The University of Central Florida (UCF) invites visionary, innovative, and collaborative champions of nursing education to apply for the Dean of the College of Nursing position. The Dean will provide an inspirational vision across the College to unleash potential and expand impact in nursing research, education, and practice. Furthermore, the Dean will build upon long-standing community partnerships and foster strong relationships throughout the academic health sciences center community and beyond.
Founded in 1979, UCF’s College of Nursing is nationally accredited in nursing education, globally endorsed for healthcare simulation, and consistently ranked among the nation’s best nursing programs. Recognizing its commitment to academic excellence, student success, and faculty-led innovation, UCF is ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 30 public universities for BSN programs, top 20 for online graduate nursing programs, and among the nation’s best for its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. Additionally, its graduates continually exceed national and state first-time pass rates on the NCLEX and nurse practitioner board certification exams.
UCF is among the top producers of newly educated nurses in Florida, and nationally recognized faculty and dedicated staff educate more than 2,700 students annually across all undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. To date, it has awarded more than 17,000 nursing degrees to fuel a pipeline of much-needed nurses, nurse leaders, nurse educators, and nurse scientists. To ensure a healthier future and address the critical nursing shortage, the State of Florida, private donors, and community partners invested a total of $68M to expand student enrollment and build the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion — a state-of-the-art facility on UCF’s Academic Health Sciences Campus in Lake Nona anticipated to open in Fall 2025. As part of UCF’s Academic Health Sciences Center, alongside the College of Health Professions and Sciences, College of Medicine, UCF Student Health Services, and UCF Health, the College of Nursing continues to deepen its commitment to interdisciplinary education, research, and innovation to prepare students for practice and solve the world’s most pressing healthcare problems.
Ranked among America’s most innovative universities by U.S. News and World Report, UCF is a major metropolitan research university dedicated to unleashing the potential of students from all backgrounds, providing a life-changing opportunity that fuels regional, state, and national economic prosperity. Home to 1,900 outstanding faculty, 11,000 dedicated staff, and more than 69,000 students, UCF is among the largest and most dynamic universities in the nation, and it leads all universities in Florida in conferring more than 18,000 degrees a year. Research, scholarship, and creative activities have rapidly increased quality and reputation across the university. The university has an operating budget exceeding $2 billion, and in fiscal year 2023, UCF researchers received just over $217 million in funded research. About half of UCF's undergraduates enter as transfers, many through the nationally acclaimed DirectConnect to UCF program. More than 20 percent of UCF undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college, and nearly half of the students are from underrepresented groups. UCF recently welcomed one of the most accomplished fall freshman classes in the history of the University, boasting average SAT and ACT scores of 1332 and 28.2, respectively, with 340 National Merit Scholars currently enrolled at the university. UCF was designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in 2019 and is among only 21 universities nationwide with the Carnegie Classification of Very High Research and the U.S. Department of Education designation as an HSI.
Reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean will cultivate a cutting-edge and distinctive higher education experience punctuated by exceptional academic programs, interprofessional opportunities, experiential learning, groundbreaking scholarship, and cutting-edge research activity. The Dean will champion the College for growth through fundraising, fortifying organizational structures and processes, and recruiting, retaining, and developing exceptional faculty and professional staff.
APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS
Isaacson, Miller, a national executive retained search firm, is assisting UCF with this recruitment. All inquiries, nominations, and resumes with cover letters should be sent electronically to:
As an equal opportunity employer, UCF encourages all qualified applicants to apply, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. As a Florida public university, UCF makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request. The State of Florida has a Public Meeting Law and a Public Records Law. All meetings of the search committee are publicly announced and conducted. All documents submitted to the committee are treated as open materials, with the exception of evaluative documents specific to the performance of the faculty of the State University System of Florida. Please feel free to contact Isaacson, Miller with any questions before submitting a formal application.
