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Position Specification

Cornell University, College of Engineering Ithaca, NY Associate Dean for Student Services Institutional Background Cornell University, a private institution founded in 1865, has an undergraduate enrollment of 14,315. Its rural campus is set on 745 acres. The university utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. In U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 list of “Best Colleges: National Universities,” Cornell University ranked 15th. Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, has more than 1,000 student organizations on campus, ranging from the Big Red Marching Band to the International Affairs Society. First-year students live together on north campus, and the university has housing options for upperclassmen and graduate students, though many choose to live off campus. Cornell has a thriving Greek life, with more than 60 fraternity and sorority chapters. Cornell has more than 30 NCAA Division I varsity teams that compete in the Ivy League. The Cornell Big Red are perhaps best known for their successful men’s lacrosse team, which won nine consecutive Ivy League titles from 2003 to 2011. Cornell also has a strong hockey program. Each of Cornell’s 14 colleges and schools admits its own students and provides its own faculty, even though every graduate receives a degree from Cornell University.

Cornell University was established in 1868 as a non-sectarian institution, open to all, and dedicated to all forms of intellectual endeavor. In his address at the opening of the university, founder Ezra Cornell articulated his hopes for the new university: “I trust we have laid the foundation of a University—‘an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.’” Ezra’s remarkable ideals gave life to a radical educational experiment that lives on today.

The discipline of engineering was a part of Cornell from the beginning, and the College of Engineering was formally founded in 1870. Originally an institute for mechanic arts and civil engineering, today the college boasts study in 14 different fields. For more information about Cornell University’s history: http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ezra For more information about the College of Engineering’s history: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/about/history.cfm

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Ithaca, NY

Ithaca is a mosaic of rural, suburban, and urban landscapes that surround the city of Ithaca. It is a college town, a farm town, a Finger Lakes community, and a tourist destination renowned for its scenic vistas, forested hillsides, gorges, waterfalls, and Cayuga Lake. Ithaca is a city in the Southern Tier-Finger Lakes region of New York. It is the seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area. This area contains the municipalities of the town of Ithaca, the village of Cayuga Heights, and other towns and villages in Tompkins County. The city of Ithaca is located on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, in central New York. It is named for the Greek island of Ithaca. Aside from Cornell University, Ithaca College is located just south of the city in the town of Ithaca, adding to the area’s “college town” atmosphere. Nearby is Tompkins Cortland

Community College (TC3). These three colleges bring tens of thousands of students who increase Ithaca’s seasonal population during the school year. Some students settle in the area after graduation. The city’s voters are notably more liberal than those in the remainder of Tompkins County or in upstate New York, generally voting for Democratic Party candidates. In 2010, the city’s population was 30,014. For more information about Ithaca, NY, visit the Chamber of Commerce site at tompkinschamber.org. A Vision of Leadership Cornell University’s College of Engineering will create a better future for all through its leadership in research and excellence in engineering education. It will accomplish this by fostering a challenging, enlightened, and collaborative academic environment that demands excellence, encourages innovative education, and supports ground-breaking discovery. Its esteemed faculty will be world renowned for their creative scholarship and innovative teaching. The college’s graduates will be recognized and valued for their commitment to excellence, enthusiasm for learning, ethical behavior and integrity, and exceptional leadership. A Mission of Distinction Cornell University’s College of Engineering is a rigorous and dynamic intellectual community that plays an important role in the interdisciplinary life of a uniquely broad and renowned research-intensive university. In this context, the college’s mission is to provide students with a broad and exceptional education that prepares them to excel in their professions and to become creative leaders and mentors in an increasingly complex world; lead responsively and creatively in the discovery of new knowledge and transforming inventions and technologies; and create a better future for all people through the application of innovative ideas and resources and the solution of important and complex global problems.

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Supporting Values The college’s core values underscore and support its vision and mission to be a world leader in engineering education and innovative research through its commitment to:

Treat all individuals with dignity and respect, judge impartially, critique fairly, and encourage without reservation;

Value differences and recognize that multiple perspectives enhance creativity;

Embrace innovation, demonstrate a willingness to take risks, and persist in the face of challenges to achieve the seemingly impossible;

Excel at what really matters, and aspire to greatness;

Be worthy of the trust and respect that the college has earned. Enabling Goals In order to achieve its mission and bring its vision to life, the College of Engineering has established the following goals:

To be considered one of the top five engineering colleges in undergraduate and graduate studies;

To be recognized as the premier research university in advanced materials, information sciences, and nanoscience, and a leader in bioengineering, complex systems, and energy and the environment;

To recruit, retain, and enable a diverse community of exceptional faculty, students, and staff;

To educate future leaders who are the most-sought-after engineering graduates in the world;

To establish and maintain an infrastructure and facilities that are second to none in supporting the achievement of the college’s vision, mission, and values.

Student Learning Goals In terms of their general abilities, our graduates will

1. Have a broad education, including liberal studies. In this global economy, engineers work with people of many different cultures. In plying their trade, engineers may have occasion to deal with business people, politicians, community groups—people from all walks of life. A broad education will provide the understanding necessary to deal with such groups effectively.

2. Be proficient in oral and written communication. Ideas and plans are ineffective if one can’t convey them appropriately. The saying “marketing is half the battle” applies in engineering as well as business. The ability to communicate well in meetings, to make good presentations, to describe ideas, plans, and completed work in writing—all these are crucial in engineering.

3. Be proficient in information literacy, i.e. be able to locate, evaluate, and effectively interpret claims, theories, and assumptions in science and engineering.

Finding relevant material takes more than a quick look at wikipedia.org and a Google search. Engineers must know how to search the literature in their field—journal articles,

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patents, and so forth. Just as importantly, scientific and engineering discrimination is needed in determining the relevance and usefulness of the literature.

4. Have experience with teamwork. Most engineering work requires a team of professionals from different engineering disciplines to complete a project. Many projects include business and environmental managers who might approach problems in a different manner. The ability to work well in teams is a prerequisite for the successful engineer.

5. Be aware of professional and ethical responsibilities. Society thrives on trust, and society suffers when someone breaks that trust. Shirking of professional and ethical responsibilities has helped cause spectacular disasters—e.g. the O-ring shuttle disaster (1986), the ENRON financial disaster (2001), and the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico (2010). But engineers face professional and ethical decisions on a much smaller scale, sometimes on a daily basis, and situations often present unexpected subtleties that make choices difficult. Successful engineers are aware of the professional code of their engineering discipline and of general ethical consideration.

In terms of their discipline, students will be well grounded in the mathematical, scientific, and engineering skills that are the basis of their discipline. More specifically, our graduates will have

1. The ability to design experiments, to analyze the data, and to interpret the results. Successful engineering often depends on experiments set up to analyze a new device, an engineering design, or even a marketing strategy. The model on which an experiment depends must be simple enough to allow analysis but close enough to the real world to produce meaningful results. Organizing and analyzing the data, making sense of patterns, interpreting results, and judging the logical reasonableness of interpretations are all important skills.

2. The ability to design, model, and analyze engineering systems. The development of an engineering system requires an interplay of design, modeling, and analysis. As the design proceeds, modeling to predict performance may be done using a mathematical representation of the system, using computer simulations or an actual prototype. Many factors must be analyzed, such as performance, safety, cost, sustainability, and marketing considerations.

3. The ability to formulate and solve problems. Problem solving fulfills needs; the project’s need for success and the engineer’s innate need for application. Creative solutions require the ability to define the real problem, to propose diverse ideas, and to critically analyze each idea to optimize with regard to constraints of economics, safety, environment, and society. Engineers must be able to pare a complex problem to its key issues, to devise a rudimentary solution, and then develop incrementally to a sophisticated solution by iterative ideas and analysis.

4. The ability to use the techniques and tools necessary for the practice of their discipline.

Engineers often find themselves working on a project in collaboration with engineers from a variety of disciplines. Each collaborator, by virtue of their disciplinary education, brings to the team discipline-specific habits of thought and an accompanying tool kit. Success of the project depends on each collaborator applying their skill set capably.

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Strategic Plan The College of Engineering has identified six strategic areas of significant research focus for the next decade. Though a large number of additional ongoing research initiatives will continue to be important to and supported by the College of Engineering, these six areas of inquiry uniquely span the breadth of the college. They build on the college’s current research excellence, and they are expected to grow in importance.

Emerging research areas: o Systems biology and biomedical engineering o Nanomaterials, nanoscience, and nanodevices o Energy, environment, and sustainable development

Enabling research areas: o Information, computation, and communication o Advanced materials o Complex systems and networks

The college’s ongoing research and future activity in these six emerging and enabling areas is closely aligned with the national research agenda as well as Cornell’s priorities. The six areas are expected to strongly influence the college’s curriculum, facilities, and faculty hiring. For a more in-depth look at the College of Engineering strategic plan, visit https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/about/leadership/upload/StrategicPlan.pdf. Leadership Lance R. Collins, Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering

Lance R. Collins, professor and the S.C. Thomas Sze Director of the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell, was reappointed the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2015. As dean, Collins is the chief academic and administrative officer for the college, which has about 240 faculty, 225 staff, 250 nonprofessorial academics, nearly 3,000 undergraduate students, and 1,400 graduate students. As a member of Cornell’s senior administration team, the dean reports to the provost and works closely with other deans and executive officers on behalf of the university as a whole. Collins joined Cornell in 2002, following 11 years as assistant professor, associate professor, and professor of chemical engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Since 1999, he has also held a joint appointment in the mechanical and nuclear engineering department at Penn State, and in 1998 he was a visiting scientist at the Laboratoire de Combustion et Systemes Reactifs (a National Center for Scientific Research laboratory in Orleans, France) and at Los Alamos National

Laboratory. He was director of graduate studies for aerospace engineering at Cornell from 2003 to 2005, and he served this academic year on Cornell’s Strategic Plan Advisory Council. Collins’ research combines simulation and theory to study a variety of turbulent flow processes. His work on mechanisms of droplet breakup in turbulence was recognized with the 1997 Best Paper Award from the

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American Institute of Chemical Engineers. In 2007, he was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society. He earned his B.S.E. in 1981 at Princeton University. He holds an M.S. (1983) and a Ph.D. (1987) from the University of Pennsylvania, all in chemical engineering. The Academic Program Twenty-first-century engineering is at the epicenter of an explosion in new knowledge. Revolutionary discoveries in science, engineering, medicine, mathematics, and the social sciences have not only changed the way we interact with the world around us, but also have blurred the boundaries between academic disciplines. Engineering is the catalyst for bringing disciplines together and pushing forward the amazing advances made possible by those collaborations. The diverse personal, academic, and professional backgrounds of the Cornell University College of Engineering academic community give depth and breadth to the interdisciplinary approach that is intrinsic to Cornell, unparalleled at other institutions. The College of Engineering is one of a constellation of colleges and schools that make up a world-class research university. Engineering draws from and contributes to the university’s strengths in such fields as medicine, veterinary sciences, and the life sciences. At Cornell, we leverage that excellence through 12 academic units within engineering. Ezra Cornell sought to found an institution where “any person can find instruction in any study.” Cornell engineering is a showcase of his vision; the breadth of this program is nationally unique. Departments and programs:

Applied and Engineering Physics

Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Engineering Management

Materials Science and Engineering

Operations Research and Information Engineering

Biological and Environmental Engineering

Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Computer Science

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Information Science

Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering The Student Body At Cornell, undergraduates team up with faculty members, researchers, and other students to actively explore the world. Along the way, they find mentors, friends, perhaps even future professional colleagues, and they learn that teamwork makes for successful research and design. Through these experiences, students often have opportunities to meet alumni, or other industry professionals, who support their work and can offer practical advice and assistance as they search for a job or apply to graduate schools.

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Cornell University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 14,315, with a gender distribution of 48 percent male students and 52 percent female students. At Cornell, 55 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing, and 45 percent of students live off campus. Organizational Structure of the Division The Division of Student Services is composed of the following five areas and corresponding positions:

Engineering Learning Initiatives o Director o Associate Director o Administrative Assistant

Engineering Career Center o Director o Associate Director o Assistant Director o Kesler Fellows Program o 2.5 Administrative Assistants

Advising o Director o Associate Director o 2 Assistant Directors o Administrative Assistant

Admissions o Director o Associate Director o 2 Assistant Directors o Office Manager o .5 Administrative Assistant

Registrar o Director/Registrar o Assistant Registrar o 1.5 Administrative Assistants

History of the Position The position has been held for many years by a long-term Cornell University, College of Engineering staff member who is retiring in July 2017. Responsibilities of the Position Reporting to the dean of the College of Engineering, the associate dean for student services will provide leadership and management of the programs and services that support the needs, goals, and administrative requirements of undergraduate education in the College of Engineering. The associate dean will manage the directors of undergraduate admissions, advising, career center, engineering learning initiatives, and registrar. The associate dean will be expected to collaborate with the dean, associate deans, and faculty to identify and prioritize the undergraduate goals, programs, and initiatives. Additionally, the associate dean will be expected to:

oversee the administrative functions of central college undergraduate programs and services, including personnel, finance, facilities, administrative support, computer services, fundraising, marketing, and alumni and corporate relations;

oversee the strategies, planning, processes, and communications required to implement programs and services for students;

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facilitate collaborations of student services, with related functional areas in the college such as graduate student services, diversity programs, professional development, and department undergraduate program support; and

serve as the college representative to other colleges and the university on issues related to student services.

Qualifications and Characteristics of the Successful Candidate A master’s degree is required, as is documented substantive experience in higher education leading student services functions or an equivalent combination of education and experience. In addition, the associate dean should possess the following attributes:

ability to motivate employees, build functional teams and effective working relationships, and lead individuals and groups successfully toward goal completion;

demonstrated knowledge in student development and engagement, higher education, and trends;

proven success in program management/delivery, human resource management, strategic planning, information systems management, marketing, and academic program/student service development;

highly developed skills in leadership, management, strategy, marketing, and communication;

exemplary interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively collaborate, network, and develop relationships;

commitment to diversity and inclusion and the ability to work effectively with a diverse workforce, including faculty, staff, and students;

effective financial management, budget preparation, and fiscal operations management in higher education or the public sector is preferred; gift management and stewardship experience is desirable;

ability to analyze issues, develop solutions, and implement actions independently and in a timely manner;

effective verbal and written communication skills and public relations skills;

demonstrated experience using statistics and metrics for informing success in student services. The retiring associate dean is known to have been a conduit between the academic and administrative areas of the college, representing the needs of the student services departments across the university. Stakeholders in the College of Engineering at Cornell University offered the following recommendations

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for personal characteristics they felt would enhance a new associate dean’s opportunity for success in the position:

One who is student-centric and accessible to students and staff;

One who is communicative and transparent;

An individual who is supportive of the professional development opportunities for the student services team;

One who is persistent and has the ability to push through ambiguity;

One who will advocate for the College of Engineering both internally across campus and externally;

One who is a bridge builder who will work within the unit as well as across the college and university to coordinate ideas and initiatives;

One who recognizes the skills of the current student services directors and will continue to work with them to maintain the bridges established between their units and the academic departments;

One who is calm in a crisis but can quickly move to a resolution;

One who has a clear understanding of and commitment to diversity and inclusion;

One who understands the stressful academic atmosphere at Cornell University and is keenly

aware of the need for students’ well-being to manage the stress;

One who is confident, but not arrogant;

One who enjoys making personal connections with students, faculty, staff, and parents of students;

One who is strategic in leading the student services team through both short- and long-term goals;

One who is comfortable with technology and current technological and communication trends;

One who is knowledgeable about each area in the student services unit and is a good delegator, allowing the directors in each unit to do their jobs;

One who is a member of the team, not only the leader of the team;

One who is trustworthy and an excellent communicator;

One who is compassionate as well as decisive;

One who is willing to entertain all options but is unwilling to compromise on standards;

One who will serve as a coach and mentor to staff;

One who is accessible to students, faculty, and staff and understands current trends, research, and assessment in higher education.

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Likely Opportunities, Priorities, and Challenges of the Position Perhaps the greatest challenge will be meeting the high expectations set by the previous associate dean. Collaboration was mentioned by several stakeholders as the key to success in this position; the retiring associate dean has been at Cornell University for many years and has established excellent working relationships with individuals and departments across the university. Due to the decentralization of the university, an understanding of and the willingness to learn about the central units and other colleges will be essential to the new associate dean’s success. Visibility across campus and across the College of Engineering will be expected of the associate dean, as will the ability to advocate for the directors reporting to this position. Additionally, a close working relationship with the associate dean for undergraduate programs, a position that rotates every two years, is a critical component of the position. The associate dean will be expected to act as a conduit between the academic and administrative areas of the college and to represent the needs of the student services departments university-wide.

Measures of Success for the Position At an appropriate interval after joining the College of Engineering at Cornell University, the following items will define success for the new associate dean for student services:

She or he will have developed strong collaborative relationships with all aspects of the campus community, including faculty and students;

She or he will be a visible and engaged member of the College of Engineering and Cornell University community;

She or he will demonstrate a leadership style that is credible and collegial while being highly effective;

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She or he will have reviewed departmental strengths and weaknesses and will have demonstrated the ability to manage short-term change and long-term development for the department;

She or he will have worked closely with the dean of the college, the associate dean for undergraduate programs, and all departmental staff to optimize strategies that will meet the college’s annual strategic goals.

Benefits Overview Cornell University offers the following benefits:

Medical Health Plans Flexible Savings Account

Retirement Plans

Financial Assistance Plans

Life Insurance Plan

Children’s Tuition Scholarship

Continuing Education Plan

Disability Plan

Long-Term Care Plan

Commuter Benefits Application and Nomination Applications, including a position-specific cover letter and resume, may be submitted online at http://www.spelmanandjohnson.com/open-positions/. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Kendra E. Dane at ked@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895.

Spelman Johnson Associate Dean for Student Services – Cornell University, College of Engineering

Kendra E. Dane, Search Associate

Visit the Cornell University, College of Engineering website at https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/

No person shall be denied admission to any educational program or activity or be denied employment on the basis of any legally prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, color,

creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, marital status, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status. Cornell University is an affirmative

action/equal opportunity employer.

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