University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) Dean Amanda Moore McBride will step down from the dean role at the end of the 2022–23 academic year and return to the school’s faculty.
The University welcomes inquiries, nominations and applications for the position. The school's 30 tenure-line faculty, 11 clinical faculty, 11 professors of practice, five research faculty, 252 adjunct faculty, 100 staff members and more than 1,388 master's and doctoral students form a vibrant community that is passionate about transforming social work education, practice and research to imagine, accelerate and sustain social change in order to deliver on the long-overdue promise of equity and justice.
Founded nearly a century ago and now ranked #11 among the nation’s top schools of social work, GSSW has built a reputation for centering antioppressive praxis, community engagement and public impact.
The University seeks a versatile, relational dean to provide courageous, collaborative and visionary leadership to further advance the school and marshal the resources necessary to support GSSW’s goals. Reporting to the provost, the dean provides academic, intellectual and administrative leadership for the school. The new dean will be asked to build upon and further the vision of the school; champion a school environment that advances social and racial justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; build on faculty strengths and support excellence across diverse, innovative, nontraditional approaches to education and scholarship; grow the research enterprise; enhance the student experience; cultivate community; build capacity and operational strength; collaborate with other University officials in leading the University; build strong relationships with GSSW constituents; and lead the school's fundraising efforts.
GSSW's next dean must be committed to the mission of the school and of the University, embrace all aspects of social work education, and bring a progressive view of how the field needs to evolve. Ideal candidates will be human centered, relational, collaborative, courageous leaders who are committed to empowering students, staff, and faculty for optimal impact and who have a record of fostering environments in which challenges to systemic and structural oppression can flourish. Requirements include experience managing people, business operations and finance, as well as scholarship rooted in social work and a record of academic accomplishment appropriate to appointment as a tenured full professor in the school.
Founded in 1864, the University of Denver (DU) is a private R1 university dedicated to the public good. The University values diversity, equity and inclusive excellence, recognizing that its success is dependent on how well it values, engages and includes the rich diversity of its constituents. DU is situated in the Denver metro area, a vibrant and diverse urban center in the Rocky Mountain region that is home to 2.9 million people. Ranked #105 among the top universities in the country, DU enrolls 5,774 undergraduates and 7,157 graduate students and has more than 800 full-time faculty.
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GSSW Dean Search Committee
The search committee is co-chaired by Graduate School of Social Work Professor Kim Bender and Josef Korbel School of International Studies Dean Fritz Mayer.
Other members of the search committee are:
Application Information
All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. WittKieffer is assisting the University of Denver in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by Feb. 6, 2023.
Application Information
