Job Abstract

The Role
The George Washington University’s School of Business (GWSB) seeks a collegial academic leader who will prioritize fundraising, and who brings a track record of catalyzing research impact, delivering operational excellence, and building a vibrant organizational culture as its next Dean.

The Dean, School of Business will join at an exciting and critical moment for the University. With the recent inauguration of a new President and the University’s recent inclusion in the Association of American Universities (AAU), there is a window of opportunity to position the School of Business as an integral part of the University’s elevated research mandate and further raise the School’s own national and international research profile.

The next Dean will inherit a school that is well-positioned to continue its success in a competitive, changing market. Sustaining this momentum going forward will require new investments in faculty, research capacity (including doctoral programs), and undergraduate and graduate student recruitment. The Dean will have an opportunity to leverage GW’s platform as the largest research university in Washington, D.C.—including strong engineering, law, international affairs, and health sciences programs.

The next Dean will be adept at making connections between the School’s signature research areas and donors and funding providers. The Dean will lead a continued drive to excellence at GWSB with its programs and scaling those programs where appropriate; forge innovative partnerships with other schools at GW; leverage local and international business, policy, and government relationships; and fundraising that keeps pace with the advancement trends across business education. Finally, GWSB’s strong alumni base means the Dean will have the opportunity to tap into significant potential for support on profile-raising and strength-building.

The Dean is the chief academic and administrative officer of GWSB and reports to the Provost. The Dean’s team includes the Vice Dean for Faculty and Research, Vice Dean for Graduate Programs, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Vice Dean for Executive Programs, Chief Diversity Officer, and Vice Dean for Strategy. An Executive Committee, comprised of the Dean, Vice Deans, Chief Diversity Officer, and Department Chairs, provides oversight of the School.

The Dean will bring a successful record of collegial decision-making relevant to a complex academic setting an outstanding record of scholarly achievement and an international reputation in the broader scholarly community. This is a tenured faculty position, and the successful candidate must have a record of scholarship deserving of tenure within one of GWSB’s eight departments. Consistent with GW’s culture of faculty governance, it will be important that the Dean values and upholds that tradition and approach in all decisions. The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to engagement with faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders, as well as advancing the School’s culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging in a meaningful way.

Responsibilities
As chief academic and administrative officer of GWSB, the Dean is responsible for providing leadership for the following specific activities:

Leadership and Strategic Planning: In collaboration with the faculty, staff, students, and alumni, the Dean articulates the long-range vision, specific strategies, and detailed administrative and fiscal plans to ensure the excellence of faculty research, teaching, and outreach, as well as ensuring a strong student experience and improving student placement outcomes. A commitment to promoting the University as a whole and collegial decision-making are important components of the position.

Faculty Appointments: As the School’s academic leader, the Dean, in concert with the faculty, is responsible for the recruitment, appointment, promotion, and tenure of faculty in GWSB; in doing so, the Dean ensures that the University’s objectives, with respect to the quality and diversity of the faculty, are met or exceeded.

Budgetary and Administrative Oversight: The Dean is responsible for all aspects of GWSB’s budget, consistent with the University’s financial guidelines. Other principal areas of administrative responsibility include the allocation, stewardship of, and planning for academic facilities, as well as the establishment of effective internal controls within the College.

Stewardship and Development: The Dean has primary responsibility for articulating, developing, and implementing the philanthropic aspirations of GWSB, in conjunction with the long-range plans of the School and the University, and in cultivating new donors and existing relationships.

Multidisciplinary Partnerships: The Dean is responsible for managing GWSB’s engagement in cross-campus, multidisciplinary partnerships.

About the School of Business
The George Washington University School of Business (GWSB), founded in 1928 and accredited by the AACSB in 1977, is the largest business school in metropolitan Washington and is recognized as a leading business school.

GWSB prides itself on “engaging the world from the nation’s capital,” and its location in the District of Columbia—one of the country’s most diverse cities—is a distinctive feature. The School sits just blocks from the White House, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, embassies, multinational institutions, and global businesses. GW students interact with these institutions and their executives, often as part of their coursework and internships, providing hands-on experience related to international affairs, finance, sustainability, ethics, and corporate responsibility. Faculty pursue research that informs national policy, including testifying before the U.S. Congress. This geographic advantage enhances teaching, thought leadership, and student learning and contributes to GW’s strong career placement outcomes.

GWSB comprises eight academic departments: Accountancy, Decision Sciences, Finance, Information Systems and Technology Management, International Business, Management, Marketing, and Strategic Management and Public Policy. GWSB supports scholars whose work appears in top-ranked business journals, including faculty members listed among the most-cited scholars in their fields. GWSB houses 13 research centers and institutes, including one of the country’s 16 federally funded Centers for International Business Education and Research. Its 115 full-time faculty are innovators on business and social issues, offering cross-disciplinary solutions for a rapidly changing business environment and informing local, state, federal, and international policy on a range of issues.

In 2022–23, GWSB enrolled approximately 3,000 students across undergraduate degree programs and graduate degree and certificate programs, including 18 Ph.D. students. Its undergraduate and graduate curricula respond to the needs of the market and teach students to build entrepreneurial skills. GWSB has reimagined its graduate programs through modular certificates that can be earned as standalone credentials or as building blocks for customized master’s degrees.

Experiential learning is a cornerstone of GWSB. Its students take advantage of an extended portfolio of global and D.C.-based opportunities, including study abroad, exchange programs with more than 20 partner universities, and the flagship Global MBA Consulting Abroad Program, which just completed its 15th year. Experiential learning also shapes the GWSB career center’s Communities of Practice program with real-life opportunities in consulting, finance, and security technology.

GWSB boasts a strong co-curricular learning program that enhances student opportunities and outcomes. The Business Leader Development Program, a sequence of five courses all students take as underclassmen, prepares students to advance their career readiness and community connections by challenging them to become forward-thinking and inclusive business leaders. Students are placed in small sections with a peer mentor and a graduate assistant, staff, or industry professional instructor. GWSB is home to more than 30 graduate and undergraduate student organizations. Students organize large-scale career networking conferences and treks annually with support from faculty, staff, and administration.

GWSB has significantly improved in both national and global rankings by ensuring its educational offerings are responsive to the needs of both business and society, making it a highly attractive option for a variety of students, from traditional undergraduate students to working executives. For instance, GWSB has been recognized as:

GWSB’s flagship F. David Fowler Career Center serves as an attraction and differentiator to prospective students, their parents, and a wide range of employers. Unique among business schools, the career services are delivered by industry experts and are embedded throughout the curricula of both the full-time MBA and undergraduate programs.

The Dean benefits from an engaged advisory board. The Dean’s Board of Advisors provides strategic counsel to the Dean and is composed of alumni, friends of the University, and parents of current and former GWSB students.

GWSB is located in Duquès and Funger Halls, recently upgraded in 2023 with a modernized and upgraded lobby, lounge spaces, instructional innovation studio, and classrooms. These state-of-the-art spaces comprise approximately 236,000 square feet and provide students, faculty, and staff with a unified center for study and career development activities. The complex prioritizes student learning and includes a comprehensive career services center; software and financial information systems for financial modeling, trading, and portfolio management; office space for faculty and staff; breakout rooms; and faculty and student lounges.

Pivotal Criteria
The successful candidate for this position must possess superior academic credentials and a record of scholarly achievement, together with the following capabilities and experience:

Strategic and Organizational Management: The Dean will be an experienced academic leader with a track record of success in large, complex organizations, with organizational acumen that demonstrates an astute understanding of finances and the relationship between academic priorities and the budget. A record of accomplishment in academic program-building, fundraising, and recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, including women and those traditionally underrepresented in business schools, will be important.

Support Faculty in Research and Teaching: Over the past several years GWSB has recruited scholarly faculty who are recognized leaders in their fields. Effective in 2025, the revised Carnegie Classification criteria for determining R1 status will depend on just two criteria: annual research spending and the number of doctorates awarded. These changes, combined with GW’s recent membership in the AAU, present a tremendous opportunity for the new Dean to raise GWSB’s research prominence and contributions, both on campus and globally. With the highest expectations of excellence in both scholarship and teaching, the next Dean will work with departments to recruit and retain top faculty who will position GWSB for continued success as a prominent research institution that values teaching and views the two missions as complementary and closely connected. A key opportunity in this regard will be working with research-active faculty to rebuild and revitalize the School’s Ph.D. program. To this end, candidates should bring a demonstrable track record of resourcing and nurturing high-quality research and teaching.

Stakeholder and External Engagement: The Dean will bring a record of developing mutually beneficial partnerships with external institutions. It will be important to bring a demonstrated ability to partner effectively and communicate with multiple stakeholder groups, including faculty, staff, students, fellow GW leaders, alumni, industry partners, and board members.

Fundraising: The next Dean will be a strong leader in inspiring alumni, parents, friends, and industry. By cultivating new donors and deepening existing relationships, the Dean will help the School support current and future goals. Of note, GWSB is among a handful of top 100 U.S. business schools that is unnamed, presenting an unparalleled opportunity for the next Dean to create a lasting legacy. Such new funds will support a new cohort of professorships, scholarships, centers of excellence, global initiatives, and advanced learning programs. This additional private funding is critical as the School competes for the best faculty and students and pursues initiatives for innovation and research that will strengthen the School over the long term.

The School’s international reach, location in a major global center, and 55,000 alumni, provide strong opportunities to make a major impact. The Dean should demonstrate an aptitude for fundraising, given this incredible opportunity.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The Dean will convey a palpable commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, nurturing an organizational culture that embraces the exploration of new ideas and celebrates and leverages differences.

Global Outlook and Interdisciplinary Appreciation: The Dean will bring an evident global outlook, with a strong commitment to realizing the potential contributions of GWSB to strengthening the broader University’s engagement with local, national, and international communities. Likewise, they will have a demonstrated commitment to the interdisciplinary nature of GW, with the proven ability to collaborate within the University and with external partners.

Further Qualifications and Experience
Candidates should have significant understanding of the academic fields of study commonly included in a school of business. In addition, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications, skills, experiences, and personal qualities:

Nomination/Application Information
Initial screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. The George Washington University will be assisted by Heidrick & Struggles, Inc. Nominations and applications should be directed to: GWSBdean@heidrick.com

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.