Dean for the School of Engineering and Computer Science

Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science

Calvin University | Grand Rapids, Michigan

Position Summary

The Dean for the School of Engineering and Computer Science is the chief strategic, academic, operational, and external leader for the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Calvin University. The School of Engineering and Computer Science is being developed to prepare graduates who are technically excellent, ethically grounded, spiritually formed, and ready to lead in a rapidly changing technological age. The Dean builds on existing program strength, deepens industry and alumni partnerships, supports faculty and students, guides curricular innovation, and advances Calvin’s distinctive Christian contribution to conversations about technology, ethics, design, human dignity, justice, sustainability, and the common good. The Dean will also be a primary ambassador for the School, working closely with faculty, staff, students, university leadership, enrollment, marketing, advancement, alumni, donors, employers, and external partners.

Essential Responsibilities

Vision and Strategy

• Provide visionary leadership for the launch, growth, and long-term development of the School of Engineering and Computer Science.
• Develop and implement a strategic plan that advances the School’s academic excellence, growth in enrollment and funding, external reputation, and mission alignment.
• Establish the Dean’s Office as a strong leadership and operational hub for the School, including appropriate staffing, systems, communication practices, and planning processes.
• Lead the School in ways that strengthen Calvin University as a whole and avoid academic siloing.
• Ensure that engineering, computer science, and related programs remain responsive to rapidly evolving educational, technological, and industry needs.
• Align School priorities with Calvin University’s mission to equip students to think deeply, act justly, and live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world.

Fundraising and Resource Development

• Partner with University Advancement to secure philanthropic support for the School’s strategic priorities.
• Take the lead in cultivating donor relationships related to the Dean’s Office, faculty compensation and support, program innovation, student experience, facilities and equipment, internships, outreach, and the Center for Faith and Technology.
• Articulate a compelling case for investment in Calvin’s distinctive approach to integrating Reformed Christian perspectives in engineering, computer science, and similar disciplines.
• Develop fundraising opportunities that support long-term sustainability, including endowment funding and capital investment.

External Partnerships and Community Engagement

• Serve as the chief ambassador for the School to employers, alumni, donors, advisory boards, industry partners, community organizations, professional networks, churches, peer institutions, and prospective students.
• Cultivate strong alumni networks and employer partnerships to support fundraising, internship pipelines, senior design projects, career pathways, sponsored research, and mentoring.
• Build and sustain relationships with regional and national technology, engineering, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, business, and nonprofit partners.
• Represent the School credibly and persuasively in public settings, donor conversations, media opportunities, professional gatherings, and university events.

Academic Excellence and Program Innovation

• Support rigorous, high-quality, Christian undergraduate education in engineering, computer science, and related fields.
• Encourage curricular innovation in emerging technology areas (e.g., artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data ethics, automation, software systems, environmental responsibility, quantum, and technological design).
• Promote educational experiences that integrate advanced technical skill with enduring virtues such as intellectual humility, creativity, empathy, discernment, resilience, collaboration, and service to the common good.
• Strengthen high-impact experiential learning opportunities, such as internships, senior design, undergraduate research, off-campus study, project-based learning, and employer-sponsored initiatives.
• Support assessment, accreditation, and continuous improvement processes across the School’s programs.

Faculty and Staff Leadership

• Recruit, retain, support, and develop excellent faculty and staff who combine technical expertise, teaching excellence, scholarly engagement, industry awareness, and commitment to Christian formation.
• Advocate for competitive faculty compensation and support in fields where faculty are highly sought after by industry and competing institutions.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, and mission-centered culture characterized by trust, transparency, accountability, shared purpose, and mutual respect.
• Supervise department chairs and staff within the School, including an operations coordinator or operations manager.
• Support faculty scholarship, professional development, course innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and engagement with industry and professional networks.
• Reduce unnecessary faculty workload by strengthening administrative, internship, outreach, and operational support.

Center for Faith and Technology

• Provide leadership for the development and launch of the Center for Faith and Technology as a signature feature of the School.
• Support a director in building the Center as a distinctive platform for scholarship, teaching, public engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration at the intersection of technology, ethics, and Christian thought.
• Together with the Center, grow Calvin’s public reputation as a leading Christian voice on the moral and social implications of emerging technologies.

Enrollment, Marketing, and Student Success

• Collaborate with Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications to increase the School’s visibility, reputation, and appeal to prospective students and families.
• Help recruit a larger and more diverse student body into engineering, computer science, and related programs.
• Initiate and support outreach efforts such as summer camps, targeted recruitment initiatives, high school engagement, and community-facing events.
• Ensure that students receive excellent academic advising, career preparation, internship support, and mentoring.
• Promote a student experience that prepares graduates for faithful leadership, technical excellence, ethical discernment, and meaningful vocation.

Facilities, Equipment, and Operational Stewardship

• Lead planning related to co-location, renovation, and expansion of labs, classrooms, senior design spaces, project areas, and collaborative learning environments.
• Advocate for equipment, software, furnishings, and supplies necessary to support excellent hands-on learning.
• Manage the School’s budget and resources responsibly, aligning financial decisions with strategic priorities.
• Ensure operational effectiveness across communications, events, outreach, scheduling, staffing, strategic projects, and student-facing services.
• Maintain financial diligence and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the School.

Reporting Relationships

The Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science:

Reports to:

• Provost

Supervises:

• Department chairs within the School
• School staff, including operations personnel
• Leaders of centers, initiatives, or programs housed within the School, as appropriate

Relates closely to:

• Faculty and staff
• Students
• Other school deans
• Enrollment, Marketing, and Advancement teams
• Alumni and donors
• Employer and industry partners
• Advisory boards
• Community partners
• Churches and professional organizations

Required Qualifications

• An advanced degree in engineering, computer science, or a closely related technology discipline from an accredited institution.
• Significant leadership experience in higher education, industry, or a related professional setting.
• Demonstrated commitment to Christian higher education and Calvin University’s Reformed mission.
• Ability to articulate and support the integration of Christian faith, ethical reflection, and technological excellence.
• Strong interest in or demonstrated success in fundraising, donor relations, grant development, or external resource development.
• Evidence of successful collaboration across disciplines, departments, or organizational units.
• Strong communication, administrative, and relational skills.
• Experience managing people, budgets, programs, or strategic initiatives.
• Ability to represent the School credibly to external audiences, including employers, donors, alumni, advisory boards, and community partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• A Ph.D. in a relevant field.
• Academic administrative experience, such as service as dean, associate dean, department chair, program director, center director, or comparable leadership role.
• Experience with ABET accreditation or other relevant accreditation and assessment processes.
• Record of teaching, scholarship, professional practice, or industry engagement in engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• Experience building employer partnerships, internship programs, advisory boards, or alumni networks.
• Experience launching new programs, centers, interdisciplinary initiatives, or strategic partnerships.
• Familiarity with emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, automation, software engineering, robotics, or ethical technology design.
• Ability to contribute to public conversations about technology, ethics, Christian thought, and the common good.

Personal Characteristics

The successful candidate will be:

• An inspirational, mission-driven leader with a deep commitment to Jesus Christ.
• A person whose spiritual example is known and respected.
• Committed to the essential theological commitments of the Reformed Christian tradition and their translation in higher-education setting.
• Willing to become an active participant in a congregation of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, a church in ecclesiastical fellowship with the CRCNA, or a Calvin University-supporting Protestant congregation.
• A gifted communicator and attentive listener who brings clarity, candor, responsiveness, and conviction.
• A relational leader who builds trust, fosters collaboration, and cultivates teamwork across diverse constituencies.
• A strategic thinker who can translate vision into operational plans, measurable goals, and sustainable structures.
• A credible advocate for faculty, staff, students, and the broader mission of the university.
• Confident and steady in complex or evolving environments.
• Humble, gracious, discerning, and optimistic while remaining realistic.
• Deeply respectful of Calvin University’s unique contribution to Christian higher education.
• Passionate about preparing students to use technological knowledge and skill in service of God’s world.

To Apply:

Complete the online application process and attach the following:

• Letter of application that addresses the requirements and responsibilities of the position

• Full curriculum vitae

FAITH and EDUCATIONAL COMMITMENT

1. Commitment to the educational mission of Calvin as a Christian liberal arts University affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church.

2. A commitment to the Christian faith and to the integration of faith, learning, and student development.

DIVERSITY COMMITMENT

Demonstrated awareness and commitment to effectively establishing relationships and positive communication across multiple dimensions of diversity including, but not limited to, race, gender, physical limitations, class, or religious perspectives.