Louise Dilworth Davis Dean, Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering at InsideHigherEd

Texas Christian University

Louise Dilworth Davis Dean, Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering

Texas Christian University (TCU) seeks a visionary, dynamic and strategic leader to serve as the Louise Dilworth Davis Dean of the Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering (CSE).

Texas Christian University is a world-class, values-centered private university located in Fort Worth, Texas, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing metropolitan areas. TCU is a top 100-ranked National University as classified by U.S. News and World Report and currently has a Carnegie Classification of R2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity. ThePrinceton Review named TCU as the #2 best-run university in the country, and TCU is the only school in Texas to receive an A+ financial rating by Forbes, named #8 overall for financial health. The university has a $2.7 billion endowment.

TCU’s new strategic plan, LEAD ON: Values in Action, calls for significant investment and growth in student-centered growth; research, scholarship and creative activity; community engagement; and athletics. This builds upon an ambitious Campus Master Plan and a decade of investment in more than $1 billion of new and renovated facilities where students are supported in their quest for education, inspiration and success.

This is a pivotal moment for the college and the university, as TCU advances toward achieving R1 research status, expands its academic footprint, and strengthens its reputation locally, nationally and globally. The philanthropic support of the college’s namesake, Louise Dilworth Davis, an endowed gift of $40 million, will help support the college’s goals to significantly enhance the academic and scholarly reputation of the college and university on a global scale.

Davis College is the second-largest college at TCU, with over 2,300 undergraduate and 130 graduate students; 135 full-time faculty and approximately 100 staff; and 26 undergraduate, 13 master’s-level and eight doctoral programs within 11 academic departments.

World-class faculty lead students to “strive for a better future” through advanced research, community involvement and prestigious grants and publications. Faculty are true teacher-scholars – believing that research is vital to cultivating critical thinkers, analytical learners and global-minded citizens. Students learn and conduct research alongside faculty in state-of-the-art laboratories. More than 40 percent of the college’s undergraduate students are involved in research. Many are supported by Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC) grants and participate in the Annual Michael and Sally McCracken Student Research Symposium. Davis College strives to be a national leader in research, teaching, and student engagement.

The Davis Dean of the Davis College of Science & Engineering at Texas Christian University serves as the chief academic, administrative, budgetary, and advancement officer for the college. Reporting to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Davis Dean provides visionary and strategic leadership to one of TCU’s largest and most dynamic academic units.

With the responsibility for advancing Davis College’s mission, the dean oversees daily operations through thoughtful personnel decisions, general administration and management, prudent budgeting and resource management, academic program support and fundraising. The dean represents the college and leads the effort to create and strengthen partnerships within and outside of the university. The dean will be able to articulate the value of a combined science and engineering college, foster high-quality academic teaching and research, as well as the development of collaborative academic programs and experiential learning opportunities. The dean will actively engage faculty to assess Davis College’s needs and marshal the resources required to support the university’s aspirations to achieve Carnegie Research 1 (R1) status. The dean will maintain TCU’s tradition of excellence in mentoring and undergraduate teaching, while pursuing R1 distinction and strengthening the student experience and educational quality.

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to join an ambitious university in its continued upward trajectory, led by a strong executive leadership team and a highly collaborative council of college deans.

The full position specification can be found at https://bit.ly/TCU_CSE

Texas Christian University invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of Dean of the College of Science & Engineering. Interested candidates should confidentially submit a curriculum vitae and letter of interest (Adobe PDF files preferred) to:

Joi Hayes-Scott

Consultant to the Search Committee

Russell Reynolds Associates

[email protected]

For full consideration, materials should be received as soon as possible, preferably by Jan. 5, 2026.