Search for Dean Harris School of Public Policy University of Chicago
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Search for Dean Harris School of Public Policy University of Chicago THE SEARCH The University of Chicago seeks an experienced, inventive and ambitious scholar/administrator as the next dean of the Harris School of Public Policy. The Harris School was founded 25 years ago in line with the University of Chicago’s traditions of intellectual rigor and interdisciplinary investigation. Its exacting, data-driven perspective, across a range of disciplines and policy domains, has distinguished the Harris School from its competitors. In a brief period of time, with the leadership of Dean Daniel Diermeier, the Harris School faculty and staff developed an array of new initiatives and blazed a remarkable path. Recent successes will provide the next dean with a rare opportunity to build a preeminent professional school for the next generation of policy leaders. In fundraising, the school has been the recipient of transformational gifts: $38 million in total to build its new home, the Keller Center and a landmark $100 million gift to establish The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Pearson Global Forum. At the same time, the ranks of the full-time faculty have increased by 24% to 41, with top flight hires in the areas of conflict and international development, data analytics, energy, labor economics and political economy. New degrees are now offered in the areas of computational analysis, environmental sciences, a certificate in data analytics as well as a BA in public policy for undergraduates in the College. Organizationally, the school has invested in enhancing staff capacity in advising, marketing, development and enrollment management to deliver a world class student experience and to enable the school to grow. The next dean will come at a critical moment for the Harris School. Cultivating the school’s academic distinction; strategizing and executing on The Pearson Institute and The Global Forum, opening the Keller Center; growing the faculty and student body; fundraising; sustaining and developing new academic programs; and implementing effective systems and policies internally will all be critical tasks for the dean. The dean has the opportunity to firmly harness the school’s forward momentum. There is much that is new at the Harris School and much that was always foundational and remains central to its identity. The school will require astute leadership from the dean to fully shape and settle an emerging and more expansive identity. As new faculty and staff are recruited, they will join an ambitious, successful and rapidly evolving school, reaching for new cohesion, an expanded place in the University and eminence in the world of policy analytics. University of Chicago Dean, Harris School of Public Policy Studies Page 2 of 8 The University of Chicago has retained the search firm Isaacson, Miller to assist in the recruitment of the next dean. All applications, inquiries, and nominations, which will remain confidential, should be directed to Isaacson, Miller as indicated at the end of this document. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Founded in 1892 by John D. Rockefeller, the University of Chicago is one of the world's preeminent universities. More than 80 Nobel Laureates are or have been associated with the University. The University is known for its increasingly diverse student body, distinctive urban campus with strong community connections, and a robust global presence. US News and World Report recently ranked the University third in its latest annual survey of national universities. The University is currently home to 2,700 faculty and academic personnel, and 15,000 students in its graduate arts and sciences programs, professional schools and special programs. The University operates a major medical center, the nation’s largest academic press, two national laboratories (the Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab–Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, the renowned N-12 Laboratory Schools and four charter school campuses on the South Side of Chicago. Enhanced philanthropy over the last decade has allowed the University to support a range of innovative new programs and the facilities to support them, all of which are among the most academically rigorous and well respected in the nation. Some signature developments include the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics, the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC), the Gwen and Jules Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery, the Institute for Molecular Engineering, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Neubauer Family Collegium for Culture and Society. Currently the University is in the public phase of its “Inquiry and Impact” capital campaign. Launched in 2014, the University has set the ambitious goal of raising $4.5 billion by 2019. To date, the University has raised approximately $3.15 billion. The goal for the Harris School is $75 million for academic centers and programs; the Harris School building (Keller Center), internships and practica, and fellowships. Since the launch of the campaign, the school has already exceeded its goal. More information about the University can be found at www.uchicago.edu. HARRIS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY STUDIES The last two years at the Harris School have been an extraordinary time. The school has embarked on an ambitious strategy to elevate its status as a leader amongst public policy schools. The Harris School focused on fundraising, growing the faculty, student enrollment, academic programs and partnerships. In total, over two years, the school has raised approximately $150 million, exceeding the total raised in the 25-plus years of the school’s existence. The gift from The Thomas L. Pearson and The Pearson Family Members Foundation was one of the largest gifts ever to the University of Chicago and the Keller Center gift will allow the school to be housed in larger, more modern facilities as the school continues to grow. Currently the Harris School is raising money for the 2x20 Fund that will serve as a financial pool of start-up capital designed to double the school’s operating budget by 2020. The fund will be used to launch innovative programs and initiatives, recruit and hire key faculty and staff, and to implement immediate improvements in student experience. University of Chicago Dean, Harris School of Public Policy Studies Page 3 of 8 Faculty recruitment has been a particular bright spot for the school. The Harris School seeks scholars who will help the school achieve both distinction and impact. In 2014, the school sought to bolster its already impressive talent on the faculty by significantly increasing its size. It focused hiring in its current areas of strength as well as in conflict and international development, data analytics and energy. As part of the The Thomas L. Pearson and The Pearson Family Members Foundation’s gift to the school, the University established four named professorships at the Harris School. Currently, three of these four named professorship have been filled. In a short time, the Harris School has become a destination school for recently minted PhDs in economics, political science and other public policy related disciplines. The next dean will have the opportunity for four additional hires in the coming years. The Harris School continues to attract high caliber students and has the goal of substantially increasing the enrollment of master’s students by 2020. Towards this end, the school has raised a little over $4 million out of a goal of $10 million for fellowships to attract top students; invested in strengthening marketing and communications; and broadened the academic portfolio (i.e. new joint degrees, electives, undergraduate degree and executive education). The efforts of the last two years have seen the school achieve nearly 10% growth per year. Faculty and administrators have created a series of exciting partnerships and initiatives that add strength to the Harris School’s areas of expertise. In June 2015 the International Innovation Corps joined the Harris School from the Law School and continues its work on fostering innovative solutions to social problems in developing countries. In June 2016, the Tata Trust provided a grant to launch the Tata Centre for Development to address India’s economic and social development challenges. The school has also established a partnership with the UChicago Place Lab. The Lab brings together artists, policymakers, faculty and students to design and implement new approaches to urban development. The recently launched Policy Analytics Initiative formalizes the school’s efforts to apply the best data and analytical tools in addressing societal challenges. There is great potential for the Harris School to grow and develop in data analytics, particularly in partnership with the department of computer science under the leadership of its new chair, Michael Franklin from the University of California, Berkeley. In the last decade, the top leadership at the University has committed greater resources and attention to public policy and civic issues. Recently developed institutes such as the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC), and the Institute for Politics, to name a few, work to engage world class research at the University with pressing social, political and economic issues. The University has an increasing global presence and a robust Office of Civic Engagement that connects it to the local community and nationally.