To be considered for this position, interested applicants must apply online to Shepherd University's career portal - https://jobs-shepherd.peopleadmin.com/postings/18435

1. Invitation for Applications and Nominations

Shepherd University, a premier public regional university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, seeks applications and nominations for a visionary and strategic leader to serve as dean of the new College of Business and Technology. Applicants or nominees must demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence, student success, and collaborative leadership. The expected start date for this position is January 2027.  

2. The Opportunity 

Reporting to the provost and vice president for academic affairs, the dean plays a critical role in advancing the college’s alignment with the University’s mission and strategic plan. The dean serves as a member of the provost’s leadership team and works closely with faculty, staff, and administrative colleagues across the University to implement strategies that support academic programs and student success within the college.

Specifically, the dean is responsible for:

• Developing and articulating the college’s vision in alignment with Shepherd University’s mission, vision, and values.
• Managing the college’s academic portfolio and meeting key performance indicators related to enrollment growth, retention, and graduation rates.
• Supporting, managing, and providing professional development opportunities for faculty and staff within the college.
• Overseeing college policies related to instruction, curriculum, and student success.
• Advocating for and representing the college to students, faculty, alumni, industry partners, community organizations, and regional leaders.
• Expanding the college’s impact and long-term sustainability through fundraising, grant development, and other strategic resource development initiatives.
• In addition, the dean works with community partners, funding agencies, and donors to develop educational partnerships that contribute to the region’s economic growth and sustainability.

3. About the Region  

Shepherdstown, West Virginia, located in the Eastern Panhandle, is rich in history, natural beauty, and small-town charm—and offers something for everyone. Local residents can raft on the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, explore the nation's past at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, or stroll through local farmers' markets. The area offers numerous opportunities for historical and cultural engagement.

Located just an hour from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, Shepherd University serves as an economic and cultural hub for the region. The area has benefited from significant investment in business and industry, giving Shepherd unique opportunities for partnerships that directly benefit students. Such partnerships include Procter and Gamble, CohnReznick, Tractor Supply, Farmers and Mechanics, and Amazon Fulfillment, etc. For more information on the region, visit https://www.shepherd.edu/faculty-affairs/future-faculty 

4. About the University 

Established in 1871, Shepherd University is a comprehensive public university, grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, offering a wide spectrum of academic programs to undergraduate and graduate students. Shepherd is committed to student success by providing 21st-century skills and experiential learning opportunities that prepare students for lifelong learning and success in their chosen pursuits across disciplines.

Shepherd attracts students from across the Mountain State and the broader Mid-Atlantic region by offering affordable tuition, small class sizes, and an ideal location. The University provides direct pathways to careers in government, public policy, education, the arts, healthcare, business, and nonprofit sectors, thanks to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland. The University will open a new state-of-the-art dining hall and multipurpose building in Fall 2026, as part of a campus expansion and refresh project funded by a $30 million investment from the state of West Virginia. This new facility will enhance the student experience at Shepherd and allow the University to continue its critical role as an academic, economic, and cultural hub for the region.

5. About the College of Business and Technology

The mission of the College of Business and Technology is to prepare students for lifelong learning and success in the academic contexts of business, accounting, economics, computer science, mathematics, engineering, and sport administration. The college houses two departments: Business and Sport Administration and Computer Science, Mathematics, and Engineering. These two departments collectively have approximately a third of Shepherd’s undergraduate majors. The undergraduate business administration major and the MBA are both accredited by IACBE, and the recreation and sports studies major is accredited through the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT).

The College has focused on course content for strong majors while being responsive to industry skill gaps that focus on topics such as innovation, analytics, financial literacy, programming, networking, and AI-related skills, and applied learning such as internships and other experiential opportunities throughout the curriculum.

Shepherd University places a strong emphasis on experiential learning through internships, management training programs, and strategic partnerships with industry leaders. The University maintains active collaborations with organizations such as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, Enterprise, ESPN, Frederick Keys, Goodwill Industries, Jefferson County Development Authority, Jefferson Security Bank, Morgan Keller Construction, the Minority Business Development Agency, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ripken Baseball, River Riders–Harpers Ferry, State Farm, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Volvo Trucks.

External funding to the College includes the Business 2020 initiative which launched and expanded the business programs on campus and in the region. Additional funding has supported risk management and insurance, financial planning, and aviation management. The department houses the local West Virginia Small Business Development Center office, facilitating business startups, student internships, and collaboration between students, classes, and local businesses. It also houses the Center for Regional Innovation and engages in the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.

Grantsmanship is also quite active in this College, with several members of the faculty actively engaged as Principal Investigators or Co-PIs on various funded projects, some in collaboration with Sciences faculty from the College of Science, Health, and Wellness. Examples of these include an NSF-funded Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Program, which creates experiential undergraduate opportunities like neuroscience research and improving industry partnerships for career development, an NSF S-STEM Scholarship program for academically and financially eligible undergraduate scholars, and participation in the NIH IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program. Business faculty have received grant funding for Agritourism research (USDA), infrastructure updates (ED and NSF), and research initiatives (DoD).

The dean works closely with the Shepherd Entrepreneurship Research Corporation to drive collaborations with community partners that seed and scale innovative academic programs including the Agricultural Innovation Center at Tabler Farm which provides students with hands-on agribusiness experience through its working farm, aquaponics lab, apiary, orchard, food forest, and future innovations. Students can earn certificates in agricultural entrepreneurship and sustainable food production.

6. Primary Responsibilities  

The Dean of Business and Technology provides strategic leadership and manages all operational aspects of the College. The dean collaboratively leads a dedicated faculty in delivering high-quality academic programs that support student and faculty success across the College and University.

The following is a summation of the dean’s most essential job responsibilities:  

• Collaboratively leads a dedicated team of faculty and staff in the development of strategic objectives that support teaching excellence, student success, enrollment growth, and program innovation within the College.
• Supervises, mentors, and evaluates unit leaders, faculty, and administrative staff. 
• Builds working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, advocating for resources necessary to support academic programs, faculty, and staff.
• Identifies market opportunities for new and/or revised programs in the College, facilitating the curricular development of degrees, certificates, and micro-credentials that meet market demand and prepare students for professional success. 
• Identifies and secures external funding through grants, external partnerships, and donors to support the strategic objectives of the College.  
• Recruits and retains talented faculty and staff to support the academic mission of the College.  
• Oversees the facilitation and execution of assessment processes for accreditation and Board of Governors program reviews. 
• Promotes professional and community outreach projects and activities. 
• Collects and maintains data for assessment of students, graduates, and academic programs. 
• Develops an annual budget for the College and administers the allocated budget according to institutional guidelines. 
• Develops sustainable partnerships and programmatic pathways with institutions in the region and across West Virginia.  

7*. Required Qualifications  *

• Terminal degree in business administration, economics, accounting, recreation, sport management, computer science, mathematics, computer engineering, or related field from a regionally accredited institution.
• Five (5) years of progressively higher administrative responsibilities with a proven track record in program development, grant funding, external engagement, and assessment and accreditation.
• Sufficient evidence of teaching, research, and service as appropriate for a tenured full professor in the college.
• Demonstrated success in attracting, recruiting, retaining, and evaluating faculty.
• Proven track record of mentoring and providing professional development support to faculty and staff.
• Success in developing and managing a fiscally sound unit budget that aligns with strategic priorities.

8. Preferred Qualifications 

• Demonstrated success in building innovative academic programs that scale.
• Commitment to student success with concrete examples of innovative initiatives that improve retention, persistence, and graduation rates.
• Experience and understanding of the development and delivery of quality online instruction.
• Demonstrated experience in integrating emerging technologies and sustainability initiatives into academic programs and operations (e.g., generative AI, online pedagogy, etc.).
• Experience in collaboratively leading the development and delivery of strategic objectives.
• Demonstrated success in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across academic programs and departments within the University to support innovation, shared resources, and student success. 

9. Salary Range and Benefits

The anticipated salary range for this position begins at $160,000 and will be commensurate with the successful candidate’s qualifications.

Shepherd University offers generous employee benefits, including:

• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% contribution match.
• Tuition waivers for employees and their dependents.
• Eligibility to continue health insurance post-retirement.

10. How to Apply or Nominate 

To apply for this position, please visit https://jobs-shepherd.peopleadmin.com. Applications must include a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, a leadership philosophy (maximum three pages), and names of five professional references with email addresses and telephone numbers. Nominations and confidential inquiries may be sent to Ms. Tammy Gill, director of human resources / CHRO, at tgill@shepherd.edu. To be guaranteed consideration, candidates must submit their application materials by August 1, 2026.

Shepherd University is an equal opportunity institution. The University neither affiliates knowingly with, nor grants recognition to, any individual, group or organization having policies that discriminate. Individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Pay: From $160,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person