Dean of the School of Environmental Sustainability

Loyola University Chicago invites applications for the position of Dean of the School of Environmental Sustainability (SES). We seek an innovative leader who can take a successful and growing school to its next level. The preferred candidate will have strong administrative experience and excellence in research, teaching, and service in any discipline associated with Environmental Sustainability. SES is an interdisciplinary school whose core identity lies within the environmental sciences, inclusive of ecology, earth sciences, environmental chemistry, biogeochemical science, atmospheric science, and geography. It also has interdisciplinary expertise that draws on the social sciences, most notably environmental economics, land use management, environmental politics and policy, and anthropology, as well as the humanities (theology/ethics and history) and sustainable business. We are searching for a Dean who will further expand the interdisciplinary reach of our expanding school, ensure outstanding academic support and career success for our students, support the faculty’s collaborative and interdisciplinary research and teaching endeavors, promote a staff culture that values community and work-life balance, and enhance the school’s reputation as a regional, national, and international leader in environmental sustainability. As a school situated in the world-class City of Chicago that is dedicated to mentoring a diverse student body, many of whom come from under-represented and under-served populations, we especially encourage applications from candidates from under-represented groups. The position will start in July 2025.

Loyola University Chicago

Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is the largest of twenty-seven Jesuit colleges and universities (https://ajcunet.edu/) and one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Loyola enrolls approximately 17,000 students, including over 11,000 undergraduates, across its three campuses in the Chicago metropolitan area: Lake Shore Campus on Chicago’s north side; Water Tower Campus near the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago; and Health Sciences Campus in the western suburb of Maywood. The University has over 1,600 full-time and part-time faculty. It also operates a study abroad center – the John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) – in Rome, Italy. Loyola offers programs in a variety of disciplines through thirteen schools and colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences (founded in 1870), the School of Law (1908), the Stritch School of Medicine (1909), the School of Social Work (1914), the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (1914), the Graduate School (1915), the Quinlan School of Business (1922), the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (1935), the School of Education (1969), the School of Communication (2008), Arrupe College (2014) which operates as a two-year college and confers associates degrees, the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health (2019), and the School of Environmental Sustainability (2020).

The School of Environmental Sustainability

The School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) was founded in 2020 when the Institute of Environmental Sustainability (2013-2020) was elevated to school status. SES is structured in five interdisciplinary units or focus areas to facilitate collaborative problem-solving as concerns: (1) energy and climate; (2) food systems and sustainable agriculture; (3) biodiversity and conservation; (4) environmental health and toxicology; and (5) environment and society. Through its range of degree and programmatic offerings, SES develops ethical professionals with the knowledge, skills, and dedication to make lasting contribution as society transitions to a more just and sustainable future. SES graduates pursue careers in diverse fields, advancing sustainability and making a difference in business, government, and non-profit sectors.

SES comprises a dynamic faculty and staff of thirty-eight fulltime members in a broad range of disciplines and roles. Collectively, the faculty and staff promote excellence in teaching, research, co-curricular activities like urban agriculture and biodiesel internships and student clubs, student academic and career success, and administrative management. The faculty includes seventeen tenure-track and tenured professors, ten non-tenure-track lecturers, and five part-time instructors from myriad sustainability-related fields in the biophysical sciences, social sciences, and humanities. All faculty teach and many facilitate high-impact learning experiences, such as service-learning courses, field courses, study abroad courses, and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Research-active faculty conduct research that advances scholarly knowledge and informs policy and practice. They regularly publish, mentor graduate students, and obtain external grants to fund their work. Several conduct research in the Great Lakes Region and others in countries around the globe. The staff consists of eleven members with specialized expertise in campus sustainability, urban agriculture, renewable energy, student engagement, experiential learning, administrative management, and marketing and communications. Staff facilitate extensive student engagement opportunities through internships, student clubs, and applied research that supports environmental sustainability on campus and in local communities. Together, SES faculty and staff provide robust teaching, learning, internship, guided co-curricular opportunities, and research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as other supports that lead to student success. Faculty and staff also engage with students in activities on campus and in the Chicago region that promote environmental justice and sustainability.

SES offers eight undergraduate majors, three undergraduate minors, one graduate degree, and three graduate certificates. Our growing school currently enrolls 521 students in SES programs with over 400 undergraduates and over 100 graduate students. SES launched the Master of Science in Environmental Science and Sustainability program in 2019, in which students can pursue a professional track or a research track. Additionally, Loyola’s accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs allow students to complete both their undergraduate degree and master’s degree in just five years. We aspire to launch PhD programs in the future.

Environmental sustainability is a university-wide priority at Loyola that fosters enriching educational experiences for SES students that extend beyond the conventional classroom. Many SES students make the most of enriched educational opportunities to learn through applied research, internships, volunteer activities, and student-driven sustainability projects. SES faculty make use of the opportunities presented by Chicago’s role as a global leader and our location on the shores of Lake Michigan at the confluence of the Great Lakes, the Northwoods, the agricultural Heartland, and the Great Plains. Faculty have active research sites throughout the region as well as locations domestically and internationally. SES has several facilities that make student enrichment possible. The Urban Agriculture program is housed in a 3,100 square foot greenhouse and provides students with hands-on experiences via the Winthrop Community Garden, the Food Recovery Network, and area farmers markets and non-profit organizations. In 2013, SES started the Searle Biodiesel Lab, where students gain valuable real-world circular economy experiences, such as transforming used cooking oil into renewable biodiesel fuel for Loyola’s inter-campus shuttle and into environmentally friendly soap. The Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Center (LUREC) is a 98-acre facility located in Woodstock, Illinois – the only such facility in the Chicago region – where students can take immersive field-based courses and engage in hands-on research. LUREC also provides a backdrop for service projects and community engagement with SES student clubs, such as the Ecological Restoration Club and the Student Environmental Alliance.

SES oversees Loyola’s University-wide Office of Sustainability, which plays a major role in implementing Loyola’s Climate Action Plan, Zero Waste Plan, and hosts over two dozen events each year advancing a culture of sustainability for all Ramblers. Students are involved in a variety of sustainability events, such as themed weeks, regular research presentations, awards programs, and conferences, to learn from sustainability experts and to expand their professional networks within the field. The Office of Sustainability partners with all academic and operational units to support the faculty, staff, students, and alumni across Loyola in advancing sustainability through our campuses, curriculum, and community. The Office of Sustainability’s programs and Loyola’s commitment to sustainability have led to multiple recognitions and stand as a differentiator for students seeking the value of sustainability in their educational experience.

SES values and is committed to environmental sustainability as it intersects with environmental justice and anti-racism. The next SES Dean is expected to continue aligning SES’s work with its Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including partnering with faculty and staff in other units such as the Institute for Racial Justice and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. SES has fostered efforts to increase dialogue across the University around indigenous rights and acknowledgement of the impacts of systemic oppression on the environment. The University’s Strategic Plan includes objectives to diversify its faculty, staff, and students. Loyola is committed to providing support and structure so everyone can succeed and strongly encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply to become the next SES Dean.

Leadership and Mission at Loyola University Chicago

The Dean will join Loyola at an exciting time under the leadership of President Mark C. Reed, EdD, MBA, who joined Loyola in October 2022. He is working across the university to actualize a strategic plan based on the alignment of research, scholarship, and mission; the promotion of racial justice; and the institution’s ability to address complex societal challenges. Provost Douglas W. Woods, PhD, who joined Loyola in July 2024, is a strong advocate for an integrated educational experience that provides students with a foundational liberal arts and sciences core curriculum, complemented by knowledge and skills developed across a range of disciplines to prepare students for successful careers and lives.

Loyola has always been guided by our identity as Chicago’s Catholic, Jesuit institution of higher learning. We embrace Catholic Social Teaching (CST) in our prioritizing social justice and Ignatian Pedagogy in our daily work. Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical on Ecology, Laudato Si’, ignited and reinforced this work and is a guiding framework for Loyola’s approach to sustainability and climate action. In 2021, Loyola committed to the “Laudato Si’ Seven Year Challenge” issued by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and was recognized as a “U.S. Laudato Si’Champion” in 2023. Loyola’s 2015 Climate Action Plan has been recognized for awards by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the US Green Building Council. It is consistently listed as a leader in higher education sustainability by the Princeton Review and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

Loyola University Chicago’s strategic plan, To the Greater Good, was formally approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2021. It provides the framework for the evolution of Loyola to a more research-intensive institution with a focus on interdisciplinary approaches to complex and urgent social problems. The plan outlines six enduring values that define Loyola:

• Care for the whole person;
• Extraordinary academics and research;
• Community-centered engagement;
• Global connections and partnerships;
• Operational excellence; and
• Care for our world.

Each enduring value encompasses various priorities and goals that support the development of the University as a whole, while also embedding and highlighting important ideas around anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. The University’s strategic plan identifies Care for Our World as a core enduring value, and our students, faculty, and staff collaborate across departments to put this value into action in our educational programs, campus operations, and daily activities. Loyola University Chicago engages with the great and diverse city of Chicago in teaching and research to benefit student learning and local communities. Additional priorities include aligning graduate education, linking global and community engagement, evolving the Core curriculum, reimagining the libraries, reorganizing centers, and strengthening enrollment management to best serve the students of today. While the plan is built around the faith and values that have fueled Loyola’s work over the past 154 years, the plan’s success metrics will evolve to meet the changing needs of today’s students and an interconnected world.

As a Catholic, Jesuit institution of higher education, we seek candidates who will contribute to our strategic plan to deliver a Transformative Education in the Jesuit tradition. To learn more about LUC’s mission, candidates should consult our website at www.luc.edu/mission/. For information about the university’s focus on transformative education, they should consult our website at www.luc.edu/transformativeed.

The annual U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Loyola among the top national universities in the country (#132 in the 2023-24 edition), and many of Loyola’s schools and programs rank among the best in the nation. Loyola is among a select group of universities recognized for community service and engagement by prestigious national organizations such as the Carnegie Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Loyola is a STARS Gold-rated institution by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and over 1,800 classes each year address a sustainability learning outcome. The University has received the Presidential Award for Community Service (out of more than 800 colleges and universities) and was designated with the Carnegie Community Engagement elective classification in 2008 and again in 2015. Loyola students have logged more than 100,000 volunteer hours throughout the Chicago area, many of which are through the University’s 867 community partners.

The Dean’s Role

The Dean will help uplift and define the next era of the School of Environmental Sustainability and will address key strategic and operational priorities.

To be successful in this role, the Dean will:

• Collaborate with a creative and committed faculty and staff to promote outstanding research, teaching, and other scholarly activities;
• Work with SES stakeholders to envision and implement a plan for the School’s continued growth that is aligned with the University Strategic Plan and rooted in the University’s core values of social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and especially Loyola’s goal of serving as a champion of environmental sustainability;
• Sustain a strong sense of community within SES and promote an organizational culture that values excellence and work-life balance;
• Promote the financial health and future of the School through effective resource management;
• Engage with alumni to facilitate student mentorship, professional connections for SES graduates, and overall alumni involvement in SES.
• Partner with Loyola’s Advancement office to expand donor engagement and philanthropic giving;
• Draw on and strengthen the School’s interdisciplinary linkages across the University;
• Serve as an advocate for SES across the University’s other schools, colleges, and non-academic divisions;
• Leverage the City of Chicago and elevate the School’s visibility through industry partnerships and community engagement initiatives such as hosting the annual SES Climate Change Conference;
• Pursue partnerships through Catholic and Jesuit international networks to elevate the School’s national and global visibility.

Qualifications

The Dean will have a doctorate and a record of administrative, research, and teaching excellence in any discipline pertaining to Environmental Sustainability.

Specific qualifications include:

• A commitment to advancing interdisciplinary collaboration and the ability to promote and support the wide range of disciplines within the School;
• Professional academic experience in environmental sustainability and a record of impactful scholarship;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to foster an organizational culture that values excellence, accountability, community and work-life balance;
• A track record of engaging with students, promoting student success, and evaluating educational activities to ensure that a commitment to high-quality educational experiences is upheld;
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, and retain faculty and staff;
• Extensive knowledge of 21st-century trends, challenges, and opportunities in the field of environmental sustainability in a rapidly changing world;
• Experience working with external stakeholders such as alumni, donors, industry, government, and community partners;
• Demonstrated commitment to Loyola University Chicago’s Catholic, Jesuit mission and a desire to continue the School’s efforts to spur growth that benefits students in all areas of life;
• A leadership style that is fair, transparent, welcoming, and embraces shared governance;
• Proficiency with strategic planning and execution;
• Demonstrated experience effectively building budgets, managing resources, and generating new resources, including fundraising;
• Entrepreneurial spirit and support for innovative partnerships and initiatives that enhance the visibility of the School; and
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Instructions to Applicants

Candidates should submit a current Curriculum Vitae and a letter of interest to https://www.careers.luc.edu/postings/29307. They also should provide the names and email addresses of three individuals prepared to speak to their professional qualifications for this position. References will not be contacted immediately but may be consulted at subsequent points in the review process.

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the until the position is filled.

Inquiries, nominations, and referrals should be submitted via email to:

Gina S. Lopez, MBA

Director, Operations and Events

Office of the Provost

Loyola University Chicago

Email: glopez@luc.edu

Loyola University Chicago is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer with a strong commitment to hiring for our mission and diversifying our faculty. The University seeks to increase the diversity of its professoriate, workforce and undergraduate and graduate student populations because broad diversity – including a wide range of individuals who contribute to a robust academic environment – is critical to achieving the University’s mission of excellence in education, research, educational access and services in an increasingly diverse society. Therefore, in holistically accessing the many qualifications of each applicant, we would factor favorably an individual’s record of conduct that includes experience with an array of diverse perspectives, as well as a wide variety of different educational, research or other work activities. Among other qualifications, we would also factor favorably experience overcoming or helping others overcome barriers to an academic career or degrees.

Loyola University Chicago Land Acknowledgement Statement

The Loyola University Chicago community acknowledges its location on the ancestral homelands of the Council of the Three Fires (the Ojibwa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi tribes) and a place of trade with other tribes, including the Ho-Chunk, Miami, Menominee, Sauk, and Meskwaki. We recognize that descendants of these and other North American tribes continue to live and work on this land with us. We recognize the tragic legacy of colonization, genocide, and oppression that still impacts Native American lives today. As a Jesuit university, we affirm our commitment to issues of social responsibility and justice. We further recognize our responsibility to understand, teach, and respect the past and present realities of local Native Americans and their continued connection to this land.