Dean of the University of Michigan - Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Joint Institute Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China

The University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University invite nominations and applications for the position of Dean of their Joint Institute. The Joint Institute (JI) is a unit within SJTU that is co-directed by both the University of Michigan (U-M) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) as a special educational zone on the SJTU campus. It was established in 2006 with the goal to develop global leaders through student exchanges, research collaboration and innovative educational programs. The Joint Institute received the 2014 Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education. English is the official language of the Joint Institute.

The UM-SJTU JI offers specialized degree programs in China in an English-language format. In addition, selected UM-SJTU JI students may apply for transfer admission to the University of Michigan, following the same admissions guidelines and degree requirements as other international and domestic transfer students. The JI offers undergraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering (ME), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). Both the ME and ECE programs are ABET-certified. JI graduates have an extremely strong track record of admission at top graduate programs worldwide. A significant number of U-M students pursue Summer and Fall study abroad programs at the JI. Overall, the JI has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 1,200 degree-seeking students, as well as a transient population of 40 to 60 U-M students every Summer. Over the past 15 years, the JI has developed an alumni body of over 3,000 graduates, who have pursued both academic and industry careers.

The JI recruits top quality faculty worldwide to conduct high-impact research and direct doctoral and masters level education. It currently employs 44 tenure and tenure-track faculty, 27 instructional faculty, and 27 post-doctoral researchers. The JI faculty mentors a graduate student body of over 200 individuals.

The next Dean will bring exceptional leadership skills, experience in academic administration, a strong and innovative vision for the future of the Joint Institute, a history of academic engagements with international partners, and energy and enthusiasm for promoting the work of the Joint Institute.

A search committee with representation from both institutions has been convened to conduct the search and to recommend finalists to the UM-SJTU Partnership Board.

Position profile

The Dean, residing in Shanghai, China, is the chief academic and administrative officer of the JI. Key to the responsibilities of this position, this leader will:

• set the strategic vision and provide leadership in the JI's pursuit of its goals of providing high quality undergraduate and graduate education and research;

• recruit and maintain an excellent faculty;

• create and support educational and research programs of the highest quality;

• attract excellent undergraduate and graduate students;

• create collaborative opportunities with other schools and units within both SJTU and the U-M;

• enhance productive relationships with alumni, donors, and local, national, and international communities.

The Dean of the JI plays a major leadership role in the broader SJTU community, stimulating and facilitating synergistic collaboration with other schools and colleges and providing a test-bed for western models of education and research on a Chinese campus.

As the chief academic, administrative, and financial officer of the JI, the Dean reports directly to the UM-SJTU Partnership board, which is comprised of members of the leadership of both SJTU and the U-M. The Dean chairs the JI's Academic Programs Group, which consists of UM and SJTU faculty who provide input on governance and academic issues for the JI. The Dean also selects and leads the Dean's Cabinet, which comprises the academic and administrative leadership of the JI.

Opportunities and goals for the Joint Institute

Since its inception, the Joint Institute has established a significant faculty body that excels globally in research along several technology fronts. Today, the Joint Institute is at the forefront in domestic and international competitive opportunities as a center of excellence for future technology developments.

The next Dean of the Joint Institute has a unique opportunity to build on a solid foundation of excellence in research and education, and to further enhance the mission and success of the UM-SJTU Joint Institute. In this context, the Dean would pursue the following goals:

• Pursue innovative and strategic research directions, so to expand the areas of research excellence of the Joint Institute along directions that promote its excellence among peer institutions.

• Expand interdisciplinary research engagements, by promoting the investigation of research challenges that are at the crossing of established disciplinary domains within the Joint Institute, and by supporting collaborations among the JI faculty and among faculty from the Joint Institute, SJTU and U-M.

• Expand the research impact of the Joint Institute, by encouraging and promoting research in novel problem domains, and of high-risk/high-return research endeavors.

• Grow and expand the diversity of the JI's graduate student population, with a target goal of rapidly increasing the size of the graduate student body in the next five years. Such growth should both consider the directions of future technology and expand the diversity of the graduate student body along a wide range of dimensions, including gender, ethnicity, country of origin, cultural background, etc.

• Grow and expand the diversity of the faculty. The Joint Institute expects to experience rapid growth of its faculty size in the near future, in alignment with the number of students affiliated with each of its three engineering programs. Such growth should expand faculty diversity along a wide range of dimensions, including gender, ethnicity, country of origin, cultural background, etc.

Candidate Qualifications

An earned doctorate, and a record of progressive and visionary academic leadership experience in higher education are required. The ideal candidate should be an internationally recognized scholar with the desire, ability, and vision to sustain a leadership role within an organization that is in the forefront of developing new models for research and scholarship, graduate education, and undergraduate education, within China. The future Dean must be eligible to hold a faculty rank equivalent to the rank of Professor with Tenure at the Joint Institute, will possess demonstrated effectiveness in planning, administration, and personnel and fiscal management; a strong ability of recruiting excellent faculty; substantial evidence of leading sustainable transformation in diversity and inclusion initiatives; demonstrated effectiveness in working with a diverse student body, faculty, staff, other university constituents, and external organizations; and the ability to work collaboratively with academic units and international partners to create curricular and co-curricular components that advance student experiences and research partnerships. The future Dean will need to employ a high level of administrative acumen in leading the JI as a unit within the SJTU that generally operates under different academic and procedural rules than the host institution, SJTU. Familiarity with the U-M or SJTU (or both) is an important addition to a candidate's profile.

Interested candidates should email umsjtuji@sjtu.edu.cn for any question. Applications should include a CV and cover letter that articulates the candidate's interest for their deanship at the Joint Institute. These should be emailed as a pdf document to umsjtuji@sjtu.edu.cn. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until May 31, 2021.

The UM-SJTU Joint Institute is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic university community committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. Potential applicants who share this goal are encouraged to apply.