Role Summary

As the Meehan School’s chief academic and administrative officer, the Dean reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and is responsible for the effective and efficient operation of the Meehan School, within the policies, protocols, procedures, directions, and plans of Stonehill College. The Dean is accountable for the quality of academic programs and faculty while aligning the School’s priorities with those of Stonehill College, enabling the School and the College to flourish. The Dean will be an advocate for each of the Meehan School’s disciplines and programs, its employees, and its students, and for the development of an overarching vision that will pull these components into an integrated whole.
 
The Dean is expected to provide visionary leadership to align with Stonehill College’s strategic plan. The Dean is required to support the School’s three departments in their recruitment and retention of committed faculty, hire and support excellent staff, enhance undergraduates’ educational experience, strengthen graduate programs, and elevate scholarly activity. The Dean is expected to establish and maintain a transparent, collegial work climate, cooperatively leading the academic unit towards improved productivity, relevance, and innovation.  The Dean must also demonstrate an ongoing commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion among students, faculty, and staff.
 
The Dean is responsible for increasing academic excellence, growing entrepreneurial activity, establishing external partnerships to support faculty and student needs, creating opportunities for students, fostering a collaborative spirit within the School, defining strategic priorities, and securing resources to fulfill those priorities. The Dean consults with faculty in periodic program reviews and sets the tone for the School in encouraging excellence, recognizing achievement, and supporting merit-based appointments and promotions. The Dean has general administrative responsibility for the Meehan School, including its compliance with AACSB, AUPHA, and other accreditation standards, community outreach, fundraising, marketing and enrollment, interdisciplinary initiatives, global outreach, and the effective management of its administrative and financial affairs. The Dean also serves as the School’s spokesperson and advocate, both within and beyond Stonehill College.
 
The Dean is currently supported by two staff positions: an AACSB Coordinator, and an Administrative Assistant. The Dean also oversees the department chairs, works closely with the Dean of the May School of Arts & Sciences in presiding over the Council of Chairs, as well as the Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies in ensuring that graduate and professional programs meet AASCB expectations and maintain the Meehan standard of excellence.
 
The Dean is a member of the Dean’s Council and the Academic Leadership Team; chairs the Academic Appeals Board; and serves ex-officio on three Faculty Senate committees: the Governance Committee, the Curriculum Committee, and the Technology Advisory Committee.

Opportunities Ahead

The new Dean will assume leadership of a School that is poised for growth. The Meehan School of Business is characterized by:

• A range of distinctive pre-professional programs with a strong, shared core in the
• College’s General Education program;
• A strong student-centered focus that is embraced by all constituents;
• A focus on excellent teaching that emphasizes high-quality experiential learning opportunities;
• A committed, high-caliber faculty;
• A vibrant and supportive alumni community;
• A stunning state-of-the-art building;
• A collegial culture and friendly atmosphere; and,
• A holistic campus and community setting that offers a highly supportive environment.
   

Within this context, the new Dean will have an opportunity to:  

• Provide leadership in building capacity and shaping future strategy for the Meehan School of Business: Stonehill’s two schools are both relatively new and still evolving. Since its creation in 2017, the Meehan School has made great progress in student enrollment, but the work of fully developing its infrastructure was delayed by COVID and remains incomplete. In collaboration with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and with the Deans of the May School of Arts & Sciences and Graduate & Professional Studies when appropriate, the new Dean will continue this work: strengthening the organizational structure, identifying areas where additional support is needed, and securing the resources needed to implement change.
• Define a distinctive brand for the Meehan School: The Meehan School sits within a highly competitive educational ecosystem in the Northeast region, especially in business education.  The new Dean will be a creative, visionary leader for the Meehan School as it works to define its niche within this ecosystem. The Dean will engage the faculty and the community in developing new programs, particularly those that will help the School cultivate a unique, distinctive brand in a competitive educational marketplace, while also remaining consistent with Stonehill's identity and mission.
• Manage and secure resources to advance the Meehan School: The Dean must possess strong financial and strategic management skills and the ability to provide entrepreneurial leadership for the School. The Dean must be financially astute, comfortable with budgets, and experienced in building a data-driven, metrics-based operational environment. The Dean will be engaged in developing entrepreneurial initiatives and new revenue streams, and in working with faculty colleagues and the College to find innovative ways to support enrollment growth and enhance academic programs.
• Engage the regional business and nonprofit community: The Meehan School’s vision and mission need to be widely and clearly communicated. The new Dean will be a skilled communicator who will represent the School within and outside of Stonehill, raising the School’s profile and image. Fostering community and corporate partnerships, particularly those that offer greater opportunities for students, will be a key priority.
• Build successful relationships that expand opportunities for students and increase philanthropic support for the College: The Dean will directly participate in, and provide leadership to, efforts to increase experiential opportunities for students, including internships, externships, and ultimately, student placements. The Dean will contribute to fundraising efforts to grow philanthropic support for the College, and will advance the College’s mission and reputation among alumni, foundations, community leaders and external partners. 
• Increase program development and innovation: The advent of new technologies and the growth of online and hybrid learning, especially during COVID, provide opportunities for the Meehan School to consider new undergraduate programs and certificates that respond to market needs. The new Dean will lead the School in leveraging these opportunities, while also sustaining strong enrollments in existing programs.  The Dean will work closely with the Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies to support innovation, growth, and excellence in graduate programming.
• Ensure responsive, transparent communication: Meehan School faculty, staff, and students have all expressed the strong need for a Dean who is an open communicator, able to articulate and communicate a vision and a rationale in planning and decision-making; willing to be transparent with all stakeholders about the challenges and opportunities facing the School; and responsive to concerns and feedback.
• Promote student success and career preparedness: The Meehan School has a vibrant and diverse student body, including many first-generation college students for whom education will be the key to future success. The Dean will be poised to strengthen experiential learning for the School’s undergraduate students, and to further develop initiatives that enrich business education such as internships, undergraduate research projects, service learning, and other forms of student engagement. Improving retention and four-year and six-year graduation rates is an important College priority, which the new Dean will embrace.
• Promote globalization:  As part of its effort to train students to be relevant in a global business environment, Stonehill offers a number of study abroad and internship abroad opportunities, which the new Dean will work to ensure are financially accessible for all students. 
• Develop, recruit, retain, support, and lead excellent faculty: The Dean will oversee and aid departments in the recruitment and development of accomplished educators. Securing and allocating the necessary resources to build and retain faculty excellence at all levels across the School will be an important part of the Dean’s work. The Dean will collaborate with the Deans of the May School of Arts & Sciences and Graduate & Professional Studies to attract and support outstanding faculty for interdisciplinary and joint undergraduate and graduate appointments, and to foster cross-disciplinary faculty collaboration.
• Promote diversity and inclusion: The new Dean should bring a mindset of access and equity for all students, faculty, and staff. The Dean must demonstrate a commitment to diversity in all its forms, and to inclusion as an essential hallmark of academic and institutional excellence. 
• Build a collaborative cross-school culture: The new Dean must be a collaborative leader, working with faculty, the Dean of the May School of Arts & Sciences, the Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs to enhance the College’s interdisciplinary culture. Stonehill seeks a Dean who broadly understands and appreciates the role of a business school in an institution with a strong commitment to liberal arts education, who will champion collaboration and build links to and across departments, and who will leverage interdisciplinary opportunities to create programs of distinction.

Addressing these challenges will require a Dean with broad intellectual interests, energy, strong external relations skills, creativity and entrepreneurial instincts, an open-minded approach, and the ability to form collaborative partnerships within and beyond the College.