Dean, O’More College of Architecture and Design

Belmont University, a private, Christ-centered higher-education institution in Nashville, Tennessee, seeks a dynamic and transformational leader to serve as Dean of the O’More College of Architecture and Design by July 1, 2025, or before.

Reporting directly to the Provost/EVP for Academic Excellence, the O’More College of Architecture and Design Dean will serve as the leader of the college’s academic programs, as well as student enrichment and fundraising initiatives. The Dean should display creativity, innovation, and character through their leadership and promote these values to the faculty, staff, and students to enhance the vitality of its current academic degrees and areas of study. The Dean should work with the administration, other colleges, faculty, and professional partners to develop new and innovative programs to meet the needs of the rapidly changing academic and professional environments.

In addition to providing academic leadership and guidance for the college, the Dean must effectively communicate the mission, vision, and values of Belmont and the College to cultivate positive relationships with students, alumni, parents, industry, and donors. This includes seeking out and fostering industry collaborations and campus partnership opportunities with the goal of creating an integrated and collaborative student experience. The Dean must also coordinate all College-based solicitations to increase overall giving to the College.

The Dean should have a history of leadership excellence and be an effective and collaborative executive, gifted in relationship-building and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit amongst their teams. The Dean must also possess an exceptional ability to lead within a complex organization, have a broad intellectual orientation and appreciation for future trends impacting higher education, and have a passion for the mission of higher education. It is also critical for the Dean’s core beliefs and practices to align with and support Belmont’s Christ-centered mission.

The College’s five undergraduate academic programs that the Dean will oversee consist of the following:
- Architecture, B.Arch.
- Architecture Studies, B.S.A.S.
- Fashion Design, B.F.A.
- Fashion Merchandising, B.F.A.
- Interior Design, B.F.A


Job responsibilities include:

• Serve as the chief academic and administrative officer for the College, fostering a culture of teamwork and collaboration.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, steward, and sustain relationships with external constituencies and partners, including alumni, corporate sponsors, donors, and the professional community.
• Meet fundraising and engagement objectives in partnership with the Office of Development.
• Work collaboratively with university marketing and communications and the Office of the President for strategic branding opportunities.
• Identify and foster opportunities for collaboration across the various Colleges within Belmont University.
• Provide leadership for associate deans, department chairs, faculty, staff, and students.
• Oversee the student educational experience, including enrollment growth and retention.
• Oversee and advance the continuing assessment and improvement of all academic initiatives, by establishing goals of excellence in all teaching, scholarship, and service areas.
• Commit to continual improvement of current and future curricula with attentiveness to NAAB, CIDA, NASAD, and future accreditation bodies.
• Provide strategic leadership to the five strategic pathways and the University’s aspirational aim in partnership with pathway catalysts.
• Oversee strategic trajectories of the college and guide academic innovation and change in curricula and promote new programs and emergent fields, using appropriate technology in its fulfillment.
• Ensure fiscal responsibility by monitoring funds allocated to operations and functions supporting academic programs.
• Perform other job-related tasks as directed by the President or Provost/EVP for Academic Excellence.

Education: Preferred earned terminal degree in a discipline represented within the O’More College of Architecture and Design or comparable professional experience.

Experience: The ideal candidate will have a strong reputation with impeccable integrity; be an innovative thinker with a desire to continually grow and challenge the norm; have demonstrated leadership in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; and be a respected professional with a proven ability to foster strategic relationships.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities):

• Embodiment of Christ-centered vocation through commitment, service, and leadership.
• Evidence of successful leadership experience in an academic or professional environment.
• Demonstrated aptitude in developing/articulating a vision within a complex institution.
• An appreciation of Belmont University – its past, present, and future.
• Commitment to academic excellence.
• Demonstrated leadership in promoting inclusion and diversity in staff, faculty, and student populations.
• Uncompromised personal and professional integrity.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong financial management skills with the ability to make strategic budget decisions.
• Ability to listen to divergent views while building consensus and collegiality.

Application Link: https://belmont.csod.com/ats/careersite/jobdetails.aspx?site=10&c=belmont&id=4392