Dean, Oakland Campus

Building upon a decade of expansion in the United States and beyond, Northeastern University merged with Mills College in July 2022 to have broader impact across its global campus network. That impact is powered by Northeastern’s renowned experiential learning model and world-class research enterprise and strengthened by Mills’ legacy in women’s leadership, equity, and social justice. Northeastern welcomes applications and nominations for the position of inaugural dean of its Oakland campus.

Northeastern is a university on the rise. Annual external research funding has increased dramatically over the last 20 years, driven by the work of top-tier faculty, global expansion that creates opportunities for collaboration, and a robust and diverse array of research institutes and centers. Northeastern’s signature co-op program has expanded in popularity beyond the undergraduate student experience, creating a unique, experiential learning experience that attracts top students at all stages of learning from around the world. With locations throughout North America, a significant footprint in the U.K., and ambitions for further growth, Northeastern is ideally positioned to advance the boundaries of knowledge, create and define new fields of application and economic impact, enrich the lives of students the world over and from all walks of life, and find interdisciplinary solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

Northeastern seeks a dean to coordinate the operations and expansion of its campus in Oakland, California. Reporting to the senior vice president for global network and strategic initiatives, the dean will serve as a conduit for a wide range of internal and external stakeholder engagement, programming, and research in the region. This leader must work hand-in- hand with the leadership team of the campus and across the university to build an innovative culture that drives value for faculty, students, staff, community, and partners. They will join a highly successful and collaborative team of other regional campus deans across the Northeastern global network committed to both creating distinctive impact in their local markets and leveraging the power of a global, matrixed research university. Charged with innovating across all aspects of higher education, this position requires an entrepreneurial spirit and ability to create a strategic vision to guide excellence and growth. This is not an academic dean role, and Northeastern seeks candidates with deep Bay Area networks and a track record of entrepreneurial leadership outside of academia. 

All applications, inquiries, and nominations, which will remain confidential, should be directed electronically below.

Andy Lee is leading this search with Elizabeth Dorr Weithman.