Dean & Professor, College of Education & Social Services

at University Of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, United States

Job Description

Posting Details

Position will be posted for a minimum of one week, after which it is subject to removal without notice.

The University of Vermont ( UVM , the University) seeks an experienced, forward-looking leader to serve as Dean of the College of Education and Social Services ( CESS , the College) as the institution embraces its first chapter as an R1 institution. CESS is central to the university’s Land-Grant mission, preparing educators, counselors, social workers, and human service professionals whose work directly shapes communities across Vermont and beyond. This is a distinctive opportunity to lead a College singularly and deeply connected to the public good.

Reporting to the Provost, the Dean will serve as the chief academic and administrative officer of the College, leading nearly 150 faculty and staff. The Dean will serve as a compelling advocate for the College’s disciplines, demonstrating their critical role in higher education and society. This leader will be a coalition builder, skilled at fostering trust and relationships across campus, with students, alumni, donors, and external partners. The Dean will play a central role in advancing the College’s fundraising and development priorities, articulating a compelling vision for investment in CESS’s mission, programs, and people.

The next Dean will be called upon to strengthen the College’s scholarly enterprise in ways that complement its longstanding teaching and service mission, while leading with a deep commitment to UVM’s “Common Ground” values. These values of respect, integrity, innovation, openness, justice, and responsibility shape how the University approaches education, research, and community partnership, and are central to how colleagues at UVM engage with faculty, staff, students, and external collaborators. For CESS , whose work is inherently entwined with equity, human development, and social change, these values are active commitments the next dean will be called upon to model, champion, and practice every day.

Experience navigating complex institutions, along with a thoughtful approach to strategic planning and resource management, will be essential. Candidates must possess an earned doctorate in a relevant academic discipline in education or social services (e.g., social work, human development and family science, counseling), and an outstanding record of teaching, service, and scholarship that meets requirements for Full Professor with tenure.

The University of Vermont has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to support this recruitment. Confidential inquiries, nominations, and applications may be directed to the firm as indicated at the end of this document.

Founded in 1791, UVM is one of the nation’s oldest public universities and the state’s flagship research institution. The University draws students from more than 80 countries, and nearly 80% hail from outside Vermont, with nearly 50% from outside New England. The University achieved R1 status in February 2025, the result of decades of investment in faculty excellence, cutting-edge research, and academic innovation. UVM embraces both a strong teaching mission and a dedication to advancing fields of knowledge through research. The University has been consistently ranked among the nation’s top public universities. It provides a rich environment for teaching, research, community engagement, and scholarship in many realms of human inquiry, achieved in large measure through a distinguished faculty of accomplished teacher-scholars. The University received the No. 1 ranking on Princeton Review’s 2024 and 2025 lists for “Best Schools for Making an Impact.” UVM has also been named to Princeton Review’s “Green Rating Honor Roll” in recognition of sustainability-related practices, policies, and academics, and ranked first among institutions with larger populations on the list of top green colleges.

The University offers a rich complement of academic programs, including more than 100 bachelor’s degree programs, 61 master’s programs, 33 accelerated master’s programs, 28 PhD programs, 6 professional doctorates, and an MD program. The University’s academic units include the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences (https://www.uvm.edu/cals) , Arts and Sciences (https://www.uvm.edu/cas) , Education and Social Services (https://www.uvm.edu/cess) , Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (https://www.uvm.edu/cems) , Nursing and Health Sciences (https://www.uvm.edu/cnhs) , the Larner College of Medicine (https://www.uvm.edu/larnermed) , the Grossman School of Business (https://www.uvm.edu/business) , the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (https://www.uvm.edu/rsenr) , the Patrick Leahy Honors College (https://www.uvm.edu/honorscollege) , the Graduate College (https://www.uvm.edu/graduate) , Professional and Continuing Education (https://learn.uvm.edu/) , and the UVM Libraries (https://library.uvm.edu/about/our\mission\_and\vision) . As the state’s only research university and only medical college, UVM plays a special role in the region as a research hub.

Marlene Tromp, PhD, became the 28th President of the University of Vermont in July 2025. She is an accomplished scholar and experienced leader in public higher education, with a career spanning comprehensive research universities and Land-Grant institutions.

Before joining UVM , Tromp served for six years as President of Boise State University, where she worked in partnership with faculty and campus leaders to strengthen academic programs, expand research activity, and improve student outcomes. Earlier in her career, she held senior academic leadership roles at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she served as campus provost and executive vice chancellor, and at Arizona State University, where she was dean and vice provost. Across these roles, Tromp has been engaged in advancing interdisciplinary research, strengthening external partnerships, and integrating universities more fully with the needs of their states and regions.

A scholar of English, Tromp’s academic work has focused on Victorian studies and cultural history. She earned her BA from Creighton University, MA from the University of Wyoming, and PhD from the University of Florida.

Grounded in UVM’s public mission, CESS emphasizes professional preparation, community-engaged learning, and scholarship that address educational and social systems. Experiential learning is a central component of a CESS education, reflecting UVM’s belief that education is not preparation for life, but life itself. In the current year, 738 students were placed with nearly 125 organizations across 235 placement sites through service-learning, practicum, and internship courses. Collectively, CESS students contribute 200,000 hours of service each year in schools, agencies, and community organizations across Vermont.