Dean of the Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering

Grand Valley State University (Grand Valley) invites applications, expressions of interest, and nominations of candidates in its search for the Dean of Padnos College of Engineering (PCE). Grand Valley seeks a collaborative, innovative leader who will join the PCE community at a time of transformational change. The next dean will need to usher in change and build upon the strong foundations of PCE to address the evolving needs and growth of the industry in Grand Rapids, West Michigan and beyond.

Grand Valley State University is a strong and vibrant public university with a clear, deeply-held, unwavering commitment to students and the community. U.S. News & World Report ranks it the #1 public regional university in Michigan and among the strongest in the Midwest. Grand Valley provides the opportunities of a large, complex university while retaining the personal atmosphere of a small, liberal education college. Grand Valley was founded in 1960 and has continued a trajectory of growth to become a comprehensive university with over 22,000 students and nearly 140,000 alumni, and 1,200 full- and part-time faculty members. Grand Valley has full-service and interconnected campuses in Allendale and Grand Rapids as well as regional centers in Holland, Detroit, Muskegon, Battle Creek, and Traverse City.

Grand Valley seeks a dean for their Padnos College of Engineering committed to evolving and growing PCE for the future. The next dean will need to address the new engineering challenges facing an increasingly technologically focused society. The Dean will represent and advocate for the academic priorities and aspirations of this newly imagined college to the rest of the university and PCE’s collaborative partners. PCE is rooted in a teacher-scholar model and its strength in applied research, and experiential learning is one of its differentiating characteristics. The next dean will need to build on these strengths and work closely with the surrounding industries to develop curriculum and program offerings to support the evolving engineering workforce needs of Michigan.

The dean reports to the provost and is the chief administrative, academic, and budgetary officer of the college. The dean serves as a role model of integrity and professionalism for the college’s faculty of teachers/scholars and is accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students. The dean collaborates closely with the other deans as well as others across the university, the region, the nation, and the globe to coordinate academic programs, interdisciplinary initiatives, and applied research.

The ideal candidate will hold an earned doctorate in one of Padnos College of Engineering areas of study and have achieved a distinguished record of scholarly and professional achievement sufficient for appointment as a Full Professor. In addition, the individual must possess significant administrative experience and a record of significant and progressive leadership experience appropriate to this role.

The search committee will begin accepting nominations and reviewing applications immediately. Requested application materials include a letter of interest and curriculum vitae. Although applications will be welcomed until the dean is selected, for best consideration, all candidates should submit materials as soon as possible to  [email protected].