I would suggest that the Dean of Sustainability should take on a
tri-role of Quality, Environment and Safety (QES). This integrated
approach is becoming popular in some organisations, because these three
are quite similar - I referred to them as Obligatory and Externally
Imposed (OEI) issues in my thesis -
http://intergon.net/phd
Professionally, I have been helping organisations create these
integrated management approaches in large corporations and am currently
doing so for a global civil engineering design business (that also has a
registered training office under the Australian education system for
granting qualifications). The QES person is a senior corporate manager
who reports directly to the MD and presents to the board on a regular
basis. The QES person has QES staff in all regions who report directly,
despite their location within the regional headquarter offices. Each
satelite office has a QES office representative, who is also in that
direct report. This is because the appropriate and necessary management
of QES issues can be confounded by local power structures (I discuss
this in terms of Foucault's work on power knowledge in my thesis),
because QES issues often subvert operational expedience that is applied
to maximise personal profit and performance.
There is a senior sustainability role here at RMIT, but it is not a QES
role - just sustainability.
I would suggest that the Dean of Sustainability is someone who reports
to the College Chancellor / President / CEO (or whatever you call your
top job). Finding an academic who has the necessary management
capability may be a challenge.
At RMIT our former and founding head of sustainability was not an
academic. The group is a Research Centre that does not grant degrees
(degrees are granted by the various faculties in the university), but
they do facilitate students in the same way as the Centre for Management
Quality Research facilitated my PhD program of studies, by creating an
excellent environment of supervision and academic fellowship. I have
had some involvement with the RMIT Centre for Sustainabilty over the
past 9 years. In addition to this academic pursuit they advise the
university council and Vice Chancellor (CEO) as well as offer education
to the wider public through a range of activities.
My suggestion is that the requirements of such a job should be a fusion
of academic and governance - however, finding someone to manage such a
collective of activities is not easy. That is:
- offer academic programs of study relating to sustainability
- provide executive advise relating to the governance of sustainability
within the university
- promulgate the findings of research widely to the university community
and wider society
I was not involved in hiring either the previous or current head of the
sustainability group, but my impression is that the former head was
offered an attractive role elsewhere that was difficult to refuse.
Great things have been accomplished by the RMIT centre for
sustainability since it has been formed. THe important thing is that
they have demonstrated that RMIT is committed to sustainability, which
enables them to say to the students they enroll that the university does
what it preaches (and it can be very difficult to offer professional
services from an organisation that does not embrace and practice the
ideas that it advises about.)
>>> Bruce Clemens <
bclemens@WNEC.EDU> 18/01/08 5:26 AM >>>
Greetings,
I hope this finds you well. I would appreciate your help and advice on
our
efforts to consider a Dean of Sustainability for our College. For
example:
1. Who is the highest ranking member of your school that is responsible
for
Sustainability?
2. What are the requirements of the job?
3. What lessons have you learned in the recruitment and hiring of such
individuals?
4. What has the Dean accomplished?
The president of our college, Western New England College (WNEC), has
asked
us to investigate a Deanship in Sustainabundergrads, 2,500 grads), private residential college in Springfield MA.
We
have accredited schools of business, engineering and law.
Based on job descriptions from the University of Minnesota and Michigan
Technological University, a preliminary list of responsibilities,
required
experience and credentials would include:
· Managing academic programs in sustainability.
· Responsibility for establishing interdisciplinary teaching,
research, and service that foster knowledge and understanding of the
concept
of sustainability.
· Maintaining a preeminent international reputation for research
and
scholarship, excellence in teaching, outstanding professional service
and
leadership, and strong collegial values.
· The Dean would need a terminal degree in relevant field. We
would
give preference to a degree in environmental engineering, law,
environmental
business, environmental science or environmental studies.
· The Dean would also work extensively with non-academic
stakeholders including alumni, employers, business leaders, community
representatives and politicians.
· The Dean would also be responsible for improving
sustainability on
campus.
Thank you for considering this request. If anyone is interested, I
would be
glad to provide a summary of the findings of this survey.
Best regards,
Bruce
Bruce Clemens
103 Churchill Hall
School of Business
Western New England College
1215 Wilbraham Road
Springfield MA 01119
Phone: 413-782-1500
Fax: 413-796-2068
bclemens@wnec.edu
Campus mailbox number: C5433