Dean, Healey Library

University of Massachusetts Boston

Boston, MA

Full time

 

The University of Massachusetts Boston, seeks a dynamic, innovative, and visionary leader with an established record of supporting academic excellence, and a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Reporting to and with the support of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Dean of University Libraries plays an integral role in shaping and articulating the strategic vision of the university. As a member of the university’s Executive Leadership Team and the Provost’s Academic Council, the Dean will provide leadership that solidifies the library as the intellectual hub of the university and strengthens Healey Library as a world-class academic library whose mission aligns with the university’s commitment to urban and global engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion, student success, faculty teaching and research.  

 

The Dean, as the library’s chief administrative officer, provides oversight and leadership to a dedicated and experienced team of 28 full-time staff (14 librarians, 8 other professional positions, 5 classified and 1 non-unit staff) plus 19 student employees. The Dean will lead this team in the design and implementation of a strategic program addressing staffing, budget, resource allocation, and capital planning, towards the goal of becoming a world-class academic and research library. The Dean will oversee a budget of $6.9 million and will support university leadership in actively engaging university partners and potential donors to advance the university's mission and to accomplish the strategic program.    

 

The University  

 UMass Boston is recognized as a model of excellence for urban public universities. The scenic waterfront campus, with easy access to downtown Boston, is located next to the John F. Kennedy Library and Presidential Museum, the Commonwealth Museum and Massachusetts State Archives, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.   

One of the five campuses of the UMass system, UMass Boston is a research university with a teaching soul. It combines the rigorous focus on generation of knowledge that characterizes a major research university with a dedication to teaching that places its top scholars in undergraduate and graduate classrooms where a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio fosters easy student-faculty interaction. UMass Boston brings the resources of a major university to people from all walks of life, offering 79 undergraduate and 114 graduate programs in approximately 90 fields of study, as well as advanced certificate programs. Eighty-seven percent of full-time faculty hold the highest degree in their fields. Located in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, UMass Boston has a growing reputation for innovation and a particular focus on research addressing complex urban issues. As metropolitan Boston’s only public research university, UMass Boston offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. The University maintains a strong commitment to all aspects of diversity and inclusion, including anti-racist and health promoting initiatives.  UMass Boston has a deep commitment to engaging the communities in the greater Boston area as well as across the state. Our Mass Memories Roadshow is recognized as a model for "participatory archiving”. 

 

This Fall, there were 12,269 undergraduates and 3,368 graduate students enrolled at UMass Boston. Many of our undergraduates are from Massachusetts (87%). UMass Boston serves large numbers of racial minority students (62%), first-generation college students (57%), transfers (57%), and students who are immigrants or children of immigrants who speak languages other than English at home or with families (51%). Our students are also diverse in age and national origin. In keeping with UMass Boston’s strategic goal of global engagement, the proportion of international students has remained near 10 percent over the past five years.  

 

In the Fall of 2021 UMB had about 360 tenured faculty, 120 on tenure track, and employed about 670 non-tenure track instructors.  In AY 2020-21 UMass Boston was successful in recruiting 25 tenured or tenure-track faculty while sustaining the high proportion of full-time instructional faculty that are persons of color at 31 percent and are female at 51 percent. Tenure-stream faculty, which represents 58 percent of all full-time instructional faculty, are a critical factor in ensuring the continued success of our students.  

 

UMass Boston continues to advance as an increasingly sophisticated research university. Between FY 2015 and FY 2020, UMass Boston’s Total R&D expenditures reported to NSF have remained above $64.2 million. In terms of sponsored instruction and outreach per faculty, this figure has increased to nearly $135,000 per faculty member in FY20 (a 12% increase over FY15).  

 

University Leadership  

Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco assumed the role of chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston on August 1, 2020. Prior to coming to UMass Boston, Suárez-Orozco served as the inaugural UCLA Wasserman Dean, leading two academic departments, 16 nationally renowned research institutes, and two innovative demonstration schools at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies.  

 

Provost Joseph B. Berger is a renowned and award-winning scholar whose work focuses on higher education policy, organization and leadership, the impact of higher education on key stakeholders, and the development of higher education in various national contexts. Dr. Berger’s nearly 20 years of strategic academic leadership experience have been instrumental in developing innovative academic programs, enhancing faculty development, improving opportunities for inclusive student success, building improved administrative infrastructure, promoting sponsored research, cultivating mission-driven fundraising, engaging community partners, promoting international collaboration, and championing social justice.  

 

Responsibilities:    

Provides strategic and collaborative leadership to advance the University’s values and directions for research, instruction, and community engagement activities  
Develops and implements a strategic plan that aligns with the University’s mission and plans; actively contributes to the University’s strategic plan; and positions the library for its essential role in the university  
Facilitates the ongoing transformation of the library into a world class research institution that integrates diverse resources, acquires and maintains state-of-the-art technologies, seeks new opportunities, and sustains a vibrant research and learning community  
Provides leadership and expertise in the adoption of new models of scholarly communication  
Engages and develops library staff to ensure that they grow and acquire the knowledge and skills that are essential to working in a world-class academic library  
Fosters a culture of inclusion, equity, diversity, collegiality, and collaboration to support the staff in their daily work and in their professional development  
Works with the team of senior managers to provide effective leadership and direction to the staff; to ensure effective stewardship of resources; and to design, implement, and sustain an organizational structure, systems, and work design to enable the effective accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives  
Helps identify external resources to support the Healey Library through fundraising, community engagement, and sponsored research   

Minimum Qualifications (Required):  

Master of Library Science (MLS) degree from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited institution or an equivalent degree   
At least five years of administrative experience at the university level including strategic planning, fiscal management, personnel management, and experience with relevant technologies   
Knowledge of current issues, developments, innovations, and challenges in academic libraries and archives, information technology, scholarly communications, and higher education    
Record of creative leadership and strong interpersonal, communication and supervisory skills  
Demonstrated record of financial management, budgetary oversight, and effective stewardship of resources    
Successful experience with grant writing, development, and fundraising activities     
Demonstrated commitment to developing a diverse and equitable library culture and evidence of work with a diverse community      
A creative, energetic, and results-oriented leadership style that promotes trust, autonomy, and accountability  
Successful experience cultivating relationships and partnerships within and outside of the library and university   
Experience in and knowledge of several areas of academic librarianship  
Familiarity with library technologies and the ability to assess the potential and applicability of those technologies   

 

Preferred Qualifications:   

Commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice    
Experience working and managing in a collective bargaining environment    
Second masters’ degree or PhD   
Comfort with working in a multi-campus system   
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with internal and external constituencies, including donors and potential donors     
Record of engagement in professional associations and/or achievement in scholarly productivity   

 

Application Instructions:

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three references. Applications without cover letters will not be considered.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.

Salary Range: Commensurate with experience

This is a non-union exempt position. 

The University of Massachusetts Boston provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, genetic information, pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition, or membership in any other legally protected class. The University of Massachusetts Boston complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the university operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

 


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