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 RoleThe 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.
ResponsibilitiesAs 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 BusinessThe 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 . click apply for full job details