Dean, Faculty of Arts

The University of Calgary, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The city of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation within Alberta (Nose Hill Métis District 5 and Elbow Métis District 6).

The Faculty of Arts at UCalgary
The Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary is a vibrant community that advances understanding of human experience, society, and culture through innovative scholarship, creative practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration. As one of the university’s largest and most comprehensive faculties, Arts brings together leading educators, scholars, and students across the humanities, social sciences, and creative and performing arts. As a cornerstone of the University’s academic mission, the Faculty plays a critical role in shaping how we understand complex global challenges, develop informed citizens, and prepare the next generation of leaders.

The Faculty of Arts is home to approximately 8,000 undergraduate and 600 graduate students, supported by more than 350 academic staff and over 100 professional staff. Its academic structure includes 12 departments and schools, offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. The Faculty also supports interdisciplinary work in areas such as public policy, global development, digital media, and cognitive science and increasingly enables transdisciplinary approaches that connect the Arts to science, technology, and innovation ecosystems. The Faculty is uniquely positioned to elevate and expand the role of Arts and Humanities in an entrepreneurial university environment.

As the university’s largest teaching faculty, Arts plays a central role in shaping the student experience and academic mission. The Faculty is deeply committed to innovative pedagogy, experiential and work-integrated learning, and fostering a culture of inclusive excellence. Looking ahead, the Faculty is poised to further define the role of Arts in a rapidly evolving world, where creativity, critical thinking, cultural understanding, and social innovation are essential to addressing societal challenges. This is an opportunity to lead at scale and shape a dynamic academic enterprise with significant reach, influence, and potential for continued growth in both research and teaching impact.

Position Description – Dean, Faculty of Arts
Reporting to the Provost and Vice-President (Academic), the Dean of the Faculty of Arts will be an accomplished academic leader who is motivated to lead an exceptionally diverse and dynamic Faculty at the University of Calgary. This is a role for an energetic and forward-looking visionary who is excited by the opportunity to shape the future of Arts within a major research university. The Dean will be responsible for the overall administration and operations of the Faculty, providing leadership for academic activities, community engagement, and fund development.

The Dean will play a central role in driving culture, clarity, and momentum across the Faculty, creating an environment where people feel engaged, supported, and inspired to contribute to shared goals. This includes leading thoughtful change management initiatives, enabling the Faculty to evolve in response to emerging opportunities, and fostering a culture that embraces innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. A key priority will be to elevate and amplify the Faculty’s interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary strengths, ensuring that Arts is fully integrated into the University’s broader academic and research ecosystem.

The Dean will be a compelling communicator who can clearly articulate the enduring relevance and future possibilities of the Arts. They will position Arts as vital to innovation, leadership development, and societal progress, and cultivate partnerships across sectors to expand opportunities for collaboration and impact. The Dean will inspire and strengthen relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, business and cultural communities, and will serve as a strong advocate for the Faculty as an essential and valued contributor to the University, the community, and to society at large.  With the ability to see both near-term opportunities and long-term possibilities for the Faculty, the Dean will define what a Faculty of Arts can and should become over the next decade and beyond.

Experience and Characteristics
The ideal candidate is a recognized academic leader with a strong background in the Arts, Humanities, and/or Social Sciences, and a minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience within a complex organization. This includes at least 5 years in a senior academic leadership role such as Dean, Associate Dean, Department Chair, or Director of a research institute or centre (or equivalent). The successful candidate will bring demonstrated responsibility for people leadership and budget accountability within a multi-million-dollar environment, along with a proven ability to lead through change, build alignment, and foster a shared sense of purpose across a diverse academic community.

The successful candidate will hold a PhD or professional graduate degree, or comparable terminal degree in one of the disciplines of the Faculty of Arts. The candidate will demonstrate a track record of scholarly or creative achievement appropriate to an appointment with tenure at the rank of full professor (or equivalent), alongside evidence of advancing interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary initiatives and building sustained external partnerships. The candidate will have contributed to or led efforts resulting in successful external research funding and will show experience engaging with emerging areas such as technology, artificial intelligence, or social innovation. A demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships with academic, community, government, and industry partners regionally, nationally, and internationally, is essential. The successful candidate also provides leadership in creating space for people who hold diverse perspectives, a commitment to freedom of expression, and will be a committed advocate for equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility and Indigenous engagement.

The appointment as Dean, Faculty of Arts is for a five-year period with the possibility of renewal.  The successful candidate will be offered an academic position “With Tenure” at the rank of Professor.

Application Instructions
To explore this opportunity further or to apply, please email [email protected], and include “Dean of Arts” in the subject line of your email. Applications should include a cover letter and curriculum vitae. Application review will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

About the University of Calgary
Entering it’s 60^th year, UCalgary is already one of the nation’s leading research universities. It has four campuses in Calgary, a University Innovation Quarter in Calgary, and five research stations in Alberta, BC, and Yukon. UCalgary is a global intellectual hub for high-quality research and scholarship, where students thrive in programs made rich by research, hands-on experiences, and entrepreneurial thinking, grounded in innovative learning and teaching; it is fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. With over 38,000 students, 600 postdoctoral fellows, and 1,860 faculty actively engaged in transdisciplinary discovery, creativity, and innovation across 13 faculties and schools, and supported by 4,700 staff, we deliver over 250 degree programs (undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees) and an additional 80 continuing and professional education programs.

To learn more, visit ucalgary.ca. You can also view the academic and research & innovation plans, as well as the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility, Indigenous, mental health and sustainability strategies.

About Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Recently ranked the most liveable city in North America and 5th in the world (2024) by The Economist Intelligence Unit, and possessing one of the youngest populations of major cities in Canada, Calgary is home to world-class attractions, sporting amenities and public infrastructure that supports a healthy lifestyle, making it a great place to raise a family. Situated where the Canadian plains reach the sunny foothills of Canada’s majestic Rocky Mountains, Calgary is a major urban center surrounded by an area of profound beauty with an awe-inspiring mountains, lakes, rivers and open prairie. Calgary is the third most diverse major city in Canada, home to over 240 different ethnic origins, and there are 165 languages spoken here.

In Alberta, senior leadership salaries are provincially regulated with the total compensation maximum set by the Ministerial Order No. 50/2023 (Reform of Agencies, Boards, and Commissions (Post-Secondary Institutions) Compensation Regulation). The salary range for this position is $280,000-$320,000 and is subject to the approval of the University of Calgary's Human Resources and Governance Committee. The University of Calgary’s comprehensive benefits and pension program is designed to promote a productive level of health and well-being to staff members. To learn about our comprehensive benefits package for this Calgary-based, English-speaking position, please visit https://www.ucalgary.ca/hr/benefits-pension.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy ii' taa'poh'to'p committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here; in particular, we encourage members of equity-deserving groups (women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding diversity at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments ([email protected]) and requests for accommodation can be sent to People & Culture ([email protected]).