Leadership Searches

As the College's chief academic and executive officer, the Dean provides intellectual, strategic, and moral leadership that cultivates a shared sense of purpose and direction. The Dean works closely with department heads, faculty, and staff within the College and fellow deans, vice presidents, vice provosts, and other leaders throughout the institution. The Dean is the most prominent advocate for engineering at the University of South Florida and, as such, builds and leverages relationships with alumni, industry 
leaders, influential partners internally and externally, and stakeholders across the University, the state of Florida, and around the world. 

The Dean has 11 direct reports, including the seven department chairs, the Executive Associate Dean, the Associate Dean for Research, the Associate Dean for Access & Engineering Workforce Development, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The College of Engineering has an operating budget of $111 million, and the Dean is expected to be an adept financial planner and steward on behalf of the College. 

Key Opportunities and Challenges 

The Dean will be expected and empowered to: 

Leverage the strengths of a tier one, AAU research institution to build a collaborative, impactful, and interdisciplinary vision for the College of Engineering
In recent years, USF has experienced a notable upward trajectory marked by advancements in research, increased enrollments, and enhanced USNWR rankings. The incoming Dean assumes their role at a pivotal juncture, as both the College and the university stand at the threshold of further expansion with the aim of placing USF among the top 25 public universities, and with a heavy emphasis on fundamental, applied, and translational research as central to USF’s effort. This presents a significant opportunity for the Dean to collaborate with faculty, staff, and students in crafting a vision for the next chapter of the College of Engineering in harmony with the objectives and goals in the University's Strategic Plan. 

The College of Engineering Dean has the opportunity to develop a new strategic plan with actionable goals that promote the work of the College, advance research, and serve the greater mission of the University. The University has announced plans to create a full-fledged College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing whose research will align with the College of Engineering, and which will serve as a 
collaborative for new investments and advancements. The Dean will leverage these new opportunities and partner with deans and the Provost to chart the next epoch of growth for the College.

Elevate fundamental, applied, and translational research across the College and the University of South Florida
As a newly minted AAU institution, the threshold for research excellence has never been higher at USF, and the College of Engineering has played a vital role in contributing to the university’s research enterprise both in terms of research expenditures and the intellectual contributions of its faculty, scholars, and students. The Dean will nurture the continued growth of research across the College of Engineering, including focused attention on cross-pollinating Centers and Institutes, while expanding the College’s 
sphere of impact across the university. The Dean will leverage the College’s close relationship with other collaborative colleges, the unique capacities of the IAE, and its talented Engineering Advisory Board, among other assets, to address Florida’s and the world’s most pressing challenges.

An adept understanding of the federal funding landscape and a creative approach to differentiating funding streams will be essential in maximizing research growth and innovation opportunities. Corporate funding is currently at $10m for the College, and there is potential to grow both corporate and foundation support for research. 

Cultivate, steward, and support the talented faculty, staff, and students of the College of Engineering
The College of Engineering boasts a skilled faculty comprising scholars, researchers, and educators of the highest caliber, all of whom are dedicated to USF’s mission as an essential public university. The Dean will support their academic and research pursuits, aligning them with the College's vision, emphasizing their broader impact, and fostering professional growth opportunities for tenure and non-tenure track faculty. The Dean will be an effective recruiter and continue to attract world-class faculty to expand the knowledge and breadth of the College. 

Furthermore, the Dean will build opportunities for professional growth and advancement for the talented staff who support the College’s ambitions and endeavors. The Dean will also be a champion for advancing the College’s educational offerings, empowering staff and faculty to explore innovative learning modalities to meet students where they are, ensuring robust resources are available to support student 
life and student mental health, and encouraging undergraduate research and further career opportunities.

Manage resources effectively while expanding the College’s funding base and revenue streams
The next Dean must expand and strengthen the financial base of the College to support its most ambitious aims. The Dean must be able to advocate for the College in the context of a public university system and be adept at securing public and private funding. Florida’s dynamic growth offers myriad industry opportunities, such as tourism, the Space Coast, coastal and environmental sustainability, and biomanufacturing sectors supported by State, Federal, and private funding. All the necessary ingredients are in place: a strong institutional reputation, subject relevance, donor interest, philanthropic capacity, and the intellectual activities and successes to inspire, galvanize, and cement support for the College’s aspirations.

View the position PDF. 

The successful candidate must have an excellent history of scholarly accomplishment, research leadership, and administrative acumen. The next Dean of Engineering will possess a clear vision of the future of engineering research and education, a proven record of achieving community and philanthropic support, an understanding and appreciation of shared governance, a demonstrated commitment to student success, and the ability to work effectively with various industry and other external stakeholders.

A successful candidate should possess many of the following characteristics: 

•  A renowned scholar-leader with an established record of advanced research in engineering, including credentials that merit appointment at the rank of full professor. A Ph.D. is required;
• A demonstrated record and commitment to supporting world-class research, teaching, and public service;
• Substantial administrative leadership and fluency in the operational aspects and management expectations of a large, complex, tier one research university;
• Proven success in — or aptitude for — external and alumni relations and development;
• A record of success in identifying and recruiting outstanding faculty and staff;
• The ability to identify and cultivate sources of external funding and support;
• An inspirational commitment to and vision for undergraduate and graduate education;
• Support entrepreneurship and close relationships within the engineering and high-technology industries;
• The ability to navigate university-level administration;
• An articulate vision for the role of engineering colleges in the 21st century;
• A commitment to and vision for collaborative and interdisciplinary engagements, locally, regionally, and globally.

• Bernard Batson, Associate Dean for Access & Engineering Workforce Development
• Tiffany Chenneville, Professor, Marie E. and E. Leslie Cole Endowed Chair in Ethics, College of Arts and Sciences, USF St. Petersburg campus
• Julius Davis, President and CEO of VoltAir, Inc.
• Cindy DeLuca, Vice President for Student Success
• Rajiv Dubey, Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Eric Eisenberg, Senior Vice President for University-Community Partnerships
• Sarina Ergas, Professor & Graduate Program Coordinator Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Robert Frisina, Distinguished University Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Medical Engineering
• Yogi Goswami, Distinguished University Professor of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering
• Paul Kirchman, Campus Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, USF Sarasota-Manatee campus
• Mingyang Li, Associate Professor Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
• Pritish Mukherjee, Vice Provost for Strategy, Institutional Excellence & Faculty Success
• David Simmons, Associate Professor of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering
• Sylvia Thomas, Vice President of Research & Innovation, President & CEO of the USF Research Foundation Inc.
• Jing Wang, Professor and Co-Director of Center for Wireless and Microwave Information Systems (WAMI Center)

ENG Advisory Committee Kickoff Meeting
May 2, 2023
Agenda