The Invitation

The Catholic University of America invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean of the Tim and Steph Busch School of Business. Following the tenure of its founding dean, Dr. Andrew V. Abela, under whose leadership the School was established and rose into the top tier of American undergraduate business programs, the University seeks a new generation of leadership: a mission-committed academic and organizational leader who understands where the School has been and brings a clear vision for where it must go next. This is a national search; internal and external candidates are equally welcome.

The Busch School of Business

Established in 2013, the Tim and Steph Busch School of Business is the nation's only business school built from the ground up to integrate faith and business. Its mission is "truth through teaching and research excellence, in the light of the Catholic faith, and to promote business as a force for good." The School's vision is to be the leading Catholic business school promoting free enterprise, creativity, and business as a noble vocation. Grounded in Catholic social teaching, the Busch School prepares students to think clearly, live virtuously, and create meaningful change in the business world and beyond.

In little more than a decade the School has earned national recognition. It is accredited by AACSB International, a distinction held by only six percent of business schools worldwide. Poets & Quants ranks its undergraduate program in the top ten percent nationally - #53 of more than 550 AACSB-accredited U.S. business schools, #14 for academic experience, and #31 for career outcomes. Its MBA is the only MBA offered by an institution that combines Carnegie Research 1 status, AACSB accreditation, and Cardinal Newman Society endorsement.

The School's faculty intentionally combine accomplished researchers with practitioners who have led in the business world, and its centers, special initiatives, and emerging work in business and artificial intelligence foster a bold spirit of exploration and entrepreneurship. Career development is woven into every stage of the student experience.

In Fall 2026 the School enrolled 877 students - 792 undergraduates and 85 graduate students - and employs 27 full-time faculty and 19 full-time staff. First-year retention is 88.7% from the Fall 2025 cohort, and an average of 85.25% over the past five years. The School is housed in a renovated historic building at the heart of campus that includes its own chapel.

The Dean is supported by a leadership team that includes a Vice Dean, who oversees faculty affairs, academic programs, career development, and recruitment, and a Senior Associate Dean, who leads operations, external partnerships, and graduate program innovation. A Board of Visitors and an Emerging Leaders Alumni Council provide counsel and external engagement. See https://business.catholic.edu for more details.

The Opportunity

The Busch School enters its second decade from a position of strength: national rankings, AACSB accreditation, a young MBA program, and a University investment of more than $100 million and a deep and enthusiastic donor community. The founding chapter is complete. The next Dean will write the second - moving the School from a successful launch to sustained flourishing by mastering its internal workings, renewing its strategy, and serving as its credible public voice to the Church, the business community, and the nation. The University values innovation and is actively questioning its own assumptions about how it operates; it seeks a Dean who thinks the same way, whether through distinctive specialized degrees, new modalities and markets, or new forms of partnership.

The Dean of the Busch School of Business

The Dean reports directly to the Provost and is responsible for the functioning and strategic direction of the School. Working closely with other administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the School's Board of Visitors, the Dean serves as the School's chief executive and academic leader by promoting excellence in teaching, research, and service in the light of the Catholic faith. The Dean upholds and articulates the School's mission and vision; generates resources in support of that vision; increases the School's external visibility; manages planning, operations, admissions, and budgeting; superintends academic development and review; oversees the hiring, promotion, and tenuring of faculty; and oversees the hiring and development of a professional staff.

Role and Responsibilities

-Preserve and deepen the School's distinctive Catholic identity and its integration of faith, virtue, and business excellence across every program;

-Serve as the School's chief administrator: manage internal operations and oversee the entire budget and finances;

-Expand experiential learning, internship, and career placement outcomes by leveraging the School's location in Washington, D.C. and its network of employers in business, government, and the nonprofit sector;

-Grow undergraduate and graduate enrollment, with particular attention to the MBA and Master of Science programs and to new markets, modalities, and partnerships;

-Develop and lead a renewed strategic plan for the School, and articulate that vision persuasively to faculty, students, alumni, donors, and University leadership;

-Develop and lead a renewed strategic plan for the School, and articulate that vision persuasively to faculty, students, alumni, donors, and University leadership;

-Recruit, develop, and retain a faculty of accomplished scholars and experienced practitioners who are committed to the School's mission, and promote excellence in both research and teaching;

-Strengthen the School's production of high-quality, relevant research that advances the University's strategic plan and the Catholic understanding of business, economics, and the vocation of the business leader;

-Collaborate with the Division of University Advancement, the Board of Visitors, and alumni to sustain and grow philanthropic support for scholarships, faculty, centers, and facilities;

-Drive curricular and programmatic innovation - including distinctive specialized degrees, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, and new delivery models - that differentiates the School in a competitive market;

-Identify and nurture interdisciplinary collaboration with the University's other schools, including engineering, law, nursing, philosophy, and theology;

-Strengthen relations with alumni and represent the School to the Church, the business community, and the wider public.

-Sustain and advance the School's national rankings and maintain AACSB accreditation, including preparation for the School's next continuous improvement review;

Qualifications

The University's first and indispensable criterion is a deep and demonstrated commitment to the mission of the Busch School and of The Catholic University of America. An ideal candidate will also:

-Preferably hold tenure at the rank of Ordinary (Full) Professor, or possess a record of scholarship, teaching, and professional accomplishment that qualifies for tenure and appointment at that rank at the University. Candidates from the practice faculty or from senior executive leadership - for example, a former chief executive with a record of prudential leadership of people and organizations - who bring a substantial engagement with higher education are encouraged to apply;

-Understand the School and the landscape of Catholic and national business education, and be able to articulate a compelling vision for the School's strategy, programs, enrollment, and research;

-Have substantial experience in academic administration or comparable organizational leadership, including responsibility for budgets, personnel, and strategic planning;

-Demonstrate innovative thinking and a record of questioning assumptions and building new things - programs, partnerships, or organizations;

-Be equally effective as an internal leader and an external voice: able to earn the confidence of faculty and staff while representing the School credibly to the Church, donors, employers, the media, and the wider public;

-Understand and embrace the School's founding vision of integrating the Catholic faith with business education, and engage the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic social teaching with conviction and credibility; familiarity with and sympathy for the School's distinctive emphasis on free enterprise, creativity, and business as a noble vocation is strongly preferred;

-Have the personal virtues needed to maintain and foster collegial relations among the faculty while encouraging them to strive for ever-greater excellence, and exhibit energy, honesty, transparency, and a collaborative spirit;

-Be willing and able to engage donors and lead fundraising in partnership with University Advancement; a record of fundraising is welcomed but not required;

-Be a committed Catholic in good standing.

Nominations and Applications

Review of applications will begin in October 2026 and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2027. Applications should include a letter of interest addressing the qualifications and priorities above, a curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of at least three references, who will not be contacted without the candidate's permission.

The University is assisted in this search by Mission Advantage Recruiting. Interested candidates, and those desiring to nominate candidates, should contact Tom Pagano at tpagano@missionadv.org or Dr. Christopher Evans, Interim Provost, at evanscp@cua.edu. All inquiries, nominations, and applications will be held in confidence.

The Catholic University of America is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As a Catholic institution, the University reserves the right to give preference in hiring to Catholic candidates in accordance with applicable law.

Catholic University of America

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