DEAN, COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Kansas State University invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean of the
College of Engineering. The Dean, holder of an endowed chair, is responsible for providing
academic, research, outreach, and fiscal leadership to the College. The Dean reports directly to
Dr. April Mason, Provost. The College of Engineering has outstanding facilities, excellent
faculty, dedicated students, highly supportive alumni, and nationally recognized research centers.
K-State is seeking a person who understands the impact of engineering and computing on
society, sees the dramatic challenges coming in these technology-based areas, and has the 21st
Century leadership and innovative thinking skills to empower the faculty, staff, students, and
alumni to meet these challenges. The successful candidate will be expected to lead the K-State
College of Engineering to fulfill the goals of the State of Kansas University Engineering
Initiative Act as well as initiatives in support of the University’s goal of being recognized as one
of the nation's Top 50 Public Research Universities by 2025.
The University: Kansas State University is located in Manhattan KS, a progressive community
of 50,000, located in the scenic Flint Hills of Northeast Kansas. K-State is designated as a
Carnegie Doctoral/Research-Extensive Institution and has been ranked among the top state and
private institutions of higher education in Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall
scholars since 1986. Moreover, competitive grants and contracts have more than quadrupled
since that date. With an enrollment exceeding 24,000 students, including 4,200 graduate
students, K-State is a student-centered research university with the goal of being one of the
nation’s top ten land-grant institutions. Learn more at www.k-state.edu.
The College: The ABET-accredited College of Engineering will play an integral role in making
K-State one of the Top 50 Public Research Universities; consequently, the College must be led
by a dynamic individual whose intellect and disposition are suited to the wide range of academic
and professional missions in the College. The College offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in
engineering disciplines, construction science, and computer science. The College presently has
3,200 undergraduate students in 11 degree programs housed in eight departments, training 450
graduate students with 142 faculty (all ranks). The budget for the College of Engineering for
fiscal year 2012 was $56.6; the endowment of the College is currently approximately $43
million. Recent years have seen significant increases in competitive research funding and fundraising, and important developments in technology transfer. Learn more at www.engg.ksu.edu.
On May 25, 2011, Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law the University Engineering Initiative
Act (UEIA) which creates an unprecedented opportunity for Kansas State University, University
of Kansas, and Wichita State University to dramatically increase the number of their engineering
graduates. K-State’s engineering programs are already stretched beyond capacity, so increases in
enrollment will require expansion of resources, including personnel as well as infrastructure.
All three institutions will implement plans to maximize the effectiveness of the state investment
from the UEIA, which provides each school with $3.5 million per year for 10 years—and also
requires a dollar-for-dollar match. The K-State College of Engineering (COE) will focus on
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three key components: build a student pipeline to increase the number of engineering graduates;
expand faculty and staff to support the growth of the student body and maintain its student-tofaculty ratio; and facility expansion to accommodate the increased number of students and
faculty.
The goals for 2023 for the College of Engineering are as follows:
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3,750 undergraduates
586 engineering graduates per year
$2.5 million in scholarships
595 graduate students
145 professors and 10 additional instructors
$50 million in research
32 endowed chairs and professorships.
Responsibilities: The Dean is the chief administrative officer of the College and is responsible
for oversight and direction of teaching, research, and outreach, including relations with the
external professional community. The Dean must be able to articulate a vision for engineering
education and exert leadership in the development of both undergraduate and graduate programs.
Additionally, the Dean must provide leadership in developing collaborative, interdisciplinary
research programs within the College, across K-State, and between K-State and other research
institutions and industry partners. The Dean must lead the effort in fund-raising for the College
as part of a major campaign, working in partnership with the K-State Foundation. The Dean also
serves as the College’s representative to central administration and is charged with the
development and maintenance of close ties with alumni, benefactors, government, and industry.
Qualifications: The successful candidate must have national/international recognition as a
research scholar with a doctorate in engineering or closely-related field or applied science and
have an academic record that merits appointment as a full professor with tenure. In addition,
he/she should provide evidence of dynamic leadership, experience in a university system,
exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, an ability to work productively with, as well
as to promote, faculty and students from diverse backgrounds, a commitment to an open and
participatory administrative style, and demonstrated success in financial management, as well as
a demonstrated commitment to promoting access and diversity and an understanding of the
issues affecting diverse populations. The ideal candidate will, in addition, have administrative
and/or management experience and a demonstrated ability to acquire and align resources to
achieve strategic goals. This individual will also possess a commitment to working with the
Provost, the other deans, and the department heads within the college and across the broader
university leadership, as well as an understanding of professional engineering and industrial job
placements.
Application Process: Inquiries, nominations and applications will be treated confidentially.
The search committee will begin reviewing files on September 16, 2013 and continue until an
appointment is made. To apply please include a letter of interest, a narrative of experiences that
address the full set of qualifications, curriculum vitae, and contact information for five
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professional references. The candidate must also supply a narrative describing their philosophy
of education, research, and outreach, and strategies to implement such a philosophy.
Nominations or other inquiries should be directed to our search committee via Mr. Baker.
Application materials should be sent as a single PDF file in electronic format to:
Mr. Jerry Baker, President
Baker and Associates LLC
jbaker@baasearch.com
Kansas State University is an Equal Opportunity employer. KSU actively seeks diversity among its employees.
Passage of a pre-employment criminal background check will be required of the final candidate.