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What does a liberal arts dean do?

Updated January 8, 2025
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Liberal arts dean responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real liberal arts dean resumes:

  • Produce, manage and evaluate all budgetary and programmatic aspects of a comprehensive career service program for students and alumni.
  • Work cooperatively with other offices and student groups in the implementation of various campus-wide multicultural activities and other major events.
  • Work cooperatively with other offices and student groups in the implementation of various campus-wide multicultural activities and other major events.

Liberal arts dean skills and personality traits

We calculated that 31% of Liberal Arts Deans are proficient in Criminal Justice, Curriculum Development, and Fine Arts. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Liberal Arts Deans that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Criminal Justice, 31%

    Coordinated and supervised all Criminal Justice internships.

  • Curriculum Development, 25%

    Supervised Business & Liberal Arts Curriculum Development.

  • Fine Arts, 24%

    Supervised and evaluated the Math, Physical Education, Fine Arts and CTE Departments, totally over 40 instructional staff.

  • Scholarship, 20%

    Proposed internal initiative offering older computer systems as scholarship awards to students in need.

"criminal justice," "curriculum development," and "fine arts" are among the most common skills that liberal arts deans use at work. You can find even more liberal arts dean responsibilities below, including:

Computer skills. The most essential soft skill for a liberal arts dean to carry out their responsibilities is computer skills. This skill is important for the role because "postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records." Additionally, a liberal arts dean resume shows how their duties depend on computer skills: "coordinated government approval in offering bachelor of science degrees in computer engineering and industrial technology. "

Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform liberal arts dean duties is organizational skills. Liberal arts deans responsibilities require that "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff." Liberal arts deans also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "foster an organizational culture that supports collegiality and professional development of students, faculty, and staff. "

Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of liberal arts deans is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday liberal arts dean duties, as "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "served as assistant to the vice president for academic affairs providing information, advice, support and problem resolution"

See the full list of liberal arts dean skills

Compare different liberal arts deans

Liberal arts dean vs. Co-chair

A co-chair is responsible for supporting the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of a chair. Co-chairs help with the implementation of effective plans and programs that would benefit the organization. They handle fundraising events, marketing campaigns for promotional programs, audit reports, and evaluating the committee's suggestions and recommendations for its success. A co-chair must have excellent communication and leadership skills and critical-thinking on developing strategies to supervise meetings and events alongside the chair.

The annual salary of co-chairs is $21,116 lower than the average salary of liberal arts deans.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a liberal arts dean are more likely to require skills like "criminal justice," "curriculum development," "fine arts," and "art history." On the other hand, a job as a co-chair requires skills like "community outreach," "alumni," "plan events," and "facebook." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

On average, co-chairs reach lower levels of education than liberal arts deans. Co-chairs are 5.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Liberal arts dean vs. 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. As an admissions officer, it is your duty to evaluate potential applicants, and advise and guide students about the admission procedure, programs offered, costs, and eligibility. Other duties include reviewing and evaluating student applications, arranging orientation programs for new students, and developing innovative recruitment and communication strategies.

A career as a admissions officer brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a liberal arts dean. In fact, admissions officers salary is $76,657 lower than the salary of liberal arts deans per year.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, liberal arts dean responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "criminal justice," "curriculum development," "fine arts," and "scholarship." Meanwhile, an admissions officer has duties that require skills in areas such as "admissions process," "recruitment efforts," "student recruitment," and "powerpoint." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Admissions officers tend to reach similar levels of education than liberal arts deans. In fact, they're 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Liberal arts dean vs. Education director

An education director is responsible for implementing educational programs, developing strategic teaching procedures, and updating the curriculum based on the students' learning levels. Education directors evaluate existing teaching practices by coordinating with instructors, students, and other learning institutions, requesting additional resources and materials for their maximum learning. They also create progress reports for teaching methodologies and adjust the learning approach as needed. An education director must have a broad knowledge of the education industry, its nature, and disciplines to identify learning opportunities that would increase the quality of learning of a specific institution.

On average scale, education directors bring in lower salaries than liberal arts deans. In fact, they earn a $48,367 lower salary per year.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a liberal arts dean is likely to be skilled in "criminal justice," "fine arts," "scholarship," and "art history," while a typical education director is skilled in "educational programs," "classroom management," "professional development," and "oversight."

Education directors typically earn similar educational levels compared to liberal arts deans. Specifically, they're 3.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Liberal arts dean vs. Athletic director

An athletics director is an administrative professional who is responsible for managing all activities related to the athletic program of a school, university, or college. The director must ensure that the school follows athletic rules and regulations as well as provide direction and guidance for its athletic program. This director must work with coaches to file reports on the progress of each of the athletic teams. The director must also assist in hiring coaches and athletic staff and should mediate disputes between coaches and athletes.

Athletic directors typically earn lower pay than liberal arts deans. On average, athletic directors earn a $39,179 lower salary per year.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A liberal arts dean uses "criminal justice," "curriculum development," "fine arts," and "scholarship." Athletic directors are more likely to have duties that require skills in "student athletes," "ncaa," "physical education," and "oversight. "athletic directors reach similar levels of education compared to liberal arts deans, in general. The difference is that they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of liberal arts dean

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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