Dean of Fine Arts

Northern State University

Physical Location of Position (City): Aberdeen

Northern State University seeks a collaborative, strategic, and student-centered leader to serve as Dean of the School of Fine Arts. This full-time administrative appointment provides academic,artistic, administrative, and external leadership for a vibrantregional center for the arts, including programs and opportunities in music, art, opera theatre, performance, art and music education,and community engagement.

The successful candidate will possess a terminal degree in a fine artsdiscipline (art or music), education, educational leadership orschool administration, or a closely related field; significantleadership experience in education, higher education, fine artsadministration, music education, or professional performing artsoperations; and demonstrated success leading people, programs,budgets, schedules, events, and complex priorities. The successful candidate will have strong public speaking, written communication,presentation, advocacy, and relationship-building skills, as wellas experience working collaboratively with faculty, staff,students, administrators, governing boards, artists, musicians,educators, donors, and community stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will be a proven and innovative leader who can bridge K-12 music education, higher education instruction, executive administration,and professional performing arts operations. The successful candidate will be committed to student-centered leadership,academic excellence, artistic growth, community engagement, and thevalue of the fine arts in public life.

• Administrative leadership experience at the dean,director, chair, superintendent, or comparable executive level;
• Experience with artistic operations, concert production, seasonplanning, rehearsal and performance logistics, guest artists, venuecoordination, or public arts programming;
• Demonstrated success in fundraising, advancement, stewardship, donor cultivation, alumni engagement, and external relations.

• Provide vision, leadership, and direction for the School ofFine Arts and its academic, artistic, performance-based, and community-centered programs.
• Support faculty and staff in advancing curriculum, student learning, creative activity, performance opportunities,accreditation-related goals, and overall program quality.
• Support faculty in their professional growth and development,including advancing exceptional teaching, across all facultyranks.
• Advance fundraising and external relations through donor cultivation, alumni engagement, stewardship, arts advocacy,community networking, and mission-focused communication.
• Lead strategic planning, scheduling, resource allocation,personnel coordination, budget-conscious decision making, and operational follow-through for the School.
• Strengthen a collaborative culture focused on student success,faculty engagement, artistic excellence, accountability,innovation, and service to the University and region.
• Represent the School of Fine Arts to University leadership, the South Dakota Board of Regents system, alumni, donors, patrons,civic leaders, school partners, and regional artsorganizations.
• Provide leadership for enrollment and program growth through recruitment, scholarships, retention, strategic partnerships,public performances, exhibitions, outreach events, and other opportunities to connect prospective students with the School ofFine Arts.
• Use enrollment, student success, program, financial, and other relevant data to identify opportunities, assess effectiveness,inform decisions, and guide the continued development of the School's academic programs.
• Develop and strengthen partnerships with K-12 schools,…