and pressing problems facing California and beyond through Cal Poly's signature Learn by Doing approach.
For more than a century, Learn by Doing has prepared Cal Poly graduates to lead, solve complex problems, and contribute immediately. CENG is central to that promise, offering 14 bachelor’s and 11 master’s programs across engineering and computer science with a strong emphasis on applied learning, design, innovation, and industry-connected scholarship. The College is entering a defining moment. Cal Poly’s annual student demand exceeds current capacity by over 36,000 qualified individuals. CENG has the largest proportion of that strong applicant demand within Cal Poly, as well as the largest numbers of graduates with job placements in industry within the university. Given CENG’s central importance to Cal Poly, the dean must have a strong and robust vision for the needs of current and future students that are aligned with workforce and research opportunities.
Cal Poly has established a multimillion-dollar endowment for a named deanship for the College of Engineering and Noyce School of Applied Computing, providing sustained resources to advance strategic priorities, faculty and staff excellence, student opportunities, applied research, and innovation. The Noyce School is the first interdisciplinary school of its kind at Cal Poly. The Noyce School combines three departments — electrical engineering, computer science and software engineering, and computer engineering, with statistics joining as an affiliate. The Noyce School’s $60 million endowment helps expand applied computing, AI, and cross-campus problem solving at Cal Poly.
The next dean will join Cal Poly at a time of momentum and transformation. The mission of CENG and the Noyce School permeates applied problem solving and Learn by Doing across the university. As such, the dean will work closely with the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and will have university-wide responsibilities. Cal Poly will complete its transition to the semester calendar during the 2026-27 academic year, and CENG will lead the way in enrollment growth, expansion of high impact practices for students, applied research, and industry collaborations.
NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONS
Cal Poly has retained the services of Dr. Josh Ward at the executive search firm Korn Ferry. To apply for the position, candidates should submit an up-to-date and detailed curriculum vitae, as well as a brief letter of interest (not to exceed four pages) describing why you are interested in the role of Dean of the College of Engineering at Cal Poly, why you are a good fit for the position based on your leadership experience, and why now is a good time for you to consider the opportunity. For priority consideration, please submit all application materials by Friday, August 14, 2026. For a copy of the full-length position description, or to submit your curriculum vitae and letter of interest (in PDF), please contact:
Josh Ward, PhD
Senior Client Partner
Higher Education | Academic Medicine
Korn Ferry
(405) 640-3994
Josh.Ward@KornFerry.com
