Dean of the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

The University of Arizona (U of A) invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy ("the college"). This is a pivotal opportunity for a visionary and collaborative leader to guide one of the nation's premier pharmacy schools into its next era of excellence and impact.

The next Dean will be charged with articulating a bold and compelling vision for the College of Pharmacy's future, strengthening academic programs, fostering vibrant intellectual life and scholarly productivity, enhancing academic excellence, and expanding external partnerships. This role presents an opportunity for a leader who is passionate about shaping the future of pharmacy education and committed to stewarding a vibrant academic community toward its next chapter of excellence.

As the chief academic and administrative officer of the college, the Dean reports directly to the Provost and Chief Academic Officer of the University of Arizona. The Dean is responsible for managing and coordinating the college, as well as implementing its plans, programs, services, and scholarly and research endeavors. The Dean collaborates with fellow Deans across the university to leverage opportunities afforded by the college to support the growth and quality of research and education within the health sciences and beyond.

The Dean is expected to provide visionary leadership to advance the college's education, research, and service
missions. The Dean promotes excellence among faculty, staff, and students, oversees the college's operations,
research portfolio, and finance and human resources functions, and plays a critical role in fundraising, advocacy,
and alumni relations.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

In addition to overseeing the
management and administration of the College of Pharmacy, the new Dean will
be expected to address the following strategic priorities:

Vision
for Future

• The Dean will be a leader in defining the future
  of the college and will further advance its place among the top pharmacy
  schools in the country. They will embrace the changing landscape of the
  pharmacy profession and use new strategies and innovations to ensure the
  college and its community thrive. The incumbent will convene faculty,
  staff, alumni, students, and colleagues in the other health sciences,
  clinical partners, and across the university to create a strategic path
  forward.

Collaborative
Leadership for the College

• Working with leadership, faculty, and staff, the
  next Dean will assess the current processes and programs in the college
  and build a culture of trust, transparency and consistency with
  established priorities and resource support. They will work to promote a
  collaborative, inclusive, and connected college community by creating
  opportunities for every member- students, faculty, and staff-to engage,
  contribute, and feel valued. They will recruit leaders and faculty to
  the college who will be empowered to implement decisions to move the
  college forward in innovative and creative ways.

Resources

• The Dean will assess and evaluate the financial
  status of the college and develop an understanding of the budget model
  and fund flow within the university. They will continue to cultivate and
  sustain relationships with current and potential donors and collaborate
  with the development team to advance financial opportunities.

Success for Every Student

• The Dean will articulate a vision for the future
  of pharmacy, pharmacology and toxicology, articulating emerging needs in
  pharmacy, education, research, as well as the state, region, and nation
  that require sustained new thinking. They will be responsive to student
  needs and provide thoughtful and creative leadership that advocates for
  educational, financial, and health resources for students, while
  leveraging technology and innovative curriculum that considers the
  future of pharmacy. The incumbent will build community and promote and
  enhance interprofessional education and practice in partnership with
  clinical partners.

Research that Shapes the Future

• The Dean will grow the
  research portfolio. Key areas of focus are to develop research in
  alignment with the university's strategic plan to pursue high-reward
  opportunities in artificial intelligence and data science applications
  in biomedicine. They will strengthen collaboration between faculty and
  programs within the college, across the Phoenix and Tucson campuses, and
  with clinical partners and the university. The Dean will promote research
  success by supporting a system that reduces roadblocks and bureaucracy
  and creates clear paths for research growth and development. The Dean
  will leverage existing resources in the College (such as Arizona Center
  for Drug Discovery, Coit Center for Longevity and Neurotherapeutics,
  Arizona Poison & Drug Information Center) as well as across the
  University including many research-focused colleges, centers,
  institutes, and an integrated academic health sciences center, to
  support the expansion and sustained excellence of re search efforts.

Engagement
to Create Opportunity

• The Dean will be a positive and collaborative leader who will enhance the visibility of the college, both internally and externally. Key initiatives will be to develop productive relationships with healthcare partners for education, research and community impact. Through effective messaging, they will articulate the college's many accomplishments and distinctions and seek opportunities to promote the quality and impact of its programs, faculty, students, and staff.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Track record of excellent academic
  accomplishments, credentials, and national recognition within their
  field.
• Administrative leadership experience in an
  academic environment, including personnel management, budgeting, grant
  management, and donor and foundation relationships.
• Experience with and the ability to speak to and
  coordinate advancement across pharmacy education, practice, biomedical
  research, and community engagement.
• Extensive executive and operational experience,
  including financial/budgeting and strategic planning, successfully
  applied in a complex academic organization.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a positive,
  highly productive organizational culture.
• A record of building productive and
  collaborative relationships with a broad variety of key stakeholders.
• An outstanding track record of academic
  accomplishment in administrative, scholarly, educational, and clinical
  endeavors, including navigating a complex clinical enterprise.
• A vision to develop innovative programs that
  build and integrate multiple strengths within the college and throughout
  the university.
• Ability to recruit and retain outstanding
  faculty and staff.
• A track record of careful stewardship of
  institutional resources, including a commitment to compliance with all
  laws, regulations, and policies.
• Experience implementing interprofessional
  education and practice activities.
• Demonstrated facilitation and support for the
  success of all reporting personnel through comprehensive talent
  development.
• Ability to build
  partnerships and raise funds from interested donors.

• An earned
  doctorate in a pharmacy/pharmaceutical sciences discipline (or discipline
  complementary to the College of Pharmacy).
• A
  record of distinguished scholarly research, teaching, and professional
  accomplishments that merits appointment as a full professor with tenure is
  preferred.

• Leadership experience in an academic pharmacy setting is strongly preferred, with demonstrated success in fostering a collaborative and highly productive organizational culture, fundraising, strategic and financial planning and oversight, management, and community engagement.

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile.

WittKieffer is assisting the University of Arizona in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by February 13, 2025.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to: Jeff Schroetlin, Cody Burke, and Jen Meyers Pickard, Ph.D. | UofADeanPharmacy@wittkieffer.com