The University

The University at Albany is the oldest state-charted public institution of higher education in New York . It employs some 1,100 faculty who generate $142 million in external funding. Albany is a major research university within the State University of New York system. It enrolls 17,000 students, of whom 5,000 are at the graduate level, and plans a gradual enrollment increase to 18,000 highly competitive students. Additionally, the University is in the midst of a major Capital Campaign. The University at Albany has a broad mission of undergraduate and graduate education, research, and public service. Through its nine degree-granting schools and colleges, the University offers 54 bachelor’s, 84 master’s and 39 doctoral programs in fields ranging from the arts and sciences to nanoscale sciences and engineering, as well as education, business, public health, public affairs and policy, computing and information, criminal justice, and social welfare.

The College

Rockefeller College pursues teaching, research and service missions related to the interdisciplinary study of politics, governance, policy, and public administration. The College’s degree programs include bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level study in political science, and bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level study in public administration and policy. The enrollment profile is composed of 530 undergraduate students, 160 master’s students, and 130 doctoral students. Through its programs, the College seeks to develop the knowledge, values and skills needed for analysis and action. The College’s 40 FTE faculty are appointed to the Departments of Political Science and Public Administration and Policy. Five institutes and centers within the College create and disseminate knowledge that serves the public. Rockefeller College provides educational preparation for academic and public service careers, undertakes research on significant issues of governance and public affairs, and assists in the continuing professional development of government and non-profit executives. The College is located on the University at Albany ’s downtown campus, only several blocks from the government centers for the State of New York , and the City and County of Albany .

The College has achieved national and international recognition for the excellence of its graduate programs. For instance, U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Rockefeller College 10 th overall out of more than 250 public affairs programs in the United States . The magazine also ranked certain special concentrations, including: Information Technology and Management – 4 th; Public Administration and Management – 6 th; and Public Finance – 9 th.

Rockefeller College offers appropriate assistance to the governments of New York State and the U.S. , and to foreign governments and international organizations in meeting the responsibilities of contemporary citizenship and governance through special courses, training, conferences, research and consultation, and publications for the dissemination of information.

The Position

The Dean is the chief academic and administrative officer of The Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy and reports to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Dean is responsible for leading Rockefeller College in all aspects of teaching, research/scholarly activity, service and fund-raising. The Dean participates, as a member of the University Council of Deans, in all major decisions concerning the University. The Dean provides academic leadership to the College; encourages program and teaching excellence; represents the College and the University in internal, cross-campus and community settings; and teaches in one of the College departments.

The University at Albany seeks a leader with vision and a strong commitment to public affairs and public policy, cultural diversity, excellence in policy research and education, and expertise in building and sustaining a sense of community. The new Dean must be a skilled manager of both human and financial resources and have a deep understanding of the complex challenges of operating a nationally ranked college in a research university. Candidates should be nationally recognized scholars, with an appropriate advanced degree and qualifications for a tenured faculty appointment in one of the College’s departments, who can nurture partnership within the College and between the College, University and broader community.

The Dean will have the opportunity to build upon the accomplishments of the current Dean, faculty, students, and staff in fostering an even stronger and productive College by attracting a diverse and socially committed student body, strengthening and supporting scholarship, expanding external funding and private support, and providing strategic thinking and direction with respect to the future of preparing practitioners and scholars. Of equal if not greater importance, the Dean must be able to marshal the collective resources of the College to maintain and expand relationships with the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of state government, particularly given its location in New York State’s capital city.