The University of Florida (UF) seeks a passionate, transformative, and strategic leader to serve as the next Dean of the College of the Arts (COTA). The University of Florida is a leading public, land-grant, R1 research university spanning agriculture to the arts. COTA is a dynamic college that comprises the School of Art and Art History, School of Music, School of Theatre and Dance, Center for the Arts in Medicine, Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship, and Digital Worlds Institute. COTA is comprised of 148 faculty members, 63 staff members, and 1,600 students (roughly 75% undergraduate and 25% graduate). UF is ranked 7th among the nation’s top public universities in the 2025 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings and is one of only two public universities in Florida belonging to the Association of American Universities (comprising 71 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. and Canada). The UF community is comprised of over 60,000 students, 32,000 employees, a $10 billion annual budget, and more than 140 mission-focused units across Florida, including statewide healthcare and agricultural enterprises. UF has more than 6,600 faculty members with distinguished records in teaching, research, and service, including 22 Eminent Scholar Chairs, 38 elected members of the National Academies, 20 elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and 91 elected members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2024, UF research expenditures topped $1.26 billion.
COTA is a thriving college that achieves its mission by training professionals and educating students as artists, designers, and scholars while developing their capacities for critical study, creative practice, and provocation. Degrees are offered on campus and online and feature a wide range of disciplines as well as opportunities for students to integrate arts and design study with other programs across the university. The College hosts more than 400 performances, exhibitions, and events each year, most free to the public. Faculty and students also present, exhibit, and perform at other local, national, and international venues. COTA is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), University/ Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST).
As the College’s chief academic and administrative officer, the Dean will play a key leadership role in demonstrating interdisciplinary progress at the confluence of the arts, and the ability to navigate the complexities of a leading American research university. COTA plays an essential role in concert with the educational mission of the broader University, and the Dean will further elevate the College as an engine of the intellectual life on campus in new and creative ways, deeply integrating COTA into the fabric of UF across disciplines. Working with the leadership team, the Dean will set a bold and innovative vision, establish new opportunities for the College within the University’s strategic plan, and direct the growth and development of the College through shared governance. The Dean will participate in campus-wide planning and will be responsible for the College’s teaching quality, accreditation, budget management, allocation of resources, administration of academic and research programs, alumni relations, and extension of its local, state, national, and international outreach. The Dean will also lead fundraising efforts and ensure that the College meets its goals as it looks towards the next capital campaign.
The University has retained the services of Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in conducting this important search. All inquiries, applications, and nominations should be directed in confidence to the search firm, as indicated at the end of this document.
APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS:
Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-florida-college-arts/dean.
Sean Farrell, Partner (he/him)
David Grimes, Senior Associate (he/him)
Drew Chang, Senior Search Coordinator (she/her)
Isaacson, Miller
