Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences

The College of Agricultural Sciences

The College of Agricultural Sciences is a dynamic academic organization that works to fulfill Penn State’s land-grant mission through its integration of teaching, research, and extension.

Students can study Agricultural Sciences across 17 undergraduate majors, 23 undergraduate minors, 13 graduate degree programs, three associate degree programs, and five certificate programs in the college’s nine academic departments. The college has a budget of over $257 million, employs over 1,200 full-time employees, enrolls over 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students, and occupies 312 buildings on the University Park Campus.

Faculty in the college contribute as both leaders and participants in a number of cross-disciplinary research endeavors across campus. The college has a strong commitment to transformational research with robust international networks and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Faculty in the college are leading the charge in cutting across thematic research areas, including agricultural and food systems; biologically based materials and products; community resilience and capacity; environmental resilience; and integrated health solutions. Supporting its faculty and scientists, are the over 800 staff members in the college that work to support the day to day operations and the functioning of some of the world’s preeminent research facilities, centers, and institutes. In addition, the college is home to four additional Agricultural Experiment Station Research and Extension Centers. External research funding in FY ’23 for the college was $134 million, including 80% from federal agencies.

Penn State Extension promotes the maxim that all people should have access to science-based information. It aims to be the premier Cooperative Extension System in the country, and a world leader in non-credit education and consulting. Through Penn State Extension, the college has a presence in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, with 175 educators and over 11,000 volunteers-and in 2022/23 had more than 467,000 program registrants and 41.5 million website page reviews, all contributing to community-based scholarship and engagement.

The College enjoys an excellent relationship with government, industry and non-profit partners and receives approximately $90 million per year in federal, state, and county appropriations to support Pennsylvania agriculture through agricultural research and Penn State Extension educational programs.

The Pennsylvania State University 

Founded in 1855, Penn State established its land-grant mission to include teaching, interdisciplinary research, and public service to support the citizens of the commonwealth. In collaboration with industrial, educational, government, and agricultural partners, the University translates, disseminates, integrates, and applies science-based knowledge to the benefit of society. Today, the University is a leader in interdisciplinary research, learning, and engagement that facilitates innovation, embraces inclusion and sustainability, and inspires achievements that will impact the world in positive and enduring ways.

The University’s 24 campuses across the commonwealth put a Penn State education within practical reach of nearly every Pennsylvanian. In fact, more than 95 percent of Pennsylvania residents live within a 30-mile radius of a Penn State campus. Pennsylvania residents make up 58% of the total proportion of students enrolled at the University. True to its land-grant mission and its commitment to access and affordability, approximately 24% of undergraduate students are first generation college students and more than 17,000 students are Pell Grant-eligible. The Penn State Alumni Association is the world’s largest organization of its kind, with 174,200 dues-paying members and 775,338 living alumni worldwide — more than half of whom live and work in Pennsylvania.

Led by President Neeli Bendapudi, Penn State is committed to the shared governance of the University. The Board of Trustees, as Penn State’s governing body, guides the policies, goals and procedures of the University while also reviewing and approving the University’s budget. The board works in close partnership with Bendapudi to advance the mission of the institution while acting in the best interests of the University community. The board’s makeup includes representation from alumni, faculty, students, Pennsylvania business and industry, appointees by the governor, and agricultural societies from across the commonwealth. Penn State is committed to the shared governance of the University.

Penn State’s leadership — which includes President’s Council — works closely with the University’s Academic Leadership Council, Council of Academic Deans, and Council of Commonwealth Chancellors, which are comprised of academic leaders from colleges and campuses across Penn State, as well as stakeholder groups including the Penn State Faculty Senate, University Staff Advisory Council, and student government organizations.

Holding the highest rating for interdisciplinary research universities by the Carnegie Classification and ranking 28th among national public universities in 2024 by U.S. News & World Report, Penn State is a comprehensive academic institution with a $9.5 billion operating budget for 2023-24. Operating and functioning as one University that is geographically distributed, Penn State enrolls more than 87,000 students on 24 campuses in Pennsylvania and online via its World Campus. The University has more than 20,000 full-time faculty and staff, and more than 275 baccalaureate degree programs.

As a member of the Association of American Universities, Penn State offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional degree programs across 24 campuses and the online World Campus. At the University Park campus, Penn State’s largest campus and its administrative hub, undergraduate and graduate degree programs are administered in 12 academic colleges: The College of Agricultural Sciences, College of Arts and Architecture, Smeal College of Business, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Development, College of Information Sciences and Technology, College of the Liberal Arts, the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, and the Eberly College of Science, in addition to the Schreyer Honors College, The Graduate School and Penn State Law. In addition to the University Park campus, there are 19 other campuses statewide. Other University locations include Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the College of Medicine in Hershey; Penn State Dickinson Law in Carlisle; and the Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies in Malvern; and the World Campus.

With a world-class research enterprise grounded in interdisciplinary teamwork and a dedicated group of researchers and scholars, Penn State’s breadth of expertise allows the University to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the commonwealth, the nation, and the world. Research expenditures have increased steadily during the past decade, and the University’s research expenditures reached a record during fiscal year 2022-23, totaling $1.239 billion, a 14% increase from the previous year. This places Penn State among a select group of interdisciplinary research universities nationally and includes a $98 million jump in federal funding in fiscal year 2022.

Penn State is home to more than 290 interdisciplinary research centers, laboratories, and institutes across the institution, many of which are nationally or globally known. The University’s interdisciplinary research institutes include the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Institutes of Energy and the Environment, Materials Research Institute, Penn State Cancer Institute, and the Social Science Research Institute. With more than 6,300 full-time faculty members and 1,400 part-time instructors across all locations, Penn State’s distinguished faculty members are experts in their fields and educators dedicated to advancing teaching and research and creating new knowledge to solve the world’s most pressing problems across a range of disciplines.

During the past four decades, strategic planning has paved the way for Penn State to become one of the world’s outstanding public universities. Penn State’s current University-wide strategic plan, “Our Commitment to Impact,” establishes and elucidates the University’s priorities and goals through 2025. The strategic plan’s six foundations — Enabling Access to Education; Engaging Our Students; Advancing Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity; Enhancing Global Engagement; Driving Economic Development; and Ensuring a Sustainable Future — connect to, empower, and help sustain Penn State’s institutional values. Penn State’s unit planning process tethers our units — Commonwealth Campuses, academic colleges and administrative units — to the institutional strategic plan in a way that demonstrates progress. In the coming months, the University will begin a process to begin to develop the University’s next strategic plan.

As one of the most effective fundraising operations in higher education today, Penn State has led four highly successful campaigns. Most recently, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence” raised more than $2.2 billion over six years — showcasing the strength and spirit of the community. As the most successful fundraising campaign in the University’s history, “A Greater Penn State” rallied alumni and friends around a vision of Penn State as a leader in higher education. Reimagining the land-grant mission for a new era of rapid change and global connections, the campaign was focused on three core imperatives: Open Doors, Create Transformative Experiences, and Impact the World. Planning is now underway for the University’s next major fundraising effort, which will be guided and inspired by the leadership of President Neeli Bendapudi.

Penn State’s more than 1,000 student organizations, and the Student Affairs staff who support them, are helping to make the University a vibrant place to live, learn, and grow by enabling students across every campus to have transformative experiences in research, student engagement, community leadership, study abroad, internships, arts and performances, and more. Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics is home to approximately 800 student-athletes participating in 31 varsity programs (16 men’s and 15 women’s), and the University has a history of success in competition and in the classroom.

A wide array of information about the University is available through its Data Digest, including information on students, faculty, and staff, budget and finances, interdisciplinary research expenditures, and alumni and development activities.

Penn State University Park campus (State College, PA)

The University Park campus, and Penn State’s administrative hub, is located in State College, Pennsylvania, a classic college town in the central part of the state. Situated in a region of fresh air and clean water, green mountains and broad valleys, sprawling farms and quaint towns, the local area is regularly named a top place to live by publications including Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Livability.com, and Newsweek. The community is also consistently rated among the safest in the nation.

The University Park campus hosts more than 48,000 students and employs more than 27,000 people. Among several popular cultural facilities are the 16,000-seat Bryce Jordan Center, an entertainment arena; the Center for the Performing Arts, one of Pennsylvania’s major cultural resources; the 106,572-seat Beaver Stadium and other sport facilities, and the newly constructed Palmer Museum of Art, all located on campus. Adjacent to campus is the 370-acre The Arboretum at Penn State, which contains the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens. Off campus, the Penn State Downtown Theatre and State Theatre host a broad array of national and international performing acts in music, theatre, comedy, and more.

The Opportunity 

Responsibilities

Reporting to the executive vice president and provost, the dean is the college’s chief academic and operating officer and will provide academic, budgetary, and administrative leadership for the college. As dean, the successful candidate will be committed to continuous enhancement of teaching, research, and extension. The dean will develop pathways for expanding educational opportunities, increase interdisciplinary research, build industry and community partnerships, lead strategic initiatives and planning that enhance excellence within the college, and promote extension and workforce development efforts that engage the University in serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The dean provides visionary and innovative direction for the college while providing leadership and support for all faculty, staff, and students.

Specific Responsibilities Include: 

• Developing a clear vision for the college and providing leadership needed to ensure the continuing success and impact of the college;
• Leading fundraising initiatives and promoting donor and alumni development to expand the facilities, support faculty initiatives, and enhance the student experience;
• Providing leadership and guidance in fiscal and personnel matters;
• Serving as the chief spokesperson and advocate for the college both within and outside of the University, including advocating for college legislative appropriations;
• Promoting a robust culture of education, research, and extension within the college and the integration of all three mission areas;
• Building partnerships and collaborations across the University;
• Promoting a culturally aware, safe, and welcoming environment with a strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging;
• Building coalitions and promoting faculty research efforts that position the college to be a global leader in responding to statewide, national and international challenges;
• Ensuring international and intercultural learning opportunities are accessible to all faculty, staff and students;
• Leading college activities related to the acceleration of technology transfer and commercialization;
• Grasping and navigating the educational, political, and cultural dynamics and complexities of leading a college at a state-supported institution in today’s curre...