Dean, College of Engineering

Dean, College of Engineering

Job No: 553016

Work Type: Management (MPP)

Location: Central California:
San Luis Obispo

Categories: Bargaining Unit: MPP, Job Search Category/Discipline:
Administrative, Appointment Type:
At-Will, Time Basis:
Full Time, Workplace Type (Exclude Inst Fac):
On-site (work in-person at business location)

The College of Engineering (CENG) is a national leader in engineering education with its Learn by Doing, hands‑on approach and focus on undergraduate and master’s degree education. The College includes approximately 6,200 undergraduate students and 300 graduate students enrolled in 14 bachelor’s and 11 master’s degree programs, most of which are ABET accredited. With an emphasis on applied learning and problem‑solving, CENG’s graduates are heavily recruited by leading companies such as Apple, Boeing, Cisco, Google, Tesla Motors and state and federal agencies.

CENG offers highly‑ranked programs, including Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science & Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, General Engineering, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and additional graduate programs in Engineering Management, Fire Protection Engineering, and Regenerative Medicine. The College recently unveiled the Noyce School of Applied Computing, an interdisciplinary school combining Electrical Engineering, Computer Science & Software Engineering, and Computer Engineering.

In November 2024, the California State University Board of Trustees voted to integrate Cal Poly and the California State University Maritime Academy, effective July 1, 2025. This integration reinforces our commitment to learning outcomes, increased enrollment, and a semester calendar system set for the 2026‑2027 academic year.

The Dean reports directly to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and serves as the lead academic and administrative officer for the College. The Dean’s responsibilities include:

• Devising and executing strategic planning and visioning for the College, fostering an organizational culture that supports recruitment, retention, and professional development of faculty, staff, and students.
• Reaffirming Cal Poly’s teacher‑scholar model and supporting faculty integration of teaching, scholarship, professional engagement, and service commitments.
• Managing the vision and direction of high‑quality academic programs and overseeing fiscal, human, and physical resources and facilities of CENG.
• Acting as the main spokesperson for the College, building deeper connections internally with university leaders and alumni, and externally with industry and government officials.
• Leading an administrative team that includes three directors, three associate deans, an assistant dean, nine department heads, and approximately 187 tenure‑track faculty, 216 lecturers, and 46 staff.
• Managing a complex budget of $56 million and extensive engineering facilities.

The new Dean will join a highly reputable College with a solid and successful foundation, dedicated faculty, staff, and students. In this role, the Dean will:

• Provide strategic visioning and planning to elevate the College’s excellence, prominence, and national reputation.
• Build and deepen partnerships that support and enhance the success of the College and its students.
• Thoughtfully manage CENG’s complex infrastructure while creatively augmenting resources through fundraising.
• Support a high‑performing College of dedicated and ambitious faculty and staff.
• Serve as a strategic university partner at Cal Poly and in the CSU system to support university‑wide goals and initiatives.

Additionally, the Dean will play a key role in the upcoming transition to a semester system and year‑round operations, assist with the integration of Cal Maritime, support university‑wide fundraising goals, and help represent California’s population in student enrollment.

The ideal candidate will have a distinguished record of achievement in at least one of the engineering…