I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean of the College of Arts & Letters

University of Notre Dame

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College of Arts & Letters
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THE SEARCH

The University of Notre Dame seeks a visionary, collaborative leader to serve as the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean of the College of Arts & Letters (A&L). 

Established in 1842, the year Notre Dame was founded, Arts & Letters is the University’s oldest and largest college. It comprises 20 academic departments in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, with over 500 faculty, 2,600 undergraduates, and 900 graduate students. Arts & Letters occupies particular pride of place at the University and is closely identified with the mission of Notre Dame. The institution’s Catholic mission, its pursuit of knowledge in service to the world, its commitment to free inquiry, and its valuing of intellectual breadth and depth—all these are elemental to the work and purpose of the College. 

It is a remarkable time to join Notre Dame and lead the College of Arts & Letters. The University’s Strategic Framework 2033 has set forth ambitious goals to advance Notre Dame as the leading global Catholic research university, on par with but distinct from the world’s best private research universities. These efforts include bold initiatives calling for cross-disciplinary collaboration and greater impact. Notre Dame has made significant investments in facilities, undergraduate and graduate education, faculty hiring, and research (with more to come). The University is also augmenting and deepening its global engagement. The College, too, is flourishing and prosperous. Under a College Priority Plan, research and creative endeavors across fields and disciplines have risen, graduate programs have been strengthened and graduate student funding increased, and faculty recruitment has resulted in a faculty body that is stronger and more diverse than ever. 

Notre Dame seeks a Dean who will seize the opportunities of the moment, lead with vision and passion, and partner with others. The ideal candidate will be academically distinguished; evince superb leadership and strategic thinking; possess the administrative management experience to strengthen operations and systems in the College; have a history of substantive engagement locally, nationally, and globally; and embrace and champion the values and goals of Notre Dame’s Catholic mission.

A search committee has been formed and the executive recruiting firm Isaacson, Miller has been retained to support this search. Nominations, inquiries, and application materials (CVs and letters of interest) can be submitted electronically and in confidence to Anita Tien, Partner, and Jonathan Sanchez, Senior Associate, at:

I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean Search, College of Arts & Letters
Isaacson, Miller

The University of Notre Dame is dedicated to equal employment opportunity and to the implementation of positive programs designed to ensure the prevention of any discriminatory practices, either intentional or inadvertent, with respect to race, color, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, age, or sex.

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