Dean for Engaged Teaching, Learning, and Student Success

Otis College of Art and Design; California (MO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Otis College of Art and Design seeks a strategic Dean for Engaged Teaching, Learning, and Student Success to align five units toward professional readiness, entrepreneurship, and portfolio development. The role bridges studio culture with academic support and industry preparation in a living campus ecosystem.

The Dean will champion inclusive pedagogy, faculty development, and data-informed interventions to support diverse visual artists and designers from foundation through thesis.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required.
• Minimum 5 years of administrative leadership in art/design education.
• Experience in faculty development and student success initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Develop a unified student success strategy across divisions.
• Lead cross-divisional collaboration among TLC, SLC, Academic Advising, Registration/Records, and Library Services.
• Advance equity and inclusion in retention, persistence, and graduation efforts.
• Oversee annual budget planning and personnel development for five reporting units.

Skills

Administrative leadership

Student success strategy

Data-driven decision making

Equity & inclusion

Education

Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration/Leadership (or related field)

Job description

The Dean for Engaged Teaching, Learning, and Student Success provides strategic vision and leadership tailored to the unique ecosystem at Otis College of Art and Design. This role unifies creative practice with academic support, bridging studio cultures, research, industry preparedness, and holistic student retention.

The Dean directly supervises and integrates five core areas to support visual artists, designers, and creative scholars: Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), Student Learning Center (SLC), Academic Advising, Registration and Records, and Library Services. Reporting directly to the Provost, the Dean aligns these units to ensure that academic development and pedagogical innovation directly drive professional readiness, entrepreneurship, and industry-standard portfolio creation for a seamless, equitable, and highly engaged educational ecosystem.

CORE DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership & Cross-Divisional Collaboration

• Unified Vision: Design and execute a comprehensive student success strategy that integrates faculty development, academic support, and enrollment services.
• Equity & Inclusion: Implement data-driven initiatives to close equity gaps and improve retention, persistence, and graduation rates across diverse student populations.
• Policy Governance: Collaborate with academic leadership to reform, implement, and enforce academic and enrollment policies that remove structural barriers to graduation.

Industry Preparedness & Career Alignment

• Professional Practices: Embed professional practices into the core academic experience by partnering with faculty to integrate internships, business skills, and creative entrepreneurship into curricula.
• Professional Portfolio: Supervise professional portfolio milestones (non-course checkpoints like exhibitions, or senior showcases) through academic advising and learning centers, ensuring students hit critical industry benchmarks prior to graduation.
• Creative Economy: Equip students for the creative economy by designing workshops, materials, and support frameworks that teach shifting economy resilience, gallery representation, design agency navigation, and corporate design leadership.

Art & Design Pedagogical Leadership

• Creative Pedagogy: Advance studio-based critique models, experiential learning, and project-based learning methodologies through targeted faculty professional development.
• Inclusive Critique Practices: Collaborate with faculty to foster inclusive critique cultures and diverse curricular perspectives in art and design history, theory, and practice.
• Creative Technologies: Thoughtfully integrate creative technologies and generative AI tools into high-impact teaching and learning practices.
• Learning Styles: Support diverse learning styles common in creative cohorts, including visual learners, neurodivergent students, and international scholars.
• Critique & Retention: Implement data-driven initiatives to support students navigating the rigorous demands of foundation years, portfolio reviews, and thesis projects.
• Budget Planning: Formulate and manage the annual operational budgets across all five reporting units, aligning allocations with creative and strategic priorities.
• Personnel Development: Mentor and evaluate a high-performing team of directors, managers, and professional staff.

Departmental Oversight & Creative Integration

• Teaching and Learning Center (TLC):
• Partner with faculty to enhance critique models, interdisciplinary collaboration, real-world and inclusive teaching in both studio and liberal arts contexts.
• Champion high-impact art/design pedagogical practices, and ongoing professional development for full-time and working-artist adjunct faculty.
• Tailor academic support to include visual literacy, writing labs tailored for artist statements, professional portfolio preparation, and time-management coaching/workshops for studio environments and internship workloads.
• Academic Advising:
• Supervise proactive, developmental advising structures that help students balance rigorous and complex studio tracks internship placements, and creative career paths.
• Incorporate the utilization of early-alert systems to intervene with at-risk students.
• Registration and Records:
• Oversee specialized grading systems (e.g., pass/fail studio models), seamless course scheduling tailored to extended studio blocks, lab environments, and professional field experiences.
• Ensure data integrity, federal/state regulatory compliance, FERPA compliance, and efficient graduation clearance processes.
• Library Services:
• Further develop the library into a vibrant visual and research hub, prioritizing digital art archives, material collections, image databases, artists' book collections, and market/trend research tools essential for commercial design careers.

Retention & Creative Student Success

• Address specific attrition factors unique to art and design education, such as studio critique anxiety, imposter syndrome, and creative burnout.
• Leverage predictive data to identify at-risk students early, implementing holistic intervention strategies that balance academic support with mental wellness.
• Promote community engagement by connecting academic success programs with campus galleries, commercial exhibitions, and industry talent showcase events.

Work Environment & Conditions

• Full-time, 12-month administrative position.
• Active campus environment spanning traditional offices, digital labs, and working studio spaces.
• Attendance required at major campus events, including end-of-semester thesis exhibitions, industry networking nights, and commencement.

REQUIRED SKILLS and EDUCATION:

Education

• Master’s degree required (MFA, MA, MBA in Design, or a related creative field, OR a Master's in Higher Education Administration/Leadership with extensive art school experience).

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive administrative leadership experience within an art and design college, institute, or comprehensive university art department, including a proven track record of supervising multi-departmental teams.
• Proven track record managing faculty development and/or student success initiatives within a creative, project-heavy curriculum.
• Demonstrated success connecting academic departments with professional development, creative industries, or career services.
• Demonstrated experience managing Advising and Registrar within a creative environment.
• Experience implementing evidence-based retention plans that directly support diverse, highly visual student populations.
• Exceptional collaboration skills with an ability to unites diverse stakeholders—including artists, designers, and educators—around shared creative goals.
• Data-Informed decision making and the ability to analyze creative student retention trends, portfolio milestones, and learning outcomes to design effective support interventions.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills required to bridge the unique cultures of working-artist faculty, staff, and creative students.