DEAN
NEAG SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Storrs, CT
THE SEARCH
The University of Connecticut (UConn) seeks a visionary and dynamic leader to serve as
Dean of its Neag School of Education. Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, a national
executive search firm, has been engaged to assist with this important search. Inquiries,
nominations, and applications should be directed in confidence as indicated at the end of
this document.
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
The University of Connecticut is one of the nation’s top 20 public universities. Founded
in 1881, UConn is a Carnegie Foundation Research University-Extensive institution, a
Land Grant and Sea Grant college, and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the
state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT,
where this School and position are located, five regional campuses throughout the state, a
Law School, and Medical and Dental Schools at its Health Center. The University has
approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 31,000 students, including almost 23,000
undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate/professional students. Dr. Susan Herbst was
appointed the 15th President of the University of Connecticut in 2010. Dr. Mun Choi was
appointed Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2012.
Just over two years ago, the University and the State of Connecticut launched a
groundbreaking effort that is already propelling UConn to the forefront of high-tech
research and academics and that will significantly enhance the state’s economic
development efforts for decades to come. Next Generation Connecticut is a ten-year plan
to greatly expand educational opportunities, research, and innovation in the science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines at UConn. The Next Generation
Connecticut investments represent one of the most ambitious programs launched at a
public research university in recent years. The plan, signed into law June 19, 2013, will
combine $1.67 billion from the state in operating and capital investment with over $380
million from UConn. The benefits will be felt throughout the state and region in the form
of new jobs, research innovations, and companies. The plan includes a dramatic increase
in total university student enrollment, creation of the nation’s premier STEM honors
program, relocating the Greater Hartford campus close to the State’s capital in downtown
Hartford, and the hiring of new faculty members, many of whom are dedicated
specifically to STEM programs.
In addition, Bioscience Connecticut is an $864 million state investment to revitalize the
UConn Health campus, expand the University’s medical and dental classes, build new
business incubators, and create centers of excellence with neighboring institutions.
Expansion projects already under way or complete include building a new world-class
patient tower and an outpatient ambulatory center, renovating existing facilities, updating
infrastructure, and modernizing research laboratories and classrooms. As a result of the
state’s investment in Bioscience Connecticut, the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic
Medicine has opened a new facility on the UConn Health campus that will enable
Connecticut to assume a position of global leadership in developing new medical
treatments tailored to each patient’s unique genetic makeup.
Currently, UConn’s faculty generate $250 million in annual research expenditures, and
UConn's total economic impact is $3.4 billion annually, even as the full impacts of these
major initiatives are yet to be realized.
NEAG SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
In 1999, Mr. Raymond Neag, an alumnus of the University of Connecticut, committed
$21 million to the School of Education for faculty and program support and development.
Mr. Neag’s transformational gift to the School that now bears his name was the largest
ever given to a school of education nationally. At the time of his gift, Mr. Neag stated, “I
saw this gift as an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of thousands of
schoolchildren in Connecticut and the nation.” In the Neag School his pledge is taken
very seriously. The School is dedicated to developing highly effective teachers,
principals, superintendents and researchers in order to improve the academic performance
and health and well-being of all children and adults in Connecticut and across the nation.
Simply put, this is the School’s core mission.
Mr. Neag’s gift began an unprecedented chain of events that transformed the School into
one of the premier schools of education in the nation. Today, the Neag School of
Education is ranked #21 among all public graduate schools of education and #31 among
all private and public graduate schools of education in the country. Three of the Neag
School’s specialty programs rank in the top 20 nationally: Special Education (#14);
Educational Psychology (#16); and Educational Administration and Supervision (#18). In
addition, the Neag School's Five-Year Integrated Bachelor/Master's Teacher Preparation
Program and the UConn Principal Preparation Program are nationally recognized for
their strong curriculum, extensive clinical experiences, and graduate success rates;
graduates of these programs are highly sought after by Connecticut superintendents to
provide high quality instruction and leadership. 164 of 166 Connecticut school districts
employ Neag alumni.
Currently the Neag School consists of three departments (Curriculum and Instruction,
Educational Leadership, and Educational Psychology) with 85 faculty members (72
tenure track and 13 non-tenure track), 40 staff members, and more than 1,000 students
(840 graduate and 243 undergraduate). Although distinct in nature, these departments
work collaboratively to prepare high quality researchers, clinicians, educators, and
practitioners who are leaders in their fields.
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The Neag School is home to two national research centers funded by the U.S. Department
of Education—the National Center for Research on Gifted Education and the Technical
Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports—and six additional
centers. Signature programs within the Neag School include, but are not limited to, its
nationally recognized teacher preparation program, administrator preparation, Special
Education, Gifted and Talented Education, Measurement, Evaluation, and Assessment,
School Psychology, and Sport Management. In addition, the School’s efforts to expand
international initiatives and online programs are well underway.
The Neag School’s faculty comprises nationally recognized scholars and teachers in their
respective fields. Among the faculty are four endowed chairs and four endowed
professors, three UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professors, and 12 UConn
Teaching Fellows. Seven Neag faculty members have won UConn Alumni Association
Faculty Excellence Awards and five have received AAUP Connecticut Teaching Awards.
The Neag School of Education has been accredited by the National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education since 1954, when Neag was one of the first
institutions accredited by the organization. Its School Counseling program is accredited
by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
(CACREP), and the master’s degree and the sixth-year certificate programs in School
Psychology are approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
Its doctoral program in School Psychology is accredited by the American Psychological
Association (APA).
The annual operating budget of the college is about $20 million, excluding external
funding, development dollars, and other non-operating funds overseen by the Dean. In
2013-14, externally funded research conducted by faculty in the School was $9.8 million.
The School was awarded more than $6.1 million in new grants in the same year, with
nearly $30 million sought in the 64 grant proposals submitted. The Neag School has
$17.6 million in endowed funds and raised $1.6 million in 2014-15.
The Dean oversees an office consisting of two Associate Deans, Directors of Finance,
Marketing and Communications, and Information and Instructional Technology, Online
Learning, Assessment, and Teacher Education, and a Development Director and an
Alumni Relations Coordinator. The Dean’s Office houses the Office of Teacher
Education, the Business Services Center, the Assessment Office, Neag Online, and the
Neag Advancement Office. The Dean is the chief academic and administrative officer of
the School of Education, reporting to the Provost. The Dean is a member of the Council
of Deans.
CHALLENGE
The Dean will work closely with faculty and staff to capitalize on a unique moment in the
life of the School. In concert with the entire University, the Neag School of Education
has launched a bold program of expansion – of visibility and impact – at the state and
national level. The School has recently hired 16 new faculty members, including some of
the best scholars in the nation, largely in three strategically guided cluster hiring
initiatives: the first focused on closing the state’s achievement gap, the second a
significant interdepartmental research, evaluation and policy program, and a third focused
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on creativity and innovation. Further hiring is under consideration to strengthen the
STEM pipeline and leverage the School’s strengths in teacher preparation and applied
research. These new faculty members, in conjunction with the current faculty, are
expected to reinvent the School with respect to research and grant productivity, teaching,
and innovation in education. Building upon the strength of its current programs, faculty
research, and grants, the School has recently implemented a strategic plan with four
major focus areas: creativity and innovation, equity and social justice, educator quality,
and STEM. The School is thus well poised to move to the next level, enhancing its
reputation as one of the best schools of education in the nation.
The Neag School of Education Dean will:

Lead the School to refine, implement, and extend its strategic plan and guide the
School’s emergence into expanded roles at the state, national, and international
levels;

Strengthen the research infrastructure of the School, growing extramurally-funded
research and scholarship;

Maximize the impact of the School’s faculty;

Develop innovative curriculum and recruitment programs for high-caliber
students at the undergraduate and graduate levels;

Enhance the diversity of the School’s faculty, staff, and students through a deep
commitment to an inclusive culture, robust recruitment and retention initiatives,
and support of research and teaching programs in equity and social justice;

Lead the School’s communications and development activities, and engagement
with donors, foundations, alumni, educations systems in the State of Connecticut,
government agencies, and other external constituencies; and

Assure realization of the School’s priorities through Next Generation Connecticut
investments, strong administrative leadership, and in collaboration with other
Deans and campus leaders.
QUALIFICATIONS
The ideal candidate will be an experienced and collaborative leader, institutionally
ambitious and creative, committed to guiding the School to the next level of excellence.
Candidates should bring the following skills and experience:
Required:

An earned doctorate in education, psychology, social sciences, or a related
discipline, with a distinguished academic record appropriate for appointment at
the rank of Professor of Education within the University of Connecticut;
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
A strong record of research and scholarship in the field of education, with the
stature and ability to guide the development of the School’s research agenda;

A record of successful administrative leadership in higher education that gives
strong evidence of his or her capacity to manage a school of Neag’s size and
complexity;

Demonstrated commitment to advancing the quality of undergraduate and
professional graduate education; and

An understanding of and clear commitment to increasing diversity at all levels of
the School and fostering an inclusive and equitable working and learning
environment.
Preferred:

Demonstrated ability to develop and articulate a vision for the Neag School of
Education;

Demonstrated success obtaining funding for research and other initiatives;

The ability to work effectively with faculty, students, staff, educators, and
community leaders as collaborators and partners to advance the University’s
research, teaching, and service missions;

Experience and/or the clear potential to represent the School articulately and
compellingly to external constituencies, enhancing the visibility and impact of its
work while increasing gifts, funded research, and other mission-aligned revenue;

A solid understanding of the broad mission and wide array of activities of a major
research university and a School of Education and appreciation for the
methodological diversity of such an environment;

A genuine appreciation of and good rapport with students;

A history predictive of success in an entrepreneurial environment;

Experience managing a large, complex budget and a diverse workforce; and

Very strong written, oral, and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate
the School’s needs, plans, and programs effectively.
This is a full-time, management-exempt position. The University offers a competitive
salary, outstanding benefits including employee and dependent tuition waivers at UConn,
and a highly desirable work environment.
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TO APPLY
Review of nominations and applications will begin immediately and will continue until
the position is filled. Applications should include a current resume or curriculum vita and
a letter of interest that explains how their skills and experience match the qualifications
for the position.
All inquiries, nominations/referrals, and applications should be sent electronically and in
confidence to:
UConnNeag@storbeckpimentel.com
At the University of Connecticut, our commitment to excellence is complemented by our
commitment to building a culturally diverse community. We actively encourage women,
people with disabilities, and members of minority groups to apply. The University of
Connecticut is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.
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