Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine

University of Florida

The University of Florida is currently recruiting for a talented and experienced leader to serve as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. The dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine is the chief academic and executive officer for the college. The College of Veterinary Medicine has linkages to two University of Florida administrative units, with funding and reporting structures to the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Academic Health Center.

As the ninth highest ranked U.S. college of veterinary medicine, the dean at the University of Florida requires a seasoned professional with a distinguished record of visionary leadership, scholarly accomplishments and excellence in academic administration.

The successful execution of this role requires a dynamic, visionary leader with a demonstrated commitment to excellence in veterinary scholarship and sustained support of collaborative biomedical and clinical/translational research. This role requires an ability to collaborate and build successful internal and external partnerships.  The dean establishes the strategic vision and leads the college in pursuit of its goals to provide a high-quality environment for teaching, learning, research, outreach, and clinical service.

The College of Veterinary Medicine

As the state’s only veterinary college, the UF College of Veterinary Medicine is focused on the advancement of the health and welfare of animals, humans and the veterinary medical profession by offering a world-class education, innovative research and state-of-the-art clinical services.

In addition to the professional veterinary medical degree (D.V.M.) program, the College of Veterinary Medicine offers five separate graduate degree programs plus special interest certificate programs in Aquatic Animal Health, Veterinary Business Management, Food Animal Veterinary Medicine and Shelter Medicine. Our veterinary medical curriculum is highly-innovative and provides students with early exposure and training in technical and clinical skills within a state-of-the art clinical skills lab.   As a reflection of our commitment to excellence in teaching, the college’s D.V.M. graduates have consistently ranked above the national average on the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination for the past several years. Last year, the college received 1,274 applications for 120 openings in the entering class.

As a major leader in the research arena, the college is internationally recognized for its world-class basic science research in mucosal immunology, traumatic neural injury and vaccine development, malarial research and neurogenesis of airway defensive mechanisms. Other key research initiatives include shelter medicine, aquatic animal health, infectious disease and “One Health,” aimed at enhancing animal, human and environmental health.

The UF Veterinary Hospitals serve as a major regional referral center, offering a broad range of medical and surgical services and advanced diagnostics, treating more than 38,000 small and large animals. Our Small Animal Hospital caseload, including our satellite emergency clinic in Ocala, is now the third highest in the nation among veterinary medical teaching hospitals. A new UF Equine Acupuncture Center recently opened in Marion County to better serve equine clientele in the area. The UF Pet Emergency Treatment Services clinic in Ocala celebrated its five-year anniversary in 2018. Outreach to animal owners regarding the care of agricultural interests is provided through the Veterinary Extension Service, which is closely associated with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

· The college is an international leader in the area of disaster response, leading and training in different aspects of animal rescue.

· The college became the first veterinary college in the world to use true-to-life synthetic canine cadavers in student surgery labs and was involved in developing the technology with the manufacturer, Syndaver Canine.

· The UF Small Animal Hospital has one of the only dedicated interventional radiology and cardiology facilities in the nation.

The college is leading a $10 million collaborative research grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the area of vector-borne diseases, addressing issues such as how to stop the spread of Zika in the U.S.

University of Florida

The College of Veterinary Medicine is part of the University of Florida, which is the flagship university for the state of Florida, the nation’s third most populous state.  The University of Florida is a top-10 public research university and the flagship of Florida’s state university system. Located in Gainesville since 1906, UF has 16 colleges, a major academic health center, a championship-winning athletic program, a top-ranked undergraduate online program and, in keeping with its land-grant mission, one of the nation’s most comprehensive agriculture and natural resources programs. All are based at the university’s 2,000-acre campus, joining its historic core with advanced facilities and preserved natural areas, and connecting to adjacent innovation, commercial and residential districts.

UF has 56,000 students, 31,000 employees, 5,500 faculty members, a $5 billion annual budget and more than 140 mission-focused units across the state of Florida. It is the Sunshine State’s only member of the Association of American Universities comprising the nation’s 60 leading public and private research universities. It is ranked 8th in the U.S. News and World Report Best College Rankings, 2nd in Kiplinger’s Best College Values and 6th in The New York Times College Access Index. UF has 45 elections to the National Academies and American Academy of Arts and Sciences; 51 fellows with the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and two Pulitzer Prize winners. A record 41,400 students applied for 6,500 positions in the 2019-20 academic year.

Several qualities distinguish UF among today’s leading public research universities. The first is its highly comprehensive breadth on a single campus, facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration among, for example, faculty within the adjacent colleges of journalism, engineering and medicine. The second is its unwavering support from the State of Florida, which has endorsed UF’s drive to become one of the nation’s very best public research universities – supporting those effort since 2013 with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding to grow its faculty ranks. UF’s third exceptional quality is its dynamism. Like the state of Florida, now the nation’s third largest and among its fastest-growing, UF is undergoing rapid transformation as it pursues its overarching aspiration “to be a premier university that the state, nation and world look to for leadership.”

Compensation

Salary is competitive and commensurate with education and experience. The University of Florida offers a generous benefits package that includes insurances such as health, life, and dental as well as vacation, sick leave and personal days.

Qualifications

The university seeks a proven leader with demonstrated vision and the ability to execute for results to support and enhance the University’s educational, research, and public service mission. This position requires a bold vision of the future role of academic veterinary medicine in a global society. Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential, as is the ability to be nonpartisan, collaborative, and able to distill complex issues and make sound judgments and recommendations on sensitive and sometimes confidential matters.  In addition, candidates should possess the following:

Executive Leadership and Vision

· Ability to develop a clear vision and strategy consistent with the university’s mission and best practices

· Demonstrated commitment to excellence in veterinary scholarship and sustained support of collaborative biomedical and clinical/translational research

· Demonstrated commitment to excellence in and innovative approaches to veterinary professional education and graduate training

· Demonstrated leadership skills that result in the production of high-quality services and exceptional standards

· Demonstrated commitment to interdisciplinary activities

· Strategic thinking with the capability of contributing at the senior administrative level and leading other leaders

Communication and Collaboration

· Superior communication skills and the ability to connect with a variety of audiences; clear and effective written and oral presentation; and the experience, ability, and inclination to be an effective, outgoing spokesperson for the university

· Ability to foster collaborative activities locally, nationally and internationally

· Ability to maintain effective liaisons with alumni, state and national veterinary professional organizations, and other stakeholders

· Experience with advancement and fundraising that promote the missions of the college

Experience, Knowledge, and Education

· Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or equivalent and a distinguished record of visionary leadership, research/scholarly accomplishments and excellence in academic administration

· Demonstrated successful leadership in veterinary medical education

· Demonstrated commitment to high impact translational research

· Demonstrated effectiveness in planning, administration, personnel, and fiscal management

· Evidence of strong commitment to inclusion and diversity

· Successful experience or demonstrated potential in fundraising, development activities, and collaboration with industry

· Demonstrated ability to lead the college to achieve excellence in teaching, research, and outreach, in support of the missions for a land-grant university

· Record of accomplishment in recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, including women and those traditionally underrepresented in faculty, staff, and student bodies.

· Record of building, leading, mentoring, and motivating staff; and the ability to encourage change and growth in both people and programs. A strong commitment to personal and professional development, and the ability to build a robust, diverse, autonomous and collaborative team

Application Instructions

Review of applications will begin in early August and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates may apply at https://apply.interfolio.com/64317 and should provide a letter of application summarizing qualifications, a complete curriculum vitae, and names, addresses, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers of at least five references.   Inquiries and nominations can be sent to Melissa Curry, assistant vice president of University of Florida Human Resources, at [email protected] or 352.273.1735.

The University of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, genetic information and veteran status in all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training.

The “government in the sunshine” laws of Florida require that all documents relating to the search process, including letters of application/nomination and reference, be available for public inspection upon request.