Chair, Department of Civil Engineering

Position overview

Boise State University invites applications for a Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering to lead the development and implementation of a clear, forward-looking strategic vision and drive excellence in a college defined by innovation and growth potential, located in a thriving metropolitan region. This is an opportunity for a collaborative and accountable academic leader to guide a department during a period of growth in research activity, programs, and student demand.

The Chair will play a central role in shaping the department’s future, building a strong and cohesive academic community while expanding its impact in research, education, and external partnerships. This role requires a leader who can advance strategic priorities while strengthening alignment, culture, and trust to support a high-performing and cohesive academic community.

Boise State University invites applications for a Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering to lead the development and implementation of a clear, forward-looking strategic vision and drive excellence in a college defined by innovation and growth potential, located in a thriving metropolitan region. This is an opportunity for a collaborative and accountable academic leader to guide a department during a period of growth in research activity, programs, and student demand.

The Chair will play a central role in shaping the department’s future, building a strong and cohesive academic community while expanding its impact in research, education, and external partnerships. This role requires a leader who can advance strategic priorities while strengthening alignment, culture, and trust to support a high-performing and cohesive academic community.

The department offers an ABET-accredited B.S. in Civil Engineering program with emphasis areas including environmental, structural, geotechnical, transportation, and water resources engineering, along with a growing M.S. program. Department faculty advise students in the interdisciplinary and collaborative Ph.D. in Engineering and Ph.D. in Computing programs.

The Chair provides administrative and academic leadership for the department and reports to the Dean of the College of Engineering. In collaboration with the faculty, the Chair will develop and implement the department’s strategic vision, hire and mentor faculty in their professional growth, and steward resources and partnerships to support program excellence, accountability, and a culture of trust and innovation to ensure long-term impact.

The Chair is expected to:

• Make timely, well-reasoned decisions and communicate them transparently
• Address conflict directly and constructively to strengthen alignment and support a cohesive, high-functioning department.
• Foster a culture of accountability, trust, and follow-through that enables collective success.

The Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering is expected to provide transformative leadership across the following key areas:

• Strategic Vision and Growth:
  Lead the development and implementation of a long-term strategic plan that defines the department’s identity, drives innovation in civil engineering education, and anticipates emerging industry trends, while ensuring alignment and accountability across the department.
• Faculty Mentorship and Excellence:
  Foster a high-achieving, collegial, and accountable academic culture by leading the recruitment of world-class faculty and actively supporting their professional growth through the promotion and tenure process, including providing clear expectations, actionable feedback, and consistent follow-through in faculty development and evaluation.
• Research Innovation:
  Drive the expansion of the department’s research footprint by…