Description

Kansas City University (KCU) is seeking a visionary, mission-driven, and collaborative leader to serve as the Vice Dean of the College of Dental Medicine at its Joplin, Missouri campus. The Vice Dean is a key member of the College’s leadership team and is responsible for overseeing the academic and clinical operations of the dental program while advancing KCU’s mission to improve the well-being of communities—especially in underserved and rural areas across southwest Missouri and the broader four-state region.
The Vice Dean will support the Dean in implementing the strategic vision of the College, managing day-to-day academic and clinical operations, and ensuring compliance with accreditation standards. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to rural oral health, academic excellence, interprofessional education, and community-based clinical education.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Academic Leadership

• Provide oversight for the academic programs within the College, ensuring alignment with KCU’s mission, values, and strategic priorities.
• Supervise faculty leaders to ensure delivery of an innovative, student-centered,  competency-based curriculum and patient-centered clinical dental care.
• Promote and support a culture of clinical and teaching excellence, scholarly activity, and continuous curricular improvement.
• Ensure compliance with Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards and all applicable accreditation and licensure requirements.

Clinical Operations & Community Engagement

• Provide strategic and operational oversight for the College of Dental Medicine Oral Health Center.
• Ensure high-quality, patient-centered care while fostering a strong educational experience for dental students in the CDM Oral Health Center and community based clinical settings.
• Cultivate and maintain partnerships with community health centers, rural clinics, and public health organizations to expand access to care in dental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).
• Oversee the integration of rural and community-based clinical rotations into the curriculum.

Administrative Leadership

• Collaborate with the Dean and senior leadership on faculty recruitment, development, and evaluation.
• Assist in the development and management of the College’s budget, staffing, and resource allocation.
• Participate in strategic planning, enrollment growth efforts, and long-range institutional initiatives.
• Contribute to fundraising and advancement activities that support the College’s mission, including scholarships and community outreach initiatives.

Interprofessional and Institutional Collaboration

• Promote interprofessional education, partnerships and collaboration with other KCU colleges, including Osteopathic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, and Health Professions and external regional universities.
• Represent the College on institutional committees and external boards or associations, as appropriate.
   

Requirements

Qualifications:

• DDS/DMD from a CODA-accredited institution.
• Academic achievement at the level of Professor or Associate Professor
• Active dental license (or eligibility for licensure) in the state of Missouri.
• At least 10 years of progressive leadership experience in dental education and/or clinical administration.
• Demonstrated experience in academic leadership, faculty development, curriculum management and accreditation compliance.
• Strong understanding of clinical operations, especially in community or academic settings.
• Commitment to student success, community engagement, outreach and service.
  

Preferred

• Advanced degree (e.g., MPH, EdD, MBA, PhD).
• Experience working in or developing programs for rural or underserved populations.
• Familiarity with CODA accreditation and academic program assessment.
• Record of scholarly activity or leadership in professional organizations.

 Core Competencies

Strategic and operational leadership
Student and patient-centered mindset
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Commitment to rural health and community engagement
Ability to build and lead high-performing academic and clinical teams