Dean of Humanities

The Dean will lead a nationally-recognized and growing humanities enterprise during a time in higher education when universities are being challenged to communicate the role that a liberal arts education and the humanities play in educating future leaders and students. The division touches all parts of campus, as over 90 percent of students take a humanities course during their time at ASU. ASU Humanities continues to reach new milestones as the division is home to over 4,800 undergraduate majors and graduate students as of fall 2026. Faculty in the division have contributed to over $34 million in external research funding over the past decade and provide leadership in over 15 internationally recognized research centers and institutes. Reporting to the Executive Vice President and Provost for the University as well as the Senior Vice Provost and Dean for The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Dean will build on this momentum by engaging students, faculty, staff, and the broader ASU community in a bold and forward-looking vision for the humanities. Operating in a highly complex and fast-paced environment, the Dean will support the broader mission of ASU and position the humanities division as a leader in inclusive excellence, social embeddedness and impact, and interdisciplinarity. 

A leading public university based in the metropolitan Phoenix area, ASU is realizing a bold reinvention of higher education as the New American University. Under the leadership of President Michael Crow, ASU has developed numerous programs and units that bridge and transcend disciplinary boundaries to enable the exploration and discovery of new knowledge while developing solutions to serve Arizona and the world at large. The university has strong and simultaneous commitments to educational attainment, innovation, and sustainable outcomes, and assumes significant responsibility for the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its surrounding communities. This strategy is built around intellectual fusion, use-inspired research, and scholarship that addresses today's largest and most essential societal problems.

In order to be successful, the incoming Dean of Humanities must address the following opportunities and challenges:

Set a compelling vision that further strengthens ASU's position as a national leader in the humanities and elevates the Division's influence across the University and beyond; Lead the nation in expanding access to a humanities education that equips students to read closely, reason clearly, and understand people across languages, cultures, and centuries; Build and sustain a world-class community of scholars, educators, and alumni whose work advances human knowledge; Leverage ASU's unparalleled intellectual ecosystem to demonstrate how the humanities can enrich lives, strengthen communities, and help solve global challenges; Mobilize resources, partnerships, and philanthropy at scale to fuel innovation and growth.

ASU has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. For more details, including the full position profile and to submit inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications, please see the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/arizona-state-university-college-liberal-arts-and-sciences/Dean-humanities. Electronic submission of materials is required.

David Bellshaw, Luciano Zuniga, and Kendra Moleé

Isaacson, Miller

Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For more information, please visit: https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.

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