The University of North Alabama seeks a strategic, collaborative, and forward-looking leader to serve as Dean of the Sanders College of Business and Technology (AACSB-accredited). This is an exciting opportunity to lead a college positioned at the intersection of business, technology, workforce development, innovation, and regional economic growth. The dean is the principal administrator and primary advocate for the college and reports directly to the Provost and Executive Vice President for…
Academic Affairs.
The SandersCollege of Business and Technology offers Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degrees in accounting, computer information systems, data analytics, finance, human resource management, innovation and entrepreneurship, management, and marketing, as well as a BS in Computer Science and BS in Information Technology. The college also offers an Online BBA in Management or HR. Numerous minors or certificates are also available for undergraduate students to pursue. The college offers three degrees at the master's level (MBA, MAcc, MHA), which are mostly online, and one degree at the doctoral level (EDBA) which is delivered in a hybrid modality, plus micro-credentials and certificate programs for post-baccalaureate students. The college has approximately 2,650 students, with 1,650 at the undergraduate level and 1,000 at the graduate level.
The college is accredited by AACSB, the premier accrediting body for business schools. The BBA in CIS, the BSCS, and BSIT are also accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. The college operates centralized career, advising, and experiential learning offices for its majors as well as specialized Centers to engage both students and the professional community, and also runs a state-of-the-art business incubator for students who desire to create their own business. The college is also extensively involved in economic development through the University’s Office of Regional Engagement. More information about the Sanders College of Business and Technology is available at https://www.una.edu/business.
The University of North Alabama is a regional, accredited, doctoral-level, comprehensive state-assisted university with over 10,500 students and offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its four colleges of arts, sciences, and engineering; business and technology; education and human sciences, and nursing and health professions. UNA was named one of America’s “Great Colleges to Work For” in 2020, 2022, and 2024 by the Chronicle of Higher Education, the nation’s premier publication for professionals in the academic world. UNA is one of the most picturesque campuses in Alabama, occupying a 140-acre pedestrian-friendly campus in Florence, Alabama’s historic district. UNA is located within the Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area. The University’s athletics programs are NCAA Division I and compete within the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN), save for the football program which is a founding member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC). UNA’s faculty and staff enjoy a competitive salary and benefits package and are supported in their professional and career endeavors through encouraged participation in conferences, research opportunities, and various other types of professional development activities.
Florence, along with adjacent towns, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia make up an area known as the “Shoals”. Located in the hills of northwest Alabama, on the banks of the Tennessee River, the Shoals offers its citizens an enviable sense of safety and comfort in year-round temperate climate. The Shoals area is a regional hub of 140,000 people located within easy driving distance of Birmingham, Memphis, and Nashville. The area has a rich tradition in the arts, culture, entertainment, and recreation that includes numerous festivals throughout the year, two Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses, the birthplaces of Helen Keller and W.C. Handy, the Rosenbaum House/Museum (the only Frank Lloyd Wright home in Alabama), a proud musical heritage and home to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the famous Muscle Shoals Sound, and much more. The Shoals area is consistently recognized in national magazines and on travel sites as a great place to live. Florence, Alabama, offers a high quality of life in a thriving regional center for culture, healthcare, commerce, and recreation. The community is welcoming and receptive, with a temperate climate that supports year-round outdoor activities and a long-standing tradition of relaxed hospitality. For more information about the Shoals, please visit the following websites: www.una.edu/visit/, www.visitflorenceal.com, www.shoalschamber.com.
The successful candidate will preserve and strengthen the college’s positive culture while advancing academic quality, technology integration, workforce relevance, and student success. The successful candidate will listen carefully, build trust, communicate clearly, support faculty and staff, and help the Sanders College develop a distinctive academic identity rooted in academic excellence and strong career outcomes.
Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
Essential Job Duties
The dean serves as the chief academic and administrative officer of the Sanders College of Business and Technology, providing strategic direction, managing resources effectively, strengthening academic programs, and advancing the College’s role in student success, workforce development, and regional engagement.
The dean will be expected to:
- Provide strategic leadership for the College while strengthening its culture, academic quality, AACSB accreditation, and commitment to faculty, staff, and student success.
- Advance enrollment, retention, career readiness, technology integration, responsible program growth, and workforce alignment.
- Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with alumni, donors, employers, advisory boards, and regional industry leaders while responsibly stewarding college resources.
- Expand fundraising and regional engagement by cultivating relationships throughout North Alabama, including the Shoals and surrounding communities, with leaders and organizations in the defense, technology, analytics, and advanced manufacturing sectors to create new opportunities for students, faculty, and the College.
Minimum Qualifications
An earned doctorate or appropriate terminal degree in a discipline represented within the Sanders College of Business and Technology or a closely related field is required. Candidates must also have teaching, scholarly, professional, or applied achievements commensurate with appointment at the rank of full professor with tenure, as well as successful administrative leadership experience in higher education.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
The successful candidate should demonstrate strong communication and trust-building leadership; experience with strategic planning, budgeting, personnel management, accreditation, and continuous improvement; commitment to academic excellence, faculty and staff support, student success, workforce alignment, and shared governance; and success building external partnerships.
Preferred Qualifications
Preferred qualifications include experience in an AACSB-accredited college or school of business; leadership of business or technology-related academic programs; fundraising, alumni, donor, or industry partnership experience; and success with enrollment growth, retention, internships, career placement, regional economic development, or related workforce initiatives.
Special Instructions to Applicants
To view the complete job description and/or apply for this position, please visit our Online Employment System at https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/una/jobs/5439326/dean-sanders-college-of-business-technology. Applications will only be accepted via this system. Please be prepared to upload a cover letter and resume/CV at the time of application and provide contact information for at least three professional/academic references. Transcripts are also required.
The cover letter should address the applicant’s qualifications for the position, including leadership experience, academic and administrative accomplishments, vision for a college of business and technology, experience with accreditation or continuous improvement, and ability to build external partnerships.
Official transcripts for the highest degree attained are required of the successful candidate, but unofficial copies will be accepted for the application process. If any graduate hours in the relevant teaching discipline are taken from a degree that is not the highest attained, an official transcript of that degree must also be submitted. Electronic copies, if available, of unofficial transcripts may be attached under the attachment headings of Unofficial Transcript 1, Unofficial Transcript 2, etc.
For questions, please email employment@una.edu or call 256.765.4291 and select option #2. Selecting an option other than #2 will result in a delayed response.
UNA is an equal opportunity employer. We seek a wide range of applicants for our positions so that our core values will be affirmed.
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