Search for David Pierpont Gardner Chair in Higher Education and Director, Center for Studies in Higher Education
The Goldman School of Public Policy’s Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) invites nominations of tenured UC Berkeley faculty to serve as its next Faculty Director. The appointed Director will hold the David Pierpont Gardner Chair in Higher Education during their periods of service. Nominees should have a strong interest in advancing issues of higher education policy and engaging the current political contexts facing colleges and universities. The nominees should also have demonstrated leadership and administrative abilities and a desire to advance interdisciplinary research that can translate into public policy development, recommendations, and feedback. We anticipate that commitment for this position will approximate a half-time (50%) effort with an effective start date of July 1, 2024.
This is a pivotal moment for higher education, with public universities, in particular, facing unprecedented challenges. The next Faculty Director will steward the Center’s executive training programs, intellectual convenings, public outreach, and impactful scholarship to position CSHE as a leader in higher education research, policy, and practice. The new Director should be committed to exploring and understanding the most pressing higher education policy issues such as financial models and sustainability, enrollment and access issues for students of color and low-income students, student persistence and retention, campus racial climate, academic freedom and faculty experiences, and the state and federal policies that shape outcomes. CSHE is particularly interested in exploring higher education through a range of methods that focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice.
About the Center for Studies in Higher Education and GSPP
CSHE is housed in the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) and reports to, and serves as the pleasure of their Dean. Although the CSHE Faculty Director is not required to have a faculty appointment in GSPP, there is a desire for the Director to be an active member of the School’s community in order to take full advantage of the faculty, student, staff, operation, and facility assets.
Established in 1956, the Center for Studies in Higher Education is the first research institute in the United States devoted to the study of higher education. The Center’s mission is to produce and support multi-disciplinary scholarly perspectives on strategic issues in higher education, conduct policy relevant research, promote the development of a community of scholars and policymakers engaged in policy-oriented discussion, and continue the Center’s public service role as a resource on higher education. CSHE brings to this discussion several distinct perspectives:
- A national and international and comparative focus
- A focus on higher education policy issues unique to California and its different tiers of education
- A focus on the specific strategic issues important to the University of California
Center activities include research projects, seminars, conferences, and other higher education events, and a visiting scholars program. The Center publications include the Research and Occasional Papers Series (ROPS), reports and articles and books by CSHE affiliated researchers. The Center is the home of a number of special programs, including the Student Experience in the Research University Consortium (SERU), the Gardner Seminar for graduate students writing dissertations on higher education, the Clark Kerr Lectures on the Role of Higher Education in Society, and the CSHE Executive Leadership Academy. Learn more about CSHE News.
Desirable Candidate Qualifications
The nominee must be a tenured University of California, Berkeley faculty member and should demonstrate some/all of the following criteria:
- Distinguished record of scholarship or administrative practice focused on critical issues in higher education.
- The disciplinary focus of the candidate is open and can include: education, public policy, psychology, sociology, political science, ethnic studies, economics, engineering, business, the natural and physical sciences, and other academic fields.
- Demonstrated leadership and administrative abilities, with experience supervising a staff of professionals and students, and helping to develop and lead new initiatives and programming.
- Demonstrated commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice (DEIBJ) in their research and leadership.
- Experience with community outreach, collaboration and engagement.
- Success with fundraising, extramural research, and revenue generation, and a desire to engage in philanthropic activities to advance the needs of the Center.
- Commitment to UC Berkeley's "Principles of Community"
Nomination Process
Please submit nominations by completing the online nomination form. Self-nominations are welcome. Nomiantions will be accepted until the appointment is filled. Upon receipt of nominations, the appointed Search Advisory Committee will request that interested nominees submit a letter of interest.
Your assistance in sharing this communication with your colleagues is greatly appreciated. Any questions regarding the search may be directed to the Search Advisory Committee Chair, Gina Ann Garcia (ginaanngarcia@berkeley.edu).