Dean Benjamín Juárez to step down as Dean of the College of Fine Arts; Formation of the Dean Search Advisory Committee

From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Professor Benjamín Juárez, Dean of the College of Fine Arts, has announced that he plans to step down from his role as Dean at the conclusion of the 2014-2015 academic year.

Dean Juarez has served with distinction since his appointment in 2010. Under his leadership, CFA’s stature has grown as a nationally regarded institution of artistic study, with the recruitment and retention of celebrated scholars and artists, the creation of the Centers for New Music, Early Music, and Beethoven Studies and the hosting of numerous important symposia and conferences. The result has been continual improvement in the undergraduate education and experience CFA provides, as well as the launch of exciting new minors and concentrations, and the freshening of curricula at the program level. Dean Juarez has been at the forefront of significant University-wide collaborations, working tirelessly with colleagues on the Medical Campus, within the Kilachand Honors College and through the BU Arts Initiative to integrate the arts as a meaningful component of the student experience at BU.

A national search is planned to identify the next Dean of the College of Fine Arts. A search of this nature presents an important opportunity for the University to reflect on existing strengths and needs and to identify the qualities we seek in those charged with leading our academic units moving forward. Given the unique role that the College of Fine Arts plays at Boston University as both an engine of creativity and incubator of outstanding artistic scholarship and talent, the search for the next Dean of CFA presents a critical task for us as a community.

The process for constituting a Dean Search Advisory Committee, outlined in the BU Faculty Handbook, specifies that: “the advisory committee shall consist of three faculty members elected by the faculty of the School for which a dean is to be selected, two faculty members elected by the Faculty Council from other Schools, and as many as three members designated by the provost.”

The faculty members who are appointed to serve on the Advisory Committee will have responsibility for directing the search effort and should be among our most thoughtful, engaged, and committed scholars, teachers, and leaders.  Potential committee members should demonstrate the capacity to proactively attract and recruit outstanding candidates for the CFA deanship; the faculty most well positioned to carry out this work will be actively engaged in significant ways in their professional communities and within their academic disciplines. Please note that no member of the Advisory Committee may be considered him or herself for the position of Dean.

Accordingly, I am requesting that the faculty in the College of Fine Arts organize internally to solicit nominations and to elect one faculty representative to the Search Advisory Committee from each of the three Schools within the College.  I have asked John Amend, the Assistant Dean for Administration and Finance, to work with the Directors of the three schools to oversee the election process.  Individuals who are elected to serve on the Search Advisory Committee should not want to be a considered for the position of Dean.  I will hold a special meeting for the CFA Faculty in the coming weeks to discuss the search effort.

Boston University’s Faculty Council will also be sending an email communication to all members of the faculty on both campuses requesting nominations of candidates external to CFA to fill the two elected seats on the Dean’s Search Advisory Committee.  Nominations or expressions of interest can be sent to the Faculty Council (fafc@bu.edu).  Please note that membership on the Faculty Council itself is not an eligibility requirement for election to the Search Advisory Committee by the Faculty Council.  I request submission of the results of both of these elections by Friday, October 17, 2014.  Following receipt, I will appoint additional members so that the Committee will be assembled and prepared to begin its work by Monday, October 27, 2014.

The CFA Dean Search Advisory Committee will be charged with responsibility for:

  • Refining the initial position description;
  • Actively soliciting nominations for candidates from appropriate sources within the University and nationally;
  • Actively recruiting outstanding candidates who have a record of administrative leadership and achievement and an academic profile suitable for appointment at the level of Professor at Boston University;
  • Evaluating the qualifications and assessing the strength of nominees and applicants;
  • Consulting with the faculty of CFA and other School and University stakeholders on finalists;
  • Recommending the names of 3-5 qualified candidates, outlining the strengths and limitations of each, for final selection by the President and approval by the Board of Trustees.

The members of the CFA Dean Search Advisory Committee should not vote as part of its process and deliberations. Rather, the work should be accomplished by discussion and consensus.  Ideally, the committee will conclude its work and submit its recommendations no later than Monday, April 27, 2015.

The next Dean of CFA will be charged with further enhancing the quality and stature of the College.  I encourage all faculty to contribute their expertise and assistance to the formation of this Dean’s Search Advisory Committee and to the success of its important charge.

Dean Benjamín Juárez to step down as Dean of the College of Fine Arts; Formation of the Dean Search Advisory Committee – 10.2.14