Position Summary:

Rice Business | Virani Undergraduate School of Business is recruiting a dynamic and thoughtful leader to serve as the inaugural Undergraduate Associate Dean. The undergraduate business program was founded in 2021, with its first class graduating in the Spring of 2024. As the Jones Graduate School of Business is a "power player" in the MBA ranks, Poets & Quants named the Virani Undergraduate School of Business among the 10 Undergrad Business Schools to Watch in 2024. In recognition of a generous philanthropic gift from Houston business and community leaders, Farid and Asha Virani, the undergraduate business program was named in their honor. 

Reporting directly to the Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs, and working in tandem with other members of the leadership team, faculty, and staff, the Associate Dean will oversee an established and rapidly growing undergraduate program, with an overall emphasis on curating an engaging and rigorous experience for undergraduate majors and minors, ensuring the overall operational efficiency of the program, collaborating with campus partners as an advocate for the program, and continuously monitoring and investing in the academic development and excellence of the program and the students it serves. As a critical member of the school?s leadership, this role will have the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the continued development and academic excellence of the undergraduate program at Rice Business. This position will include an expectation of teaching but will not carry an expectation of tenure.

The ideal candidate for this role is someone who deeply values and understands the mission of Rice Business and how the undergraduate program contributes to that mission. This candidate will bring with them a rich and established history of academic excellence, administrative acumen, and a reputation for establishing and growing programs through various stages of evolution and excellence. The holder of this appointment must be deeply committed to student success and must make continuous investments towards the ongoing enrichment of the undergraduate program.

About Rice University:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation?s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to their success as a healthy community. Those values guide their decisions and behaviors and shape Rice?s culture. They come through in the way individuals treat each other and the welcome they extend to their visitors. These values can be recalled simply by the name ? RICE ? Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Essential Functions:
? Administrative leadership over the operations of the undergraduate program, including course planning, curriculum review, NTT appointments and reviews, ongoing accreditation compliance, and student support.
? Collaborates closely with the Dean, Deputy Dean, Sr. Associate Dean, and other members of the leadership team to ensure all aspects of the program support and contribute to the academic mission of the school; works closely with faculty to ensure instructional needs are met and course loads balanced.
? Actively participates in the academic and administrative life of the school; contributes to other areas as appropriate; champions undergraduate business education, both at Rice Business and throughout the academy.
? Develops and oversees new and innovative programs to enrich the undergraduate student experience.
? Enhances and monitors the excellence of the academic program, working closely and collaboratively with other members of the faculty to achieve goals.
? Oversees course evaluation process; monitors student success/outcomes; collaborates with the faculty to ensure program offerings achieve overall needs.
? Works closely with staff members as needed/appropriate to oversee the administration of the program.
? Instructs three courses per year, as a 2/1 or 1/2 distribution, and as determined by the Sr. Associate Dean for Degree Programs.
? Other duties as assigned.

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and the full inclusion of all qualified persons in the workplace. This commitment includes providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities.