Dean Search

The Opportunity

The University of Texas at Austin (UT), a member of the Association for American Universities (AAU) and one of the world’s premier public institutions for academic excellence, seeks applications and nominations for the position of Dean of The Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The primary focus of the Dean and Senior Vice Provost is to significantly coordinate and strengthen graduate education and postdoctoral training at UT to provide a best-in-class experience for trainees and prepare them for life and career success. 

A world-class research university with an unwavering commitment to graduate education and postdoctoral training, UT boasts 53 top 10 graduate programs including five programs ranked No. 1, according to the 2023-2024 U.S. News and World Report national rankings.

The Dean and Senior Vice Provost has the responsibility to strengthen this already impressive record, work collaboratively with academic units to help increase the number of programs ranked in the top 10, and ensure that graduate and postgraduate experiences are viewed favorably by students and faculty alike. The Dean and Senior Vice Provost will also be responsible for ensuring that graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are fully prepared to be competitive for jobs in industry, national labs, government, non-governmental agencies, and the professoriate, as well as for positions outside the university that are commensurate with their advanced degrees. 

The Dean and Senior Vice Provost reports directly to UT’s Executive Vice President and Provost, Sharon L. Wood. The Dean and Senior Vice Provost will play a leadership role in the national conversation about the changing landscape of graduate and postgraduate education, including facilitation and growth of interdisciplinary graduate programs and postdoctoral training. This conversation will include, but will not be limited to, the need for universities to prepare those completing doctoral and postdoctoral work for future career tracks, the importance of professional master’s degrees, and the range of issues surrounding post-baccalaureate education and training.

Among the key priorities for the Dean and Senior Vice Provost will be to: 

• Provide a bold vision and strong leadership for UT in its effort to advance the national and international reputation of its graduate programs and student / postdoctoral trainees. 
• Offer visionary leadership that creates programming, resources, and services to support the training, professional development, and experiences of the University’s postdoctoral scholars. 
• Collaborate with graduate advisers and coordinators to advocate for graduate students, with a focus on career preparation and outcomes, and other student support services. 
• Collaborate with principal investigators and faculty mentors to advocate for postdoctoral fellows, with a focus on career preparation and outcomes, and other support services. 
• Collaborate with staff and faculty in colleges and schools, connect with the UT Development team, external foundations, and funding agencies to continue to find mechanisms to enhance graduate student and postdoctoral scholar funding opportunities. 
• Develop and implement strategic policies and promote best practices that further the excellence and breadth of the faculty, staff, and students within the University’s graduate programs. 
• Actively participate in the promotion and tenure evaluation process each year as a member of the President’s Promotion and Tenure Committee (roughly 150 candidate dossiers per year). 
• Collaborate with college and school deans to lead comprehensive reviews of all graduate programs, considering academic quality, size, funding mechanisms and amounts, curriculum, and purpose. 
• Support the creation of new, innovative interdisciplinary programs that address the evolution of new fields at the intersection of existing core disciplines and that optimize and consolidate the use of our core faculty research, scholarship, and creative activities. 
• Facilitate and support external accreditation of professional graduate programs. 
• Collaborate with faculty and staff from across campus to build networks of support and community for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars that include a focus on well-being. 

The next Dean and Senior Vice Provost should have/be: 

• An Internationally recognized scholar with an academic record commensurate with an appointment to the rank of full professor with tenure at UT; 
• A demonstrated leader and strategic thinker who has full appreciation for the changing landscape of higher education, research, graduate education, and postdoctoral training; 
• An earned doctorate; 
• Deep commitment to a broad range of current and emerging academic disciplines; 
• A high performer with an ability to motivate and inspire others to strive continuously for academic excellence; 
• Dedication to creating an environment at UT that supports belonging, community, and inclusivity; 
• Genuine commitment to providing students and postdocs with the highest quality educational experience; 
• A record of successful mentorship of graduate students; 
• A record of promoting interdisciplinary collaborations; 
• Financial acumen and an inherent level of comfort dealing with complex fiscal issues; 
• Highest standards of personal and academic integrity; 
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills that gain the confidence, trust, and respect of a variety of internal and external constituents; 
• A team builder with strong commitment to creating a positive work environment; 
• Innovative and creative problem-solver, with a willingness to take risks; and 
• The ability to manage day-to-day operations in a complex organization as evidenced by a strong record of academic leadership appointments at the department, college, and institutional levels.