Divisional Dean, Volgenau School of Engineering

Divisional Dean, Volgenau School of Engineering The Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University invites applications and nominations for the position of Divisional Dean. The Divisional Dean will play a critical leadership role in guiding the evolution of the newly created College of Engineering and Computing and its two Schools, capitalizing on the momentum that is propelling Mason into the ranks of some of the most highly regarded public research universities in the nation.

In conjunction with Amazon’s decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest $750 million in the growth of degree programs in computing. At that time, Mason committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing-related disciplines and, in June 2021, launched a brand-new School of Computing that sits alongside the Volgenau School of Engineering, under the umbrella of the College of Engineering and Computing.
About George Mason University:

Mason was founded as a branch of the University of Virginia in 1957 and became an independent institution in 1972. The largest public university in Virginia, George Mason enrolls nearly 40,000 students from all 50 states and 130 countries on four campuses: a 677-acre campus in Fairfax, Virginia; a science and technology campus in Prince William County, Virginia; a professional campus in Arlington, Virginia; and an international campus in Songdo, South Korea. In addition to these campuses, Mason operates a site in Loudoun County, Virginia, and has partnered with the Smithsonian Institution to offer a Global Conservation Studies Program at the Smithsonian Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia. Each Mason location has a distinctive academic and research focus that plays a critical role in the economy of the region. It is the youngest university of the 130 R1 institutions and the fastest growing public research university in the United States.

With over 1,800 faculty, Mason offers 200 undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and professional degree programs across 10 schools and colleges:
Antonin Scalia Law School Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution College of Education and Human Development College of Engineering and Computing College of Health and Human Services College of Humanities and Social Sciences College of Science College of Visual and Performing Arts Schar School of Policy and Government School of Business

In 2021, U.S. News and World Report ranked Mason among the top 35 most innovative universities in the United States and 15th nationally for ethnic diversity (#1 in Virginia). The University prides itself on being an innovative and inclusive academic community committed to making the world more prosperous, free, and just and on providing a campus atmosphere that allows its students to thrive. Mason is committed to exemplary leadership around anti-racism and promotes research that supports social justice.

As a public research university in one of the most important political, economic, and intellectual hubs in the world, Mason accepts its responsibility to serve others: to help its students succeed, to enrich the life of its community, and to contribute to solving some of the most complex global problems of our time. As reflected in its 2014-2024 Strategic Plan produce the types of career-ready graduates, research, scholarship, and service-oriented action that will best serve society. In September 2021, President Washington launched a new strategic planning initiative to define the University’s target priorities, strategies, and action steps. The new five-year strategic plan is expected to be completed in June 2022.

Mason’s innovative and entrepreneurial attitude and its culture of diversity and accessibility have served the University well over the past four decades. These characteristics—referred to as the Mason IDEA— highlight how the University defines itself and are central to its strategic plan:
Innovative – Mason does not cling to old ways just because they have worked in the past. The University honors time-tested academic principles while striving to create new forms of education that serve students better and new paths of research that can discover solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. Diverse – Mason brings together a multitude of people and ideas in everything that the University does. The University’s culture of inclusion, multidisciplinary approach, and global perspective benefit both education and scholarship. Entrepreneurial – Mason takes ideas into action. The University educates students to become agents of positive change, to do or create jobs, and to create value through government or business, public or private organizations, academia, or the arts. Mason pursues discoveries that can make a difference in the world and helps the community thrive culturally, socially, and economically. Accessible – Mason is an open and welcoming community. The University partners with public and private organizations in the region and around the world and proactively engages with the community. Mason defines its success by how many talented students with potential are served, not by how many are left out.
Mason is a minority-majority university with tremendous diversity among its students and with comparable graduation rates across all demographic groups (contrary to nation-wide disparities in minority graduation rates). More than one third (36%) of Mason students are first-generation college students. In Fall 2021, Mason welcomed its largest and most diverse group of students in university history; 57 percent of the first-year students come from traditionally underrepresented groups.

In December 2018, Mason concluded a ten-year comprehensive campaign that raised more than $690 million to support its students through scholarships and fellowships, its faculty through endowed chairs and faculty development funds, its physical infrastructure through new buildings and renovations of existing facilities, and its commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship through the funding of big ideas that can change the world. The theme of the campaign, Faster Farther, describes the ethos of Mason and each of its academic units. It is expected that a new campaign will launch within the next year.

About the College of Engineering and Computing:

Located in the heart of northern Virginia’s technology corridor, the College of Engineering and Computing is a fast growing force for innovation in research and education. In the next decade, the College expects to continue its transformation to one of the country’s largest, most comprehensive colleges by expanding its programs, growing its enrollment, and increasing its research.

The combination of investment from the Commonwealth of Virginia and workforce initiatives from industry create significant opportunities for the College to educate a diverse workforce with sophisticated computing competencies. Legislation passed in 2019 to fund the state’s Tech Talent Investment Program commits more than $700 million and establishes a goal for Virginia to produce at least 25,000 additional graduates in computer-related fields by 2039.

As of fall 2021, 9,104 students are enrolled in 35 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, including several first-in-the-nation offerings, as well as two undergraduate and eight graduate certificate programs. The College is comprised of the Volgenau School of Engineering (VSE) and the School of Computing (SoC). Through these two schools, the following nine departments work cooperatively to build unique and timely programs, including several interdisciplinary degrees:
Bioengineering Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering Computer Science Cyber Security Engineering Electrical and Computer Engineering Information Sciences and Technology Mechanical Engineering Statistics Systems Engineering and Operations Research
All the programs accredited by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission are housed in the Volgenau School of Engineering, and all the programs accredited by the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission are housed in the School of Computing.

Mason is known for its leadership in emerging areas including big data, cybersecurity, health care technology, robotics and autonomous systems, signals and communications, and sustainable infrastructure. Of the 271 full-time faculty who comprise the College, 151 are tenured or on tenure-track, and 120 are instructional or research faculty; in addition, there are nearly 190 part-time and adjunct faculty. Mason Engineering and Computing faculty hold 137 patents and copyrights. College-wide there are 19 recipients of the prestigious CAREER/Young Investigator Awards, 18 IEEE Fellows, and 2 ACM Fellows, four IMS Fellows, three ASA Fellows, and 2 Elected Members of ISI. In the last year, sponsored research expenditures were $75 million and sponsored research awards exceeded $60 million. The College offers the first bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cyber security engineering, and HERD ranks the College #1 in Virginia for computer and information systems research expenditures.
About the Volgenau School of Engineering:

Established in 1985, the Volgenau School of Engineering (VSE) grew its extensive engineering degree offerings in direct response to a request to assist the U.S. Government with official national security and defense priorities. Today, it remains the Commonwealth of Virginia’s only school of engineering with its main campus in the National Capital Region. With a central location in one of the East Coast’s most active tech corridors, VSE is a top 100 school of engineering, according to the 2022 U.S. News and World Report, with unparalleled access to the nation’s top innovators. Elite science and technology organizations recognize VSE faculty as leaders in their fields and establish collaborative partnerships. These partnerships introduce industry knowledge to the classroom, challenging students to push the boundaries of research, skill, and application based on real-time knowledge of marketplace demand.

In Fall 2021, the Volgenau School of Engineering enrolled 3,326 students in its 26 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs and certificates, including several first-in-the-nation offerings. The School also offers interdisciplinary programs in cyber security engineering and data analytics engineering that integrate expertise across multiple engineering and computing departments. VSE is comprised of the following six departments:

Bioengineering: Bioengineering is an interdisciplinary field that integrates engineering, biology, and medicine to promote scientific discovery, new technology, and medical therapies to improve health. The Bioengineering Department also explores smaller scale research into such fields as nanotechnology. VSE is creating partnerships with biomedical organizations in the Washington, D.C. area to forge research collaborations and to expand training and internship opportunities for Mason students. The Bioengineering Department includes primary faculty members, as well as affiliate faculty from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and Computer Science Department. The Department supports bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in bioengineering, as well as minor and several concentrations.

Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering: The Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE) is an internationally recognized program that educates visionary students to lead in the development of sustainable cities. The faculty and students seek innovative solutions to construct energy-efficient and environmentally informed buildings, transit systems, utilities, and infrastructure through the use of sustainable materials and renewable resources. The nation relies on a vast network of infrastructure systems that are becoming more interdependent as urban areas grow and increase. The CEIE Department uses sound, sophisticated civil engineering principles, and technology-based best practices to develop and implement successful solutions to complex, multi-disciplinary engineering challenges. The Department offers bachelor of science, master of science, and doctor of philosophy degrees in civil and infrastructure engineering, as well as a minor in environmental engineering.

Cyber Security Engineering: The Department of Cyber Security Engineering is the first of its kind in the country. The department was established in 2020 by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and earned its ABET accreditation in January 2021. However, the newly formed multidisciplinary department already had a history of giving students a strong foundation in a dynamic field. As the cyber world has become more integrated with physical life, cybersecurity is essential to protecting critical infrastructures like gas, water, and electricity, personal information, and privacy. Cyber Security Engineering faculty continually adapt courses and programs to account for the changing times and conduct ground-breaking research in their fields. The department strives to prepare students for graduation and develop the next generation of cyber defenders who will have to face threats and challenges never seen before. The Department offers coursework in bachelors and masters programs that emphasize problem-solving skills and hands-on learning.

Electrical and Computer Engineering: The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) blends electrical and electronic studies and research to develop, design, and operate computers, machines, hardware, and software. VSE’s experiential learning process includes a Capstone Project, an advanced design enterprise. Groups conceive, design, and implement a hardware project or hardware-related software project, considering all engineering aspects. ECE faculty and students are also involved in innovative research in a variety of areas, such as bioengineering, cryptography and network security, medical imaging, nanotechnology, ocean acoustic tomography, and wireless communications. ECE faculty at Mason have funding from several major agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Institutes of Health. The ECE Department offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in electrical and computer engineering. Additionally, the Department supports master’s programs in telecommunications and digital forensics and graduate certificates in telecommunications and satellite engineering.

Mechanical Engineering: With faculty expertise in mechanics, materials, manufacturing, thermal and fluid sciences, robotics, mechatronics, control, design and optimization, along with partnerships in various departments within the College of Engineering and Computing and College of Science, the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) prepares students to develop innovative solutions and meet the growing demands of worldwide energy needs spurred by population growth and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels. Mechanical Engineering graduates oversee the operations and management of large systems in nuclear energy, biofuels, wind, and tidal energies to build an energy portfolio that exploits these seemingly limitless resources. The ME Department supports undergraduate and graduate students in their development and application of skills that they can apply to a broad range of fields. Faculty have applied expertise in sustainable infrastructures to build solar-powered machinery, and their Cyber Security focus makes the ME Department an incubator for the newest networks and systems. The Department offers a bachelor of science and minor in mechanical engineering, as well as an accelerated master’s degree, a doctoral degree, and a graduate certificate in naval ship design.

Systems Engineering and Operations Research: The Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research offers students the “people-oriented engineering profession.” Systems engineers determine the most effective ways for an organization to use all a system’s components — people, machines, materials, information, and energy. Systems engineers plan, design, implement and manage complex systems that assure performance, safety, reliability, and maintainability at a reasonable cost and delivered on time. Operations Research deals with the use of scientific methods in management decision-making, especially for the best allocation of limited resources. Operations researchers try to find order in apparent chaos by identifying the structure in complex situations and understanding how the components or organizations interact. They can then explain and predict the effect of actions on these systems. The Systems Engineering Department offers bachelors and master’s degree programs in systems engineering, as well as master’s degree programs in operations research and data analytics. The Department also offers doctoral programs in systems engineering and operations research and information technology.

The Volgenau School of Engineering has an operating budget of $24.8 million. The School is comprised of 127 full-time faculty (77 tenured or tenure-track and 50 instructional and research faculty) and is supported by 14 dedicated staff members. In the last year, sponsored research expenditures were nearly $11 million and sponsored research awards were $12.9 million.

About Divisional Dean position, Volgenau School of Engineering:

Reporting to the Dean of the College, with a dotted line to the Provost, the Divisional Dean is the chief academic and administrative leader for the Volgenau School of Engineering (VSE) and serves as a key member of the leadership team of the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC). In this inaugural position, the Divisional Dean will serve as an executive and thought leader of the School and will be responsible for the following:
Establish School’s strategic goals and implementation plan aligned with the goals and implementation plans of CEC and George Mason University; Partner with the CEC Dean, Dean’s staff, and CEC department chairs to help achieve the School’s education, research and service mission and goals; Elevate School and CEC stature, both inside and outside the University; Strengthen a culture of collegiality, collaboration, service and excellence among School faculty and staff; and Be a strong and effective School advocate across Mason and the broader community, while simultaneously respecting and advancing the interests of the other academic units and partners external to the School.
The Divisional Dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering will play a leading role in further defining and articulating the School’s vision, direction, and priorities, as well as manage daily operations. The Divisional Dean will have budget authority for funds allocated to the Volgenau School of Engineering and will effectively manage financial resources to meet strategic priorities and programmatic growth. Aligned with their budgetary authority, the Divisional Dean will have responsibility for developing and executing recruitment and retention plans/packages for faculty with primary appointments in VSE as well as for related staff. The Divisional Dean will work closely with the CEC Dean and the VSE faculty to define the roles and responsibilities for the administrative team necessary to support the School’s successful implementation and longer-term growth.

The Divisional Dean will serve as a collaborative leader who empowers others and has an established record of effectively engaging, convening, and supporting diverse disciplines. The Divisional Dean will be expected to partner with CEC leadership to oversee curricular initiatives and academic performance and establish collaborative and multidisciplinary programs.

Key Priorities:
Develop and articulate an innovative strategic plan and vision to grow enrollment and establish collaborative academic and research initiatives; Reinforce the culture of excellence and cooperation and establish new policies and procedures for VSE, given the newly formed School of Computing and CEC organizational structure; Build relationships within the College and across campus to promote multidisciplinary and collaborative opportunities for students and faculty; Build upon VSE’s strong relationships with alumni, industry, community members, federal and state government, and other external constituencies; Strengthen staff support and research infrastructure to further enable and promote productivity, new research initiatives, and multi-disciplinary and multi-unit research; Encourage activities that lead to increased external recognition of faculty and students and visibility for the VSE; Build, sustain, and champion a culture of diverse faculty, staff, and students, and promote a climate of equity and inclusion; Establish strong, consultative relationships with VSE chairs, and promote shared governance; and Increase financial resources through fundraising, sponsored research, and the continued creation of revenue streams.
The successful candidate must be qualified for appointment at the rank of full professor. They will likely have a PhD in engineering or a related field and qualify to be a tenured professor in one of the six departments of VSE. The successful candidate will also possess a record of success in research and maintain an entrepreneurial, ambitious mindset that spans research and education for VSE. They will have strong written and oral communication skills, and experience working within a multidisciplinary environment. The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic leader who will be able to set clear goals and attain them, navigate ambiguity, and motivate and inspire others. They will have the highest standards of personal and academic integrity and ethical and professional conduct and lead with transparency and collegiality.

Nomination and Application Procedure:

George Mason University invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of Divisional Dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering. Interested candidates should confidentially submit a curriculum vitae and letter of interest (Adobe PDF files preferred) to [email protected].

For fullest consideration, materials should be received as soon as possible and preferably by February 15.

Candidates must also apply at https://jobs.gmu.edu/ for position FA12JZ; complete and submit the online application; and upload a curriculum vitae, letter of interest and a list of professional references.

George Mason University is committed to excellence in diversity and the creation of an inclusive learning and working environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other protected classes under federal or state laws.

Contact:

Joi Hayes-Scott
Russell Reynolds Associates
1700 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006-5208
Tel: +1-202-654-7816
[email protected] Special Instructions to Applicants For full consideration, applicants must apply at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information. For Full Consideration, Apply by: February 15, 2022