Academic Dean Job Description

Academic dean is a professional who has a significant authority in the college or university and is responsible for ensuring smooth operation that is within the rules and regulations designed by the institution. Academic dean responsibilities are challenging, multifaceted and complex in nature. Therefore, they need to be handled effectively and efficiently.

Academic Dean Responsibilities

Academic deans needs to have multitasking ability as they need to handle a wide range of responsibilities. He needs to be a natural leader and strive for continuously improving the policies and procedures to achieve the mission of the institution. Thus, he plays a crucial role in reflecting the real face of the university as opposed to the other competitive colleges, schools or universities. Here is a detailed description of the key academic dean responsibilities:

1. Student Related Functions:

He should make sure that an accurate system is followed to note the student behavior and evaluate their performance
He should be able to guide, advise and counsel the students in their relevant subject
He should clear out all the relevant issues, try to retain the existing students and should take an active part in student recruitment

2. Administration Related Functions:

To be able to lead a team of staff members and students, guide and instruct them in the coordination as well as assessment of the whole academic unit or its subunit
To develop a friendly congenial work atmosphere amongst all the departments
He should develop innovative methods to enhance the integrity, surpass the expectations, to achieve the goals and mission designed.
To ensure curricular coherence of all the courses available to improve the quality of education
To ensure that the students grievances are tackled in a timely and appropriate manner

3. Other Personnel Functions:

To maintain and update the data related to the employment and performance evaluation of all the persons
To implement an equitable compensation based on the performance appraisal
To counsel and motivate the staff members to increase their morale by designing a rewards, awards, certifications that will help in professional and personal growth
To serve as a mediator between faculty, staff members, students and parents to resolve any relevant issues
To coordinate and direct all the activities related to fund raising, to present the grants to the appropriate universities for approval
To be able to present himself as a role model for the faculty, staff members and students

He also designs, revises, and prepares new academic plans to ensure progress. He oversees and prepares the class schedules and ensures their adherence to rules and regulations of the institution.

Essential Skills

The most essential skills that will help in ensuring success are as follows:

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with a good motivational ability
Should have a business acumen with a vision to develop and improve the quality of education imparted
Should be able to develop new strategies for continuous learning
Should be able to lead, supervise and build a rapport with the faculty members, staff and students
Should have excellent organization and time management skills
Should be updated with the latest developments in the academic field and should be proficient in handling computers with multitasking ability

Educational Qualification

Academic dean's duties are more of administration and human resource management type. Therefore, a masters or a doctorate degree in relevant field would prove to be helpful. An exceptional academic record with a proven work experience would definitely be an advantage.

Work Hours

They may or may not work throughout the year; their daily work routine does not extend beyond forty hours per week. They, however, need to work for extended work hours if there is any extracurricular activity, seminar or conference.

Salary Details

The salary offered varies depending on the location, his tenure and academic background. An experienced dean will surely get a better package then a newly hired.

Career Advancement

The career opportunities exist in the form of the post of a president or any senior level position that requires him to handle more complex tasks.

Thus, the academic dean's responsibilities need to be carried out efficiently and effectively to ensure the success and growth of any academic institution and survive in this competitive field.

See Also