How to hire a college dean

How to hire a college dean, step by step

Here's a step-by-step college dean hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a college dean job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new college dean
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a college dean do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a college dean, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect college dean also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of college deans and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of College Dean	Description	Hourly rate
   College Dean	Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities. Their job duties vary depending on the area of the college they manage, such as admissions, student life, or the office of the registrar.	$25-75
   New Member Educator	A New Member Educator is a person who prepares new members to uphold the standards and ideals of a fraternity and sorority and continually strives to improve it especially found in colleges and universities. These positions are; educating initiated and active members on how to support and mentor the younger members to become successful within an organization, recruit new members whose ideals match those of the organization, assist new members to navigate campus, and make use of campus resources.	$11-23
   Admissions Officer	An admissions officer is responsible for recruiting new students from various venues and channels. You will connect with students and answer their questions about the college or university, and conduct interviews to better understand the students' objectives and background... Show more	$9-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Colleges
   • Scholarship
   • Strategic Plan
   • Professional Development
   • Graduate Programs
   • Accreditation Standards
   • Business Administration
   • Curriculum Development
   • Computer Engineering
   • Student Retention
   • Criminal Justice
   • Course Offerings
   • Academic Policies
   • Certificate Programs

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Produce, manage and evaluate all budgetary and programmatic aspects of a comprehensive career service program for students and alumni.
   • Design new illustrations for children's literature using a Wacom tablet.
   • Authore ICT faculty handbooks and train faculty in effective implementation.
   • Work cooperatively with other offices and student groups in the implementation of various campus-wide multicultural activities and other major events.
   • Authore ICT faculty handbooks and train faculty in effective implementation.

   More college dean duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your college dean job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A college dean salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, college deans' average salary in arkansas is 52% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level college deans earn 66% less than senior-level college deans.
   • Certifications. A college dean with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a college dean's salary.

   Average college dean salary

   $91,676yearly

   $44.08 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level college dean salary

   $53,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average college dean salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$110,477	$53
   2	Nevada	$105,629	$51
   3	New York	$97,946	$47
   4	California	$97,873	$47
   5	Ohio	$92,939	$45
   6	Massachusetts	$87,005	$42
   7	Wisconsin	$84,288	$41
   8	Minnesota	$80,221	$39
   9	Washington	$80,204	$39
   10	Virginia	$79,272	$38
   11	Arizona	$78,631	$38
   12	Texas	$74,572	$36
   13	Illinois	$73,578	$35
   14	Indiana	$70,478	$34
   15	Florida	$64,436	$31
   16	Utah	$63,775	$31
   17	Missouri	$61,827	$30
   18	Tennessee	$58,527	$28
   19	Alaska	$57,826	$28
   20	Kansas	$52,442	$25

   Average college dean salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Massasoit Community College	$128,693	$61.87	1
   2	The University of Kansas Health System	$126,987	$61.05
   3	TriHealth	$125,893	$60.53
   4	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association	$124,051	$59.64
   5	Grand Canyon University	$111,987	$53.84	2
   6	UC Santa Barbara	$97,890	$47.06
   7	University of Tennessee	$91,367	$43.93	11
   8	University of Kentucky	$91,314	$43.90	12
   9	Central State University	$89,684	$43.12
   10	Seattle University	$88,408	$42.50
   11	Unitek Learning	$87,585	$42.11	6
   12	Franklin University	$81,667	$39.26
   13	M.C. Dean	$79,364	$38.16	6
   14	Bunker Hill Community College	$77,587	$37.30	2
   15	Midwestern University	$77,293	$37.16
   16	University of Nevada, Reno	$76,915	$36.98	3
   17	Indiana University of Pennsylvania	$73,215	$35.20
   18	University of Houston	$69,971	$33.64	2
   19	Spalding Drive Elementary School	$68,413	$32.89
   20	University of Florida	$65,129	$31.31	2

4. Writing a college dean job description

   A good college dean job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a college dean job description:

   College dean job description example

   Grand Canyon University! One of Arizona's leading institutions of higher learning.
   
   Located in the Valley of Sun in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona, GCU is a regionally accredited, private, nondenominational Christian University. The Colangelo College of Business has approximately 40 degree programs for undergraduate and graduate students in various learning modalities with a full-time team of 35 faculty and staff.
   
   Do you want to lead a growing college of business with a teaching-focused mission that integrates faith and celebrates the free markets? Do you want to be part of an academic leadership team on one of the most innovative universities in the nation with multi-modality learning? Do you want to work alongside a global basketball icon and transform business education with Mr. Jerry Colangelo? We may have the opportunity you have been looking for.
   
   Grand Canyon University's Colangelo College of Business (CCOB), Colangelo College of Business, is seeking a Dean to lead the Colangelo College of Business into the next decade. We are especially interested in applicants who can strengthen the diversity of our academic community.
   
   What we are offering:
   
   * The opportunity to work at a thriving diverse campus and online student population
   * Projected start date - Fall/Winter 2022
   * The chance to promote a business mindset for today's changing world, as well as help with the integration of faith and celebrate free market capitalism
   * The opportunity to contribute to the development of the next generation of business professionals
   * Join a leadership team that has created a Christian-based, high-quality academic experience for all socio-economic classes of society that hasn't raised tuition in 14-years
   
   What you will do:
   
   * Lead faculty and staff in support of the GCU mission to include every/all aspect of the students' academic experience, as well as program revision, and new, innovative degree program development in all modalities
   * Accountable for re-accreditation earned in 2017, next accreditation visit is scheduled for 2027
   * Continue high-quality learning outcomes, a culture of assessment, free market capitalism, servant leadership
   * Lead a college in collaboration with all university teams and services in a matrix-organization that creates efficiencies and leverages best practices for student success and college operations
   * i.e., Faculty Training & Development, Curriculum Design & Development, and Marketing
   
   * Lead the unique/innovative entrepreneurship program with its own incubator/accelerator as well as an affiliation with an angel investment group and a Latino-oriented new business development center
   * Lead the college advisory board; interact w/C-level business leaders to advocate for GCU, participate w/college
   * Lead and support efforts of the Advancement office to fund raise for college scholarships
   * Lead faculty and support professional development of teaching - service - scholarship
   * Coordinate with the Alumni office to support, highlight, and promote alumni success
   * Lead and support the integrity of the GCU Christian mission, faith integration & learning outcomes
   
   What you need:
   
   * Doctoral degree
   * Experience in higher education teaching, scholarship, and/or administration
   * Significant (5+ years desired), documented, industry experience and/or leadership roles
   * Ability and experience leading at operational and strategic levels
   * Experience, skill set in business development, working with industry/government partners to promote the college and/or orchestrate hiring pathways for students
   
   Why work at GCU:
   
   * Exceptional workplace benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, a 401K savings plan
   * Generous time off plan and 11 paid holidays
   * Paid time off to volunteer in the community or at GCU sponsored events
   * We also offer full-time employees, their spouses and dependent children an Education Tuition Discount Program
   * Free on-site gyms at all our office locations

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find college deans for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any college deans they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level college deans with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your college dean job on Zippia to find and recruit college dean candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with college dean candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new college dean

   Once you have selected a candidate for the college dean position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new college dean. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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