The Office of the Campus Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor is currently recruiting for a Dean of Social Sciences. The University of California, Santa Cruz has retained the services of Witt Kieffer, a leading national executive search firm, to assist with this search. Applications can be submitted directly to Witt Kieffer via their candidate portal until March 9, 2026. Applications will be expected to include a resume or CV and a position-specific cover letter. If you would like to nominate someone for the position, or have a question for the search firm, you can reach them at UCSCDeanSocSci@wittkieffer.com. For more information, contact Lauren Morgan, Senior HR Leader/SMG Coordinator at llmorgan@ucsc.edu.
As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.
Abusive Conduct in the Workplace
“Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
Search Advisory Committee
Chair
Jasmine Alinder
Dean of Humanities
Members
L. Esthela Banuelos
Assistant Dean for Student Success and Chief of Staff
Arts Division
Galina Hale
Professor of Economics
Social Sciences Division
Grant Hartzog
Professor of Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology,
Biological and Physical Sciences Division
Jessica Lawrence
Department Manager, Sociology Department
Social Sciences Division
Christina Marez
Conference Coordinator, Colleges, Housing & Educational Services
Division of Student Affairs and Success
Mark Massoud
Professor and Chair of Politics
Social Sciences Division
Francisco Ornelas
Undergraduate student
Juan Pedroza
Associate Professor of Sociology and Graduate Education Chair
Social Sciences Division
Stacy Philpott
Professor of Environmental Studies
Social Sciences Division
Allegra Saggese
Graduate Student
Position Profile
Finalist Visits
Final candidates will each visit the campus for two full days of interviews. Each finalist will give a Town Hall talk and an academic subject matter talk. Each talk will be recorded and available until April 30th, 2026, at noon. The finalists information and visit schedules are available online. Names of finalists will be released five days before their visit.