Dean, Healey Library

University of Massachusetts Boston

Boston, MA

Full time

 

The University of Massachusetts Boston, seeks a dynamic, innovative, and 
visionary leader with an established record of supporting academic excellence, 
and a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Reporting to and 
with the support of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the 
Dean of University Libraries plays an integral role in shaping and articulating 
the strategic vision of the university. As a member of the university’s 
Executive Leadership Team and the Provost’s Academic Council, the Dean will 
provide leadership that solidifies the library as the intellectual hub of the 
university and strengthens Healey Library as a world-class academic library 
whose mission aligns with the university’s commitment to urban and global 
engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion, student success, faculty teaching 
and research.  

 

The Dean, as the library’s chief administrative officer, provides oversight and 
leadership to a dedicated and experienced team of 28 full-time staff (14 
librarians, 8 other professional positions, 5 classified and 1 non-unit staff) 
plus 19 student employees. The Dean will lead this team in the design and 
implementation of a strategic program addressing staffing, budget, resource 
allocation, and capital planning, towards the goal of becoming a world-class 
academic and research library. The Dean will oversee a budget of $6.9 million 
and will support university leadership in actively engaging university partners 
and potential donors to advance the university's mission and to accomplish the 
strategic program.    

 

The University  

 UMass Boston is recognized as a model of excellence for urban public 
universities. The scenic waterfront campus, with easy access to downtown 
Boston, is located next to the John F. Kennedy Library and Presidential Museum, 
the Commonwealth Museum and Massachusetts State Archives, and the Edward M. 
Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.   

One of the five campuses of the UMass system, UMass Boston is a research 
university with a teaching soul. It combines the rigorous focus on generation 
of knowledge that characterizes a major research university with a dedication 
to teaching that places its top scholars in undergraduate and graduate 
classrooms where a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio fosters easy student-faculty 
interaction. UMass Boston brings the resources of a major university to people 
from all walks of life, offering 79 undergraduate and 114 graduate programs in 
approximately 90 fields of study, as well as advanced certificate programs. 
Eighty-seven percent of full-time faculty hold the highest degree in their 
fields. Located in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, UMass Boston has a growing 
reputation for innovation and a particular focus on research addressing complex 
urban issues. As metropolitan Boston’s only public research university, UMass 
Boston offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning 
environment and the rich experience of a great American city. The University 
maintains a strong commitment to all aspects of diversity and inclusion, 
including anti-racist and health promoting initiatives.  UMass Boston has a 
deep commitment to engaging the communities in the greater Boston area as well 
as across the state. Our Mass Memories Roadshow is recognized as a model for 
"participatory archiving”. 

 

This Fall, there were 12,269 undergraduates and 3,368 graduate students 
enrolled at UMass Boston. Many of our undergraduates are from Massachusetts 
(87%). UMass Boston serves large numbers of racial minority students (62%), 
first-generation college students (57%), transfers (57%), and students who are 
immigrants or children of immigrants who speak languages other than English at 
home or with families (51%). Our students are also diverse in age and national 
origin. In keeping with UMass Boston’s strategic goal of global engagement, the 
proportion of international students has remained near 10 percent over the past 
five years.  

 

In the Fall of 2021 UMB had about 360 tenured faculty, 120 on tenure track, and 
employed about 670 non-tenure track instructors.  In AY 2020-21 UMass Boston 
was successful in recruiting 25 tenured or tenure-track faculty while 
sustaining the high proportion of full-time instructional faculty that are 
persons of color at 31 percent and are female at 51 percent. Tenure-stream 
faculty, which represents 58 percent of all full-time instructional faculty, 
are a critical factor in ensuring the continued success of our students.  

 

UMass Boston continues to advance as an increasingly sophisticated research 
university. Between FY 2015 and FY 2020, UMass Boston’s Total R&D 
expenditures reported to NSF have remained above $64.2 million. In terms of 
sponsored instruction and outreach per faculty, this figure has increased to 
nearly $135,000 per faculty member in FY20 (a 12% increase over FY15).  

 

University Leadership  

Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco assumed the role of chancellor of the 
University of Massachusetts Boston on August 1, 2020. Prior to coming to UMass 
Boston, Suárez-Orozco served as the inaugural UCLA Wasserman Dean, leading two 
academic departments, 16 nationally renowned research institutes, and two 
innovative demonstration schools at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & 
Information Studies.  

 

Provost Joseph B. Berger is a renowned and award-winning scholar whose work 
focuses on higher education policy, organization and leadership, the impact of 
higher education on key stakeholders, and the development of higher education 
in various national contexts. Dr. Berger’s nearly 20 years of strategic 
academic leadership experience have been instrumental in developing innovative 
academic programs, enhancing faculty development, improving opportunities for 
inclusive student success, building improved administrative infrastructure, 
promoting sponsored research, cultivating mission-driven fundraising, engaging 
community partners, promoting international collaboration, and championing 
social justice.  

 

Responsibilities:    

Provides strategic and collaborative leadership to advance the University’s 
values and directions for research, instruction, and community engagement 
activities  
Develops and implements a strategic plan that aligns with the University’s 
mission and plans; actively contributes to the University’s strategic plan; and 
positions the library for its essential role in the university  
Facilitates the ongoing transformation of the library into a world class 
research institution that integrates diverse resources, acquires and maintains 
state-of-the-art technologies, seeks new opportunities, and sustains a vibrant 
research and learning community  
Provides leadership and expertise in the adoption of new models of scholarly 
communication  
Engages and develops library staff to ensure that they grow and acquire the 
knowledge and skills that are essential to working in a world-class academic 
library  
Fosters a culture of inclusion, equity, diversity, collegiality, and 
collaboration to support the staff in their daily work and in their 
professional development  
Works with the team of senior managers to provide effective leadership and 
direction to the staff; to ensure effective stewardship of resources; and to 
design, implement, and sustain an organizational structure, systems, and work 
design to enable the effective accomplishment of organizational goals and 
objectives  
Helps identify external resources to support the Healey Library through 
fundraising, community engagement, and sponsored research   

Minimum Qualifications (Required):  

Master of Library Science (MLS) degree from an American Library Association 
(ALA) accredited institution or an equivalent degree   
At least five years of administrative experience at the university level 
including strategic planning, fiscal management, personnel management, and 
experience with relevant technologies   
Knowledge of current issues, developments, innovations, and challenges in 
academic libraries and archives, information technology, scholarly 
communications, and higher education    
Record of creative leadership and strong interpersonal, communication and 
supervisory skills  
Demonstrated record of financial management, budgetary oversight, and effective 
stewardship of resources    
Successful experience with grant writing, development, and fundraising 
activities     
Demonstrated commitment to developing a diverse and equitable library culture 
and evidence of work with a diverse community      
A creative, energetic, and results-oriented leadership style that promotes 
trust, autonomy, and accountability  
Successful experience cultivating relationships and partnerships within and 
outside of the library and university   
Experience in and knowledge of several areas of academic librarianship  
Familiarity with library technologies and the ability to assess the potential 
and applicability of those technologies   

 

Preferred Qualifications:   

Commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice    
Experience working and managing in a collective bargaining environment    
Second masters’ degree or PhD   
Comfort with working in a multi-campus system   
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with internal and external 
constituencies, including donors and potential donors     
Record of engagement in professional associations and/or achievement in 
scholarly productivity   

 

Application Instructions:

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three 
references. Applications without cover letters will not be considered.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.

Salary Range: Commensurate with experience

This is a non-union exempt position. 

The University of Massachusetts Boston provides equal employment opportunities 
to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, 
religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, 
national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, genetic information, 
pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition, or membership in any other legally 
protected class. The University of Massachusetts Boston complies with all 
applicable federal, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in 
employment in every location in which the university operates. This policy 
applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

 


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