Director Bruce D. Benson Center Study of Western Civilization

Overview

The University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for the Director of the Bruce

D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization. The Director will be a distinguished scholar and dynamic academic leader who brings intellectual vision, collaborative instinct, and entrepreneurial energy to one of the nation’s most endowed university-based centers dedicated to the study of Western civilization, civic culture, and free inquiry. The Director will be a tenured faculty member with a record of scholarly distinction and teaching excellence, as well as experience in administrative leadership.

The appointment is rostered within the College of Arts and Sciences and may come with significant philanthropic support and resources for the Center.

• Provide strategic leadership for the Benson Center, including conceiving and articulating a long-term vision and advancing its mission to foster dialogue about fundamental values and controversial questions.
• Lead with credibility and care, engaging productively across differences, and position the Center as an indispensable contributor to campus life, student success, and public discourse.
• Engage in fundraising and donor relations to raise and steward significant philanthropic resources in support of Center activities and initiatives.
• Collaborate across departments and disciplines to advance scholarly excellence and public scholarship related to Western civilization, civic culture, and free inquiry.

• Advanced academic credentials with an earned doctorate or terminal degree.
• A distinguished record of scholarship and teaching in a relevant field such as history, classics, political science, philosophy, or economics that would warrant a tenured faculty appointment (associate or full professor) within the College of Arts and Sciences.
• Demonstrated interdisciplinary engagement and public-facing scholarship.
• Demonstrated leadership experience required to lead and strengthen a nationally recognized academic center (e.g., leadership of a department, center, institute, think tank, or comparable organization).
• Ability to conceive, articulate, and execute a strategic vision; strong organizational, financial, administrative, and personnel management skills.
• Demonstrated ability or clear potential to engage successfully in fundraising and donor relations.
• Collaborative, transparent leadership style aligned with shared governance; exceptional communication and listening skills.
• Capacity to build trust across ideological, disciplinary, and institutional boundaries; appreciation for shared governance and institutional context.
• Commitment to academic freedom, intellectual diversity, and free inquiry; intellectual humility and resilience; entrepreneurial mindset balanced with institutional awareness.

The Benson Center Director includes $90,000 in annual compensation for the Director role, in addition to the base academic-year faculty salary of $175,000-$220,000, depending on the discipline of the joint appointment. Potential research support, course releases, and relocation assistance available, subject to University policy.

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be engaged. Be visionary. Be Boulder.

Academic and Professional Credentials

• Advanced academic credentials with an earned doctorate or terminal degree.
• A distinguished record of scholarship and teaching in a relevant field such as history, classics, political science, philosophy, or economics that would warrant a tenured faculty appointment (associate or full professor) within the College of Arts and Sciences.
• Demonstrated interdisciplinary engagement and public-facing scholarship.

Leadership and Strategic Capacity

• Demonstrated leadership experience required to lead and strengthen a nationally recognized…