"School Of Information Studies Associate Dean"

Job Details

School Of Information Studies Associate Dean & Head Of School
Milwaukee, WI
Full Time
JR10003917

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Position Title:
School of Information Studies Associate Dean & Head of School

Job Category:
Limited

Employment Type:
Regular

Job Profile:
Associate Dean

Job Duties:

The Associate Dean & Head of School will work as a member of the CCEP Dean's leadership team. In collaboration with the SOIS faculty and staff, they will be responsible for the day-to-day operations in the school. UWM's School of Information Studies is committed to shaping the future of library science and information technology, and improving the world, through innovation and inquiry, connecting humans to the information they use every day.

The primary responsibilities are to plan, develop, and administer all aspects of the School's educational programs, provide vision in setting priorities and leadership in maintaining academic standards and in strengthening faculty scholarship and research; work with partners across the university and in the community; and represent SOIS with alumni, and with appropriate external agencies and organizations regarding academic programs and standards. The Associate Dean & Head of School reports directly to the Dean and will work closely with the Dean on personnel matters and advancement and giving initiatives. The selected person will work with the School administration and faculty on course scheduling, student success and retention efforts, program reviews and accreditation self-studies. The Associate Dean & Head of School will also organize School-wide meetings, represent the School at professional association meetings, oversee advisory councils and represent the Dean on shared governance committees. This position may include limited teaching.

The anticipated start date for the position is as soon as possible, but by July 1, 2026 at the latest.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Serves on various university review committees, working with a wide range of constituencies including the Faculty Senate, Deans and Associate Deans, General Counsel, and University Leadership
• Advises and collaborates with the Dean, Assistant Deans, and/or Office of the Provost on critical issues, represents the functional area of supervision at appropriate meetings and events as requested; and serves on and/or leads various program and/or university committees as directed to address issues
• May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees
• Builds consensus and develops collegial, collaborative working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, partners with administrative and academic departments to support initiatives, and gathers input from key stakeholders to support recommendations
• Provides leadership for one or more academic programs by establishing strategic direction and setting priorities that align with the academic directives of the Dean, and ensures units effectively carry out duties in a way that best supports the university's initiatives, strategic direction, and academic mission; provides direct supervision of department/program leadership and monitors compliance with laws, regulations, university policies and procedures, and relevant contractual obligations
• Leads special initiatives and/or academic programs that require senior leadership attention with respect to program design, planning, coordination, and interaction with internal and external stakeholders
• Ensures initiatives are effectively using program assessment and data analysis to improve initiatives and strategies, identifies opportunities for improvement, and makes recommendations to the Dean for approval
• Directs on-going assessment and continuous improvement of academic programs and services by guiding the establishment of annual goals, ensuring progress towards goals is met, articulating challenges, and reporting on annual outcomes and achievements for programs/services

Department:

The School of Information Studies (SOIS) offers several educational programs: a Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology (BSIST); a Bachelor of Science in Data Analytics, cohosted with the College of Letters and Science; a Master's of Science in Information Science and Technology (MSIST) degree; an ALA-accredited Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS); several coordinated graduate degree programs, including Health Informatics; transcript-designated concentrations within the MLIS in Archival Studies, Public Libraries, Information Organization, School Librarianship and Information Technology; an undergraduate certificate in Cybersecurity; graduate certificates in Data Curation and Information Security; post-masters Certificates of Advanced Study in Archives and Records Management and Digital Libraries; and a PhD in Information Studies. The School has a strong research faculty, more than 900 students, and state-of-the-art information technology. SOIS faculty organizes three research groups: the Research Group for Information Retrieval, Knowledge Organization Research Group, and the Social Studies of Information Research Group.

SOIS is committed to excellence through diversity of thought, race, gender and community. We seek candidates who value and demonstrate an appreciation for diversity in all forms, in addition to providing the necessary support to those communities for an inclusive learning arena.

The College of Community Engagement and Professions (CCEP) is seeking an energetic, visionary scholar to serve as the Associate Dean & Head of School of the School of Information Studies (SOIS), the iSchool at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). As the school leader, this individual will build and support an inclusive and supportive environment for teaching, learning, scholarship, and service.

Compensation:

$130,000-$160,000 annually (actual hiring salary to be determined based on experience).

Required Qualifications:

• A distinguished record of scholarly achievements sufficient to meet tenure rank of Associate or Full Professor at UWM.
• A Ph.D. in a Library & Information Science (LIS) or related field.
• Administrative experience in higher education related to the responsibilities of this position.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to meet tenure rank of Full Professor.
• Three or more years of administrative experience in higher education related to the responsibilities of this position.
• Experience with providing vision and setting of priorities for academic programs.
• Ability to mentor faculty to excel in developing strong research agendas.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (as evidenced in application materials).
• Progressively increasing program, administrative and leadership responsibilities across academic programs and units.
• Successful supervisory and staff development experience.
• Ability to facilitate collaboration and promote an environment supportive of a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.
• Experience with curriculum development and innovation including current and emerging instructional technologies.
• Experience with state and/or national approval/accreditation processes (preferably ALA)
• Evidence of effective time and organizational management, including serving in leadership roles on committees.
• Experience with implementing and evaluating university and intergovernmental policies and procedures.
• Experience in working with external organizations, including expanding and building partnerships.
• Experience in library and/or information science (e.g., teaching, research, service, education).

How to Apply:

Interested applicants are required to apply online and provide:

1. Cover letter addressing minimum and preferred qualifications
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Contact information for at least three references, including email and telephone numbers

In instances where the Search and Screen Committee is unable to ascertain from the candidates' application materials whether they meet any of the qualifications, they may be evaluated as not meeting such qualifications. This is a continuous recruitment with an initial review date of November 17, 2025. To ensure consideration, applications must be submitted by November 16, 2025. Application materials received after November 16, 2025 may not receive consideration.

Questions about the position should be directed to Jackson Prowse at prowse@uwm.edu.