Dean, Honors College
Job Description
The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.
If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at (775) 784-1495 or [email protected]. For UNR Med professional job postings, please contact the Office of Professional Recruitment at (775) 784-6778.
Job Description
The University of Nevada, Reno invites applications for a dynamic and visionary leader to be the next Dean of the Honors College. The Dean of the Honors College is the chief academic officer of the college and reports directly to the Executive Vice President and Provost, serves on the Academic Leadership Council, and is part of the executive leadership team for the University. The Dean provides strategic and administrative leadership for the Honors College, including leadership of faculty, staff, and students; oversees academic programs and operations; and represents the College within the University and to external constituencies at the local, state, regional, and national levels. The Dean is responsible for faculty recruitment, mentoring, evaluation, and the cultivation of collaborative and intellectually vibrant Honors College community. The Dean manages the administrative aspects of the office such as budgeting, marketing, and strategic planning.
The Honors Program is a premier academic experience at the University of Nevada, Reno offered to outstanding undergraduate students who are both academically talented and highly motivated.
Required Qualifications
A terminal degree and a minimum of five (5) years of related professional experience in academic leadership.
Related experience:
A record of teaching and scholarship sufficient to be receive tenure and rank of professor in a university department, with tenure home in the Honors College.
A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in an Honors Program or College at the University level.
Experience in academic program administration and assessment, including oversight of honors curriculum, faculty, or instructor performance, and student learning outcomes.
Experience managing complex budgets, including the strategic allocation of funds for honors scholarships, faculty fellowships, undergraduate research, and student programming
Demonstrated experience in fundraising or external resource development in support of academic programs, students, or faculty initiatives.
Preferred Qualifications
Demonstrated engagement with the national honors education community, including familiarity with or participation in organizations such as the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI/HERU), and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).
Demonstrated understanding of best practices in honors education, including interdisciplinary curriculum design, high-impact practices, and undergraduate research.
Experience with academic program development and proposal writing, including the planning or launch of new courses, initiatives, or academic pathways.
Experience contributing to or leading curriculum development in interdisciplinary, honors, or undergraduate-focused academic settings.
Demonstrated ability to design and support transformative student experiences, such as undergraduate research, experiential learning, community-engaged learning, or global learning opportunities.
Experience building and sustaining community-based or institutional partnerships that provide students with experiential learning, mentorship, or professional development opportunities.
Compensation Grade
University Executive - Dean, Honors College
To view the salary schedule for this position, please visit: Salary Schedules and select Executive Salary Schedules>Dean, Honors College. Salary is competitive and commensurate with related education and experience.
Remarkable Retirement
Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 19.25% contribution is generously matched by the University. With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested your first day. Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow! All permanent employees on an annual "A" or "B" contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program unless they are members of PERS of Nevada.
Perks of Working at the University of Nevada, Reno
Health insurance options including dental and vision - Health Insurance
Generous annual, sick leave, long term disability and life insurance – Faculty Benefits
E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers annual or semester memberships and spouse/domestic partner membership options. E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center
Mountain EAP supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life's difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University. Faculty Senate
No state income tax!
Grants-in-Aid for Faculty Employees
The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner. Faculty Grants-in-Aid
About the College
The Honors College provides students with an education that nurtures and promotes students' capacities to think competently, understand deeply and act ethically. This university wide initiative encompasses all undergraduate majors. The College will have an enrollment of 1,300 students by Fall 2026 semester, up from 440 students at the Fall 2019 semester. The student population is a majority of STEM and Liberal Arts students. The University of Nevada, Reno is an institutional member of the National Collegiate Honors Council. The honors team collaborates with faculty, administrators, and the Honors Advisory Board in discipline specific academic programs to offer dynamic honors curriculum, smaller class sizes and an enhanced educational experience. The program recruits, admits, advises, and mentors honors students through their undergraduate degree programs and additionally offers alumni networking opportunities following graduation. The current Dean is tenured through the Honors College and a tenured track is available to Honors staff and faculty. The Honors initiative started in the early 1960’s at UNR and transitioned from a program to a full College in July of 2020. The Honors College occupies 2 floors of the Continuing Education building located on the UNR campus. The Honors College culture emphasizes collaboration, innovation, creativity, and teamwork in delivering our student-centered services. The Honors College is supported by our College Advocacy Board (CAB) made up of local residents and business and government executives. This 20+ person board supports the Dean and the Strategic Plan by mentoring students, driving fund raising events and programs and developing corporate sponsorships across Northern and Southern Nevada.
The University of Nevada, Reno, is a public research university that is committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Nevada’s historic land-grant university was founded in 1874, and today serves 23,000 students. The University is a comprehensive, doctoral university, classified as an R1 institution with very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UNR also earned the Carnegie Community Engagement classification. Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been invested in advanced labs, residence halls, and facilities. It is home to the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, and Wolf Pack Athletics, and maintains a statewide outreach mission and presence through programs such as the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Small Business Development Center, and Nevada Seismological Laboratory.
The University’s main campus is located in Reno, Nevada, immediately adjacent to a vibrant and growing downtown region, and has a satellite campus in south Reno, as well as the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting.
The University is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, which includes two research universities, one state college, four community colleges, and an environmental research institute, and endeavors to create and develop strong partnerships with each institution. Through a commitment to world-improving research, student success, and outreach benefiting the communities and businesses of Nevada, the University has impact across the state and around the world. Northern Nevada continues to develop and grow as a “technology hub” and many corporations provide opportunities for students (internships, employment, research, etc.) and to college leadership as corporate partners.
Located where the Sierra Nevada meets the high desert of the Great Basin, the University’s verdant, 290-acre main campus is a 45-minute drive from scenic Lake Tahoe. Today, the University delivers on its land-grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement, and vibrant campus life that promote UNR’s diverse students’ cognitive growth and academic The University is ranked in the top tier of National Universities by U.S. News & World Report and in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Exempt
YesFull-Time Equivalent
100.0%Required Attachment(s)
Please note that once you submit your application, the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, or additional documents sections of the application will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments before the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at [email protected].
Please attach the following documents to your application:
1) Resume/CV
2) Cover Letter
3) Contact information for three professional references
This posting is open until filled
Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply immediately. Review of applications will begin in early August 2026, and this search will close without notice when a sufficient number of applications are received or a hiring decision has been made.
Posting Close Date
Note to Applicant
A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.
HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty member’s first day of employment.
References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.
Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to E-Verify.
As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.
For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver's license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment.
Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.
The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes).
About Us
The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s original land-grant university, the University serves more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries.
Classified by the Carnegie® Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (“Very High Research”) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegie® Community Engagement classification. The University is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the “Best National Universities” and “Best National Public Universities.” It also ranks in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the New York Times’ “Top Colleges for Economic Diversity.”
Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been has invested in advanced labs, facilities, and residence halls on the main campus. The University is home to Nevada’s first medical school – the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting. The University delivers on its original land-grant mission with outreach across the state through the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Wolf Pack Athletics.
The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, a burgeoning global technology hub with a vibrant midtown and downtown. Found where the high desert of the Great Basin meets the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe, the beautiful, 290-acre main campus is also a Nevada State Arboretum. The University’s physical infrastructure is expanding with ongoing construction of the newly named John Tullock Business Building, set to open in fall 2025. Groundbreaking is also planned for a new State Public Health Laboratory Building on campus, alongside the recent acquisition of 16 parcels near campus, known as “University Village,” to provide affordable housing for graduate students and early career faculty.
Collaborating with world-renowned organizations, the University fosters innovation through initiatives such as the Digital Wolf Pack partnership with Apple, which ensures equitable access to technology for students, providing new incoming freshman or transfer students with an iPad Air and accessories. Google’s TechWise initiate is an 18-month program that fully supports undergraduate students in becoming entry-level software engineers by graduation.
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that Nevada – led by the University of Nevada, Reno – was named one of the inaugural 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (TechHubs). Nevada was selected from a competitive pool of 489 applicants from across the United States and its territories. Nevada’s Tech Hub will strengthen America’s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state.
Through its commitment to high-impact education, world-improving research and creative activity, and outreach that’s transforming Nevada’s communities and businesses, the University continues its 150-year tradition of benefitting our state, nation and world.
The University recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. The inclusive and engaged community on campus recognizes the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience.
Today, the University delivers on its original land-grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement and vibrant campus life that promote our diverse students’ cognitive growth and academic achievement – all while remaining one of the best values in American higher education.
For more information, please visit the University’s website.