Arizona State University (ASU, www.asu.edu) announces an international search to recruit a director for its T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a concurrent appointment as tenured professor. The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2025. ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. ASU serves more than 145,000 students on four campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area, one of the fastest growing urban centers in the nation; at locations across the U.S., including California and Washington, D.C; and globally through ASU Online. It has been ranked first in the U.S. for innovation (about.asu.edu) for each of the last ten years and number one for sustainability for five years.

The new director of The Sanford School will lead an energetic, interdisciplinary community of over 55 research, teaching and clinical faculty members and 34 staff members who maintain a strong commitment to inclusive excellence. The school engages in a variety of approaches to study micro- and macro-level social and developmental processes across the human lifespan, which include the study of society, institutions, communities, children and families, and individuals. The school engages in rigorous use-inspired research, and its faculty have a track record of securing external and philanthropic funding to support their scholarly endeavors. The school hosts two undergraduate majors (Family and Human Development and Sociology) with approximately 1,800 undergraduates enrolled in online, in-person or hybrid degree programs. The school offers MA in Sociology (online), MAS-Marriage and Family Therapy (campus-based), MS in Family and Human Development (online) and PhD (campus-based) degrees in Family and Human Development and Sociology. Recently relaunched, the Sociology PhD program is rapidly growing. The Family and Human Development PhD program is ranked as one of the top 10 programs in North America. These programs are supported by award winning faculty, including two MacArthur Genius Fellows and the winner of the 2023 American Psychological Association’s Urie Bronfenbrenner Lifetime Achievement Award. These programs are designed to train students to think critically, to be accountable to the communities with which they engage and to utilize a full repertoire of theoretical approaches and innovative research methods, with training in quantitative and qualitative approaches and an established specialization in quantitative methods available to doctoral students.

Reporting to the dean of social sciences within The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the new director will be an accomplished leader who is passionate about advancing ASU's Charter (asu.edu/about/charter-mission) in both teaching and research and someone with the capacity to engage faculty across a range of disciplines. The new director will be a visionary thinker and inclusive relationship builder who will lead the school and its energetic community of educators-scholars into the future by strategically aligning the unified vision of The Sanford School with ASU’s mission of achieving excellence and access, enhancing innovation and creativity in research, increasing external funding and achieving and maintaining top-tier programs. The new director will provide effective leadership in establishing a culture of collaboration by strengthening connections among faculty, staff and students, while furthering ASU’s commitment to interdisciplinarity and engagement with other academic units at ASU and the wider community. Learn more about what The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has to offer by visiting https://thecollege.asu.edu/faculty.

The director’s responsibilities include (not in priority order): work closely with the university; establish transparent and effective budgeting practices, collaborate with faculty, staff and the Office of the Dean in defining and articulating a vision and implementing a strategic direction that fosters excellence, innovation, interdisciplinary opportunities and generates enrollment growth; cultivate and encourage the growth of rigorous, impactful research by supporting existing faculty and hiring new faculty with strong funding potential, and mentoring faculty to advance grant writing and externally funded research; create a culture in which multiple disciplines collaborate and work together synergistically as one school striving for a cohesive work environment in support of all faculty, interdisciplinary initiatives and elevated student success; commitment to inclusive excellence including attracting, recruiting, retaining and promoting faculty, staff and students; address and resolve new and existing challenges in an environment of transparency; leverage The Sanford School’s historically impressive online presence through expansion of greater online offerings including identification of new areas of interest for program development; and support the overall teaching mission more broadly.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• A PhD or equivalent is required in family science, human development, psychology, sociology or in a related field or discipline.
• A distinguished scholarly record commensurate with the rank of full professor.
• Demonstrated experience in an academic leadership position including budget and/or personnel management.
• Capacity for supporting and advancing research, teaching and community engagement.

Desired Qualifications

• Ability to work with a wide range of constituencies with exceptional problem-solving and conflict management skills while leading with transparency toward a shared academic goal.
• Experience in cultivating and encouraging rigorous, impactful research and supporting externally funded research with knowledge of funding mechanisms related to these fields.
• Record of effective leadership and innovation to build an enterprise with vision through strategic planning, assessment and outreach activities with industry partners, grant-awarding agencies and fundraising.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of academic program development, development of interdisciplinary education, and appreciation and demonstrated success with online education.
• Experience related to effective hiring and management of faculty and staff, budgeting and academic policies.
• Experience mentoring faculty and students in advancing high-quality research and scholarly productivity.
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written.

Additional information about the position, the T. Denny Sanford School, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and ASU can be found in the leadership profile: https://www.agbsearch.com/searches/director-t-denny-sanford-school-of-social-and-family-dynamics-arizona-state-university

Application Instructions

Nominations and Applications

For best consideration, applications should be submitted by December 31, 2024. Candidates are requested to submit the following materials:

i) a curriculum vitae,

ii) a letter of interest that addresses the leadership opportunities in the profile, and

iii) contact information for four references (to be contacted with candidate’s permission at a later date) to the AGB Search portal: ASU Director, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics.

Nominations and expressions of interest in the director of the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics opportunity are encouraged. Please direct them to ASUDirectorSanfordSchool@agbsearch.com or to the AGB Search consultants Nancy Targett, PhD, nancy.targett@agbsearch.com, C: 302.233.5202 or Joy Yablonsky, joy.yablonsky@agbsearch.com, C: 215-934-1386.