Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Job Description

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs provides strategic leadership for the academic mission of the Honors College, with primary responsibility for curriculum, pedagogy, faculty affairs, assessment, and academic quality. Reporting to the Dean and serving as a key member of the Dean's Leadership Team, the Associate Dean advances a distinctive, high impact honors curriculum; fosters excellence in teaching, research, and creative inquiry; and ensures effective governance and continuous improvement of academic programs.

Working collaboratively with faculty and campus partners, the Associate Dean strengthens transdisciplinary initiatives, expands research and enrichment opportunities, and aligns Honors College academic priorities with institutional goals and national best practices. The role also provides leadership in faculty recruitment, development, evaluation, and promotion, and represents the Honors College within the university and nationally, contributing to its intellectual vitality, institutional alignment, and growing impact.

A strategic, innovative, and forward-thinking academic leader, the Associate Dean anticipates and responds effectively to emerging challenges and opportunities in honors education and higher education broadly. Through a collaborative and transparent leadership approach, the Associate Dean builds trust, cultivates shared purpose, and navigates complexity to lead meaningful and sustained change. This role requires exceptional relationship building skills, sound judgment, high emotional intelligence, and a deep commitment to student success and to the development, wellbeing, and success of faculty and staff.

Required Qualifications
• Earned doctorate with tenure and a record of scholarly achievement commensurate with appointment as a tenured associate professor or higher.
• Demonstrated success in academic leadership within higher education, including experience leading a department, program, or comparably complex academic unit.
• Strong administrative expertise in academic planning, assessment, personnel leadership, and shared governance.
• Demonstrated commitment to innovative, student-centered pedagogy and to undergraduate research and creative inquiry.
• Experience using assessment and data-informed decision-making to support academic quality and continuous improvement.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead collaboratively, build trust, and engage diverse constituencies.
• Commitment to the land-grant mission, academic excellence, access, and public service.

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience working within or closely with an honors college or similar high-impact academic program.
• Appointment at the rank of full professor.
• Experience with faculty reappointment, promotion, and governance processes.
• Practical Knowledge of national best practices and emerging models in honors education.
• Demonstrated success securing or supporting externally funded curricular, pedagogical, or research initiatives (e.g., SoTL).
• Experience with strategic planning, accreditation, external reviews, and/or benchmarking efforts.
• Ability to articulate and advance a forward-looking vision for the College.
• Demonstrated success in recruiting, mentoring, retaining, and advocating for outstanding faculty, staff, and students, with a commitment to cultivate a thriving and supportive academic community.

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

175,000 to 200,000

Hours per week

40

Review Date

22 June 2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.

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Each agency within the Commonwealth of Virginia is dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and maintaining a competent and diverse work force. Equal Opportunity Employer