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The David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah is looking for a new Dean

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Position Overview


The David Eccles School of Business (“the Eccles School”) was founded in 1917 on a tradition of business success and leadership. The Eccles School’s mission is to build strategic leaders, embrace diverse backgrounds, and apply ethical principles to create value. Focused on the imprint the school has on the business world and the influence for good students and faculty can have on the community, the Eccles School defines itself as a community of doers. Four principles define the Eccles School experience for faculty, staff, and students: entrepreneurial grit, continuous curiosity, empathetic global citizenship, and confidence to impact the world. The Eccles School has a $125M endowment, with a $90M operating budget.

Students from the Eccles School become the next generation of strategic leaders who transform the business landscape. The AACSB-accredited school offers a diverse set of educational programs—9 undergraduate majors, 10 undergraduate minors, 8 graduate programs in business, 4 MBA programs, and 5 Ph.D. specializations, as well as executive education—that currently enroll more than 6,000 students across all programs. The Eccles School awards more than $17 million in scholarships each year. The Eccles Alumni community is also large and geographically diffuse, with more than 42,000 graduates across the world. Highly committed to the success of the school, over 50% of donor dollars came from the Alumni community in 2022.

Eccles’ faculty are innovative thinkers who generate business knowledge through path-breaking research. With strong support through seminars, research centers and other initiatives, the Eccles School takes pride in its ability to recruit and retain world-class faculty. Eccles School faculty feature in top research productivity among state business schools. Eccles School of Business includes 82 tenure-track faculty, 81 career-line faculty, 178 adjunct faculty, and 305 staff.

Academic Departments

• School of Accounting
• Entrepreneurship and Strategy
• Finance
• Management
• Marketing
• Operations and Information Systems
• Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations

Institutes

• The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute provides independent economic, demographic, and public policy data, as well as research and analysis to support informed decision-making throughout Utah and beyond.
Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurs and innovators at the University of Utah. Lassonde has something for all students wanting to learn how to become a founder, creator, or change-maker.
• The Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis provides transformational, interdisciplinary opportunities for students in fields related to economics.
Sorenson Impact Institute advances the understanding and application of free enterprise principles to create scalable, sustainable societal change. They create innovative, data-driven approaches to difficult social and public health challenges.

Centers

• The Center for Business, Health, and Prosperity promotes societal advancement by integrating value-creating innovation and entrepreneurship with health-enabling practices in pursuit of economic, social, and political well-being.
• The Goff Strategic Leadership Center builds a bridge between the classroom and community for all University of Utah students. Each Goff experience is anchored in hands-on learning; the Eccles School works with organizations across the world to provide students transformational learning opportunities.
• The Ivory-Boyer Real Estate Center prepares the next generation of leaders in real estate through academic programs, degree options, executive education programs and the Utah Real Estate Challenge.
• The Sorenson Center for Discovery & Innovation Studies is a dedicated research center for the David Eccles School of Business. They support post-doc fellowships, faculty research, research conferences, and high-level policy work.
• The Stena Center for Financial Technology at the University of Utah unites education and industry to accelerate financial innovation and inclusion. It is a collaborative effort of the David Eccles School of Business and the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering.

Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership

The Dean of the Eccles School is responsible for ensuring success in the Eccles School’s programmatic, teaching, and research enterprise. The Dean will report to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Dean will lead the school in developing a strong academic foundation by pursuing rigorous academic standards in faculty, as well as excellence in curricula, programs of research, and students.

Responsibilities:
• Establish an innovative and inclusive vision for the Eccles School.
• Provide leadership, administering the policies established by the University and the Eccles School, overseeing faculty and staff development, maintaining rigor and accreditation of programs, and facilitating communication within the Eccles School, the University, and the community.
• Foster an environment that attracts and retains the very best business faculty, staff, and students.
• Enhance the student experience to promote student recruitment, success, and retention.
• Promote an interdisciplinary and collaborative culture and facilitate growth in research and grants.
• Promote and support collegial and collaborative interactions across the university.
• Create and cultivate relationships and conditions with alumni, colleagues and the wider business community that will attract significant philanthropic investments.
• Demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset using a strong business acumen to manage and drive the Eccles School’s success.
• Foster an environment of research excellence among faculty and students.
• Lead through cooperation, sincere communication, personal accountability, and ethical governance, with excellent communication skills, management skills.
• Work effectively with and build collaborative relationships across multiple constituencies, including students, staff, faculty, alumni, local governments, and members of the philanthropic, business, and broader communities.

Read the Full Posting

Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities

The successful candidate for this position should possess the following credentials and experience:
• Superior academic credentials and record of scholarly achievement with a track record of leadership and administrative experience
or
• A recognized career of achievement in business, with experience in and a strong understanding of business education, scholarship, and university culture

Pivotal Experience & Expertise

Intellectual Leadership: A distinguished teacher and scholar who has a passion for students, research, and service. If the candidate comes from outside the academe: a genuine, palpable appreciation for the importance of research in a business school, and an aptitude to advance teaching and peer-reviewed scholarship.

Business Acumen and Organizational Management: Strong business acumen that demonstrates an astute understanding of finances and the relationship between academic priorities and the budget. A record of accomplishment in recruitment, retention, and equity for outstanding faculty or staff, and students, including women and those traditionally underrepresented in business programs.

Strategic Orientation: A forward-looking leader with a demonstrated ability to articulate a compelling vision. Brings a strong track record of developing and implementing a strategic plan. Experience collaborating with a diverse set of academic disciplines to foster inter- and multi- disciplinary programs and partnerships, as well as experience collaborating with industry partners to stimulate growth and advancement.

Community and Industry Engagement: Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate, fundraise, and develop relationships with multiple stakeholder groups, including faculty, staff, students, fellow university leaders, alumni, donors, board members, and industry leaders.

Procedure for Candidacy

All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile.

Initial screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. The University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business Dean search will be assisted by Jackie Zavitz, Abby Rudman, and Sulli Cressler of Heidrick & Struggles, Inc. Nominations and applications should be directed to:

EcclesDean@heidrick.com

Search Committee


(Co-Chair) - Dean, School of Dentistry
Rory Hume
(Co-chair) - Professor, Entrepreneurship & Strategy Department
Bill Hesterly
Professor, Department of Finance
Elena Asparouhova
Professor, Department Entrepreneurship & Strategy
Jennifer Brown
Professor, School of Accounting
Brian Cadman
Chair, Eccles Advisory Board
Paige Erickson
Associate Professor, Operations & Information Systems
Manu Goyal
Assistant Professor, Department of Finance
Davidson Heath
Professor, Department of Marketing
Arul Mishra
Associate Professor, School of Accounting
Sasha Peng
Professor (Lecturer), Department of Management
Georgi Rausch
Professor, Department Quantitative Analysis Marketing and Organization
Scott Schaefer
Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Studies
Jessica Taverna
Associate Dean / Associate Professor (Lecturer), Department of Finance
Brad Vierig
Vice President Institutional Advancement
Heidi Woodbury

About the University of UtahThe University of Utah logo

Founded in 1850 and located in Salt Lake City, the University of Utah is the flagship institution of higher learning in Utah, with 18 schools and colleges, more than 100 undergraduate and 90 graduate degree programs, and an enrollment of more than 35,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.

With revenues more than $6 billion (FY21), the University is considered one of Utah’s primary economic engines. The institution generates more than $600 million annually for the state of Utah in nontax revenue, is the state’s largest employer, and has been a catalyst for research, technology, energy development and sustainability.

The University of Utah strives to be a model public university, delivering unmatched value in higher education and health care while making social, economic, and cultural contributions that improve the quality of life throughout the state, the nation, and the world. With a distinguished legacy of advancing research, teaching, and service, the University of Utah stands proudly at the forefront of discovery, academic achievement, and global impact.

One way the University of Utah is accomplishing this is through University of Utah Health, an economic engine unlike any other in Utah. With more than 14,000 faculty and staff it is one of the state's largest employers and contributes millions of dollars in net tax revenue to Utah every year. But University of Utah Health's impact goes beyond the balance sheet. Its bottom line includes the health and wellbeing of Utah residents in every corner of the state and from all walks of life. University of Utah Health is the only academic medical center in the state of Utah and provides patient care for the people of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, western Colorado, and much of Nevada. It also serves as the training ground for scientists and the majority of the state’s physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, and other health care professionals.

The University of Utah is a member of the Association of American Universities—an invitation-only, prestigious group of 71 leading research institutions marked by excellence in academic expertise and research impact, student success, and securing resources in support of its core missions. The University of Utah is firmly committed to diversity of thought and lived experience; safety; health and well-being; academic freedom; and sustainability.

Fast Facts

  • 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio
  • 32% of domestic first-year students are of color
  • 24% of undergraduates identify as first-generation college students
  • 85% of students receive scholarships/financial support
  • 120 undergraduate majors
  • 125 graduate programs
  • 300,000+ U alumni

Campus

The University of Utah is set on the east bench of the Salt Lake City with views of the areas to the west, north, and south. Salt Lake City is the 47th largest metropolitan area in the United States. In recent years, the region has grown in population, cultural diversity, and accolades as Utah was named the 2023 No. 1 best state overall by U.S. News and World Report. The area is frequently listed by prestigious magazines and news outlets among the “best places to live” due to a variety of factors including recreational options, the business environment, climate, and a low crime rate.

From Forbes Magazine to CNBC, Utah has been rated one of the best states in the nation for doing business. Large business and residential development are popping up across the Wasatch Front, offering great career opportunities for graduates. Utah is home to a growing technology community, often referred to as Silicon Slopes, that ranges from start-ups to the biggest and most well-known tech companies, like Qualtrics, Domo, and Adobe.

Salt Lake City

To learn more about Salt Lake City visit VisitSaltLake.com