A Survey Of Career Pathways Of Engineering Deans In The United States: Strategies For Leadership Development

Abstract

The career pathways of deans in higher education seem to follow the traditional model in academia from a senior faculty position and/or department chair. This however may be different from deans in engineering education. The goal of this survey research is to assess the career paths of current Deans of Colleges/Schools of Engineering in the United States. The survey discovered that about two thirds follow the normative (traditional) career path for deans, suggest leadership attributes of good communication and fiscal management experiences are the most important, and indicate current and future challenges of fundraising and faculty development are critical issues in higher education.