About the School for Environment and Sustainability
The School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) is the University of Michigan’s interdisciplinary hub for environmental research, education, and engagement, focused on advancing solutions to complex global sustainability challenges through the integration of science, policy, and practice. Founded in 1927 as the School of Forestry and Conservation, SEAS has evolved into a graduate-focused school with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary scholarship and real-world impact. Today, SEAS brings together internationally recognized faculty and practitioners who work across a range of areas, including environmental justice, environmental policy and planning, ecosystem science and management, behavior, education, and communication, geospatial data sciences, sustainable systems, landscape architecture, and sustainability and development, supported by extensive research activity, cross-campus collaboration, and engagement with communities and partners. The school distinguishes itself through its integration of research, teaching, and applied engagement, its broad portfolio of specialized graduate programs, a large interdisciplinary undergraduate program, and its longstanding commitment to preparing leaders equipped to address the most pressing climate, conservation, and sustainability challenges that the world faces today.
The Leadership Opportunity
The next Dean of SEAS will guide the school into a period of significant opportunity for expanded impact. SEAS is a global leader in sustainability and environmental education and research, as well as one of the University of Michigan’s most distinctive and mission-driven schools dedicated to making a difference in the world. With a compelling blend of interdisciplinary strength, a deeply held commitment to environmental justice, a culture of innovation, collegiality, and shared purpose, and a proven ability to translate research into real-world impact, SEAS is poised to have an outsized impact at a moment when leadership in sustainability and environmental inquiry is more important than ever before. Further, the next Dean will have the opportunity to leverage the breadth of the University’s exceptional educational and research enterprises and expansive sustainability ecosystem, ensuring that SEAS is both a leader and a sought-after collaborator and partner across a range of disciplines and contexts.
While the next Dean will be tasked with navigating a period of transition marked by financial and enrollment pressures, shifts in federal funding, and evolving student and workforce expectations, there is a clear call for a leader who can harness SEAS’ intellectual breadth and institutional positioning to articulate a compelling value proposition for the future of the school. The next Dean must balance near-term operational discipline, including resource allocation, enrollment strategy, and program evolution, with longer-term opportunities to expand philanthropic support, enhance student outcomes, and build more cohesive structures across programs, centers, and campus partnerships. Ultimately, this is an opportunity to lead an exceptional and distinguished school forward at a critical moment, preserving its core strengths while advancing a forward-looking vision that elevates its impact both within the University of Michigan and across the global sustainability landscape.
Opportunities and Expectations
- Develop a clear and compelling vision for the future together with the SEAS community that guides decision-making, aligns stakeholders, and reinforces its distinct role within the broader University ecosystem and sustainability landscape.
- Advance excellence across education, research, and impact, further strengthening SEAS’ position as a leading environmental and sustainability school and sustaining top-tier research while delivering an exceptional student experience and meaningful societal impact.
- Evolve and foster innovation in SEAS’ academic portfolio to meet changing student expectations, workforce needs, and emerging areas of environmental and sustainability practice.
- Continue to develop a cohesive and transparent culture of communication within SEAS, ensuring that faculty, students, and staff are united by a shared sense of purpose and feel supported by leadership.
- Ensure that SEAS continues to operate from a position of financial strength, supporting sustained enrollment, developing an increasingly diversified mix of revenue sources and research funding, and exercising disciplined resource allocation that enables investment in strategic priorities.
Ideal Experience
Ideal candidates will demonstrate many of the following professional qualifications and experiences:
- An outstanding and distinguished record of academic achievement in sustainability, environmental studies, or a relevant field, with scholarly standing commensurate with a tenured appointment as a full professor within SEAS.
- A track record of success as an effective administrator and faculty leader, with management and budgetary oversight experience in a complex academic and/or research organization.
- The capacity to collaborate and partner effectively across the breadth of the University.
- The ability to listen and communicate transparently across a broad range of stakeholders and constituents, with demonstrated experience engaging with faculty governance.
- A deep and unwavering commitment to the University of Michigan’s core values of integrity, respect, inclusion, equity, diversity, and innovation.
- The ability to serve as a compelling representative and spokesperson for SEAS, with the communication and interpersonal skills required to act as an effective and engaging fundraiser to secure philanthropic support from a variety of sources.
To Apply
Michigan SEAS has engaged Spencer Stuart to assist with this search. Candidates wishing to apply or to nominate someone for the position of Dean should submit materials to MichiganSEASDean@SpencerStuart.com.
For additional information about the School for Environment and Sustainability, please visit: https://seas.umich.edu/.
