financial management; contract and grant management; and university engagement activities nationally and internationally, to continue and increase the impact and quality of UC San Diego Extension.

Additional details regarding the position and qualifications for Dean of Extension are outlined in the position profile. The Search Advisory Committee will begin reviewing candidates immediately, and will continue until the position is filled. Direct inquiries and nominations should be emailed to Ruth Shoemaker Wood, Partner and Holly Jackson, Senior Associate at Storbeck Search. You need not contact the individual to ascertain if they are willing to be considered as a candidate. All nominees will be contacted in confidence, to discuss their willingness to have their names put forward to the search advisory committee.

A curriculum vitae with cover letter, as well as a diversity statement addressing aspirations and contributions to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion must be submitted via the UC San Diego Jobs website, and through Storbeck Search. Electronic submission of materials is required. For best consideration, please submit materials by April 1, 2021.           
 

MEMBERS OF THE SEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE DEAN OF EXTENSION:

  • James Antony (Dean, Graduate Division) Chair
  • Edward Abeyta (Associate Dean, Education and Community Engagement, University Extension)
  • Abigail Andrews (Associate Professor, Sociology)
  • Kate Antonovics (Provost, Seventh College)
  • Adele Brumfield (Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management)
  • Carlos Coimbra (Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
  • Anthony Davis (Professor, Music)
  • Viona Deconinck (VP Academic Affairs, Graduate & Professional Student Association)
  • Dulce Dorado (Director, International Students and Programs Office)
  • Joseph Engelberg (Professor, Rady School of Management)
  • Laura Fandino (Assistant Dean, Science Programs, University Extension)
  • Karen Flammer (Director, Digital Learning, Teaching + Learning Commons)
  • Kris Hergert (Executive Director, Career Services)
  • David Hickman (Associate VP-Academic Affairs, Associated Students)
  • Elizabeth Komives (Professor, Chemistry-Biochemistry)
  • Phillip McMullen (Director, Executive Education, Jacobs School of Engineering)
  • Richard Norris (Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
  • Alison Sanders (Assistant Vice Chancellor-Academic Affairs/Chief of Staff) Staff Consultant
  • Shankar Subramaniam (Professor, Bioengineering)
  • Jean Wang (Distinguished Professor, Medicine/Biological Sciences)
 

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The next Dean of Extension will be a highly engaged, visible, and collaborative leader with a deep understanding of the evolving challenges facing higher education and continuing education in the region, the nation, and the world. The next dean will show vision, confidence, courage, and conviction in leading Extension and will be energized by the unique possibilities for leadership and innovation afforded through UC San Diego’s outstanding reputation.

Skills and/or experience necessary to perform this position:

  • Demonstrated creativity, and ability to articulate a vision for how to grow the reach of the university into our community, draw students to UC San Diego, and develop innovative ways to reach a broader and more diverse group of learners.
  • Strong strategic planning acumen with the ability to gain buy-in and collaborative engagement from a broad and diverse set of stakeholders;
  • An equity-minded leadership style and a demonstrable commitment to enhancing diversity and promoting inclusion; experience in recruiting and developing excellent instructors, staff, and students, including women and members of racially and ethnically underrepresented groups;
  • Ability to identify and cultivate necessary partnerships;
  • A demonstrated record of communicating a clear vision broadly;
  • Extensive and successful administrative experience in universities or similarly complex institutions with an emphasis on self-supporting continuing education;
  • Significant record of professional engagement, public presentations, and/or publications indicating leadership in the area of continuing education and other areas of higher education;
  • Experience leading teams in the design, implementation, and evaluation of large-scale, broadly delivered, educational offerings deploying traditional in-person classroom delivery, digital/remote/online modalities, and blended learning;
  • Experience identifying and fostering collaborations with external constituencies (e.g., corporations, foundations, non-profits, professional associations, consortia, etc.) and working with them to design and deliver innovative educational programming;
  • Experience working closely with faculty members and academic leaders and within a shared-governance system to design and deliver educational programming;
  • An understanding of issues involved in effective delivery of high-quality instructional programs;
  • Demonstrated ability to achieve goals through promoting collaboration and team building and working cooperatively with diverse campus and community constituencies;
  • Outstanding entrepreneurial, business leadership, and negotiation experience and skills;
  • Ability to apply interpersonal communications and interactions with staff and academic personnel at all levels of an organization in support of complex educational initiatives and issues;
  • Demonstrated experience in managing staff to optimize employee and organizational productivity to fulfill evolving priorities, goals, and objectives;
  • A record of achievement in working with a diverse community, creating an inclusive culture, and achieving ambitious institutional goals for equity, diversity, and inclusion;
  • A demonstrated passion for educational innovation and transformational leadership;
  • Demonstrated skill in managing complex budgets and in external resource development; and
  • The highest degree of ethics and personal integrity.
  • A terminal degree in any discipline is required, as well as experience in innovative education, social engagement, politics, or business leadership.