Dean, College of Business

Title: Dean, College of Business College/Unit: College of Business Campus

Location:

Normal, IL

Illinois State University seeks a leader who combines academic credibility, strategic vision, operational excellence, and a genuine commitment to developing people and strengthening organizations. The successful candidate will be an accomplished scholar, an experienced academic administrator, and an exceptional relationship builder who leads with integrity, humility, and purpose. This individual will understand the evolving landscape of higher education and business education while demonstrating the judgment, curiosity, and courage necessary to guide the College through future opportunities and challenges.

The next dean will be expected to foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement while serving as both the chief advocate for the College of Business and a trusted institutional leader

The dean leads in the context of shared governance, working collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, alumni, employers, corporate partners, community leaders, and University colleagues to shape the future of business education. The successful dean will balance academic excellence with operational effectiveness, entrepreneurial thinking with thoughtful stewardship, and innovation with a deep respect for the college’s traditions and values. While the dean serves as the chief advocate for the College of Business, Illinois State also expects its deans to serve as institutional leaders.

The next dean will contribute to university-wide initiatives, collaborate across colleges and divisions, and help strengthen Illinois State as a whole. Opportunities for collaboration include partnerships with the new College of Engineering, the Katie School of Insurance and Risk Management and its connections to actuarial science, and the School of Information Technology in the College of Applied Science and Technology.

These partnerships offer opportunities to advance interdisciplinary initiatives in areas such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, risk management, and innovation. The University is not seeking a leader who simply manages an excellent college. We seek a leader who will elevate it. The next dean joins the College of Business at a pivotal moment for both business education and higher education.

Rapid advances in technology, changing workforce expectations, demographic shifts, new models of learning, and increasing demands for public accountability are transforming the role of colleges of business. These changes present an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine how business education prepares graduates, supports organizations, advances scholarship, and contributes to economic and community vitality. The next dean will have the opportunity to build upon the college’s many strengths while leading its next phase of growth and distinction.

Build an exceptional college The next dean will continue building a culture characterized by trust, transparency, collaboration, accountability, and shared purpose. The successful dean will invest in leadership development throughout the College of Business, empowering department chairs, faculty, and staff while fostering an environment where innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement become part of the college’s everyday culture. Prepare students for the future Business education is evolving rapidly.

Employers increasingly seek graduates who combine technical expertise with adaptability, ethical judgment, systems thinking, communication skills, and the ability to lead in environments characterized by uncertainty and rapid change. The next dean will position the College of Business to…