"Dean, College of Arts and Sciences"

Job Details

Saint Mary's College of California invites applications and nominations for the position of Inaugural Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS).

Following an engaged process of examination through the Unification Task Force, the Saint Mary's Board of Trustees has recently approved the unification of two vital academic units of the College: (the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Sciences), now formally known as the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS). The Inaugural Dean of SAS will join Saint Mary's at a transformative time, with new institutional leadership and a renewed commitment to mission-driven, equity-centered education. In July 2024, the College welcomed President Roger Thompson, Ed.D., and in July 2025, appointed Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Carol Ann Gittens, Ph.D.

Saint Mary's College is unifying the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Science into a single School of Arts and Sciences. This structural change strengthens the College's academic identity, responds to national higher-education challenges, and positions the institution for long-term vitality.

The unification clarifies the full scope of the liberal arts, demonstrating that they include the humanities, arts, sciences, and social sciences. By bringing these disciplines together, the College removes structural silos that previously separated them and reaffirms the liberal arts as the educational foundation of the institution.

The new structure also enhances enrollment competitiveness by aligning Saint Mary's with peer institutions nationwide. Prospective students will encounter a clearer and more compelling academic identity, along with expanded interdisciplinary opportunities that reflect contemporary expectations for a liberal arts education.

This unification preserves signature programs, supports faculty excellence, enhances the student experience, and provides a bold vision for fundraising and growth. It is a proactive investment in Saint Mary's future, renewing the liberal arts for the decades ahead.

Renowned for the beauty of its campus, Saint Mary's College is located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area in Moraga, California, a suburban community about 10 miles east of Berkeley and 20 miles east of San Francisco. From its earliest days, Saint Mary's has been committed to making exemplary education accessible to all. For 160 years, Saint Mary's has emphasized service, pursued justice—social, economic, and racial—and developed respectful partnerships with underserved communities. Saint Mary's has engaged tens of thousands of students in an intellectually rigorous, transformative, and whole-person experience. Each generation of faculty and staff has encouraged a culture of collective inquiry and innovative thinking that has an impact beyond its East Bay classrooms and into the wider world. The Lasallian Catholic heritage supports a truly transformative education and is part of the essential nature of Saint Mary's.

Today, 2,151 undergraduate, 861 graduate students, and 54,620 living alumni call themselves Gaels. Saint Mary's has proudly been classified as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) since 2015, with 27% of its students identifying as Latinx. In its deep commitment to the Lasallian tradition of inclusive communities, Saint Mary's is creating a community that goes beyond the tolerance of differences to one guided by the call to love, which is expressed in social justice, cultural competence, and engaged citizenship.

This strategic step strengthens the College's academic identity, addresses national and local challenges in higher education, and positions the College for long-term vitality. By unifying the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Science into the new School of Arts and Sciences, they are reaffirming and elevating their core liberal arts commitment by bringing together the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences into a single unit as the foundation of the Lasallian educational mission.

The integration preserves the distinctive programs, promotes faculty excellence, improves the student experience, and provides a bold vision for fundraising, program and research possibilities, and enrollment growth. Existing resources from the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Science are sustained to properly support the development of the School of Arts and Sciences. In total, the School of Arts and Sciences will bring together approximately 48 full-time faculty and 8 full-time staff from the School of Science with approximately 84 full-time faculty and 14 full-time staff from the School of Liberal Arts. The annual operating budget for the new School of Arts and Sciences will be approximately $18M.

This is a unique opportunity for impact at a distinguished college with a long and highly regarded history. The inaugural dean will have a unique opportunity to forge the identity of the newly unified School, elevate its current successes, and together with the Saint Mary's College community, envision its future.

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile.

WittKieffer is assisting Saint Mary's College of California in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by February 27, 2026.

Saint Mary's reasonably expects to pay in the range of $300,000.

Nominations, inquiries, and expressions of interest can be directed to Melody Rose, Ph.D., Alejandra Gillette-Teran, and Tyler Workman at:

SaintMarysDean@wittkieffer.com