Formation of the Search Committees for the Dean of the School of Social Work and the Director of the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
This past April, as you may remember, I announced that Prof. Jorge Delva, dean of the Boston University School of Social Work (SSW) and director and Paul Farmer Professor at the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health (CISWH), would be stepping down from his leadership roles at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 academic year. National searches are now planned to identify the next dean of SSW and director of CISWH.
The first step for both searches is to constitute search committees.
School of Social Work Dean Search Advisory Committee
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 School of Social Work 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 for the position of dean.
I am requesting that the faculty in the School of Social Work organize internally to solicit nominations and to elect three faculty representatives to the search advisory committee. Any individual who would have a role in overseeing the election within SSW should neither wish to serve on the dean search advisory committee nor want to be a candidate for the dean’s position. Accordingly, I have asked Professor Renée Spencer, chair of Human Behavior, Research and Policy, to organize the election to identify the SSW representatives. I will hold a special meeting for the SSW faculty this week 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 SSW to fill the two elected seats on the dean 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 elections no later than September 30. Following receipt, I will appoint additional members so that the committee will be assembled and prepared to begin its work immediately.
The School of Social Work Dean Search Advisory Committee will be charged with responsibility for:
- Proposing refinements to 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 SSW and other school and University stakeholders on finalists; and
- Recommending the names of 3-5 qualified candidates to me, outlining the strengths and limitations of each, for final selection by the president and me, with approval by the Board of Trustees.
The members of the School of Social Work 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 February 15, 2023.
Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health Director Search Committee
Since opening in 2017, the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health has worked to expand the impact of social work and social workers in healthcare delivery, public health, and global health – an effort targeted at reducing costs, improving outcomes, improving patient experience, promoting population health, and stimulating health equity nationally and globally. Overseen by the School of Social Work and working in partnership with public health, medicine, health economics, technology, and other relevant disciplines, the center promotes social work leadership in health through inter-professional and trans-disciplinary collaboration. It accomplishes its mission through outcomes-oriented research, community partnerships, policy development, education, and training activities and through collaborations among BU faculty, particularly those in the School of Social Work and the School of Public Health, and institutions nationally.
The new director of CISWH is expected to be a distinguished scholar and exceptional leader with a demonstrable record of creative and effective interdisciplinary program development and leadership. The director will hold an endowed professor position – the Paul Farmer Professorship – at Boston University within the School of Social Work.
The membership of the CISWH Director Search Committee will be selected by the University provost. Once appointed, the committee will be charged with seeking out exceptional candidates, soliciting nominations from leaders in the field, consulting with relevant stakeholders within the University, and evaluating the qualifications and strengths of nominees and applicants. We will ask the committee to recommend 3-5 highly qualified candidates with the record of accomplishment and stature appropriate for appointment as an endowed full professor.
We will announce the membership of both committees in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Jorge Delva for his service to Boston University and to the School of Social Work and the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health. Both leadership roles are vital to BU’s stature as a nationally recognized innovator and destination in this growing interdisciplinary field, and I appreciate your contributions to and support of these search efforts.