Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) seeks a visionary and experienced leader committed to advancing academic excellence, fostering student success and engagement, and supporting the scholarly mission of a research-intensive institution to serve as the inaugural Dean of Libraries.
Located in Prairie View, Texas – about 50 miles from downtown Houston – the 1,440-acre campus lives up to its unofficial motto, “Prairie View Produces Productive People.” The University has the honor of counting among its graduates a Brigadier General, two Lieutenant Generals, a Vice Admiral, the first Black female engineer to be registered by the state of Texas, the founder of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), an Olympic Gold Medalist, numerous academicians, professional athletes, entertainers, and artists who have made tremendous impacts on their communities and the world.
PVAMU is the second-oldest public institution of higher learning in Texas. Empowered by a shared sense of history and experience, as well as PVAMU’s relentless commitment to providing the highest quality of education, research, and service, its graduates make their mark as scholars and leaders in their fields. Established in 1876 as a land-grant institution, the University enrolls over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The total student population hails from 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 89 countries. The University has nine colleges and schools, most of which are accredited by professional bodies (ABET, AACSB International, and others), and numerous research centers housed on the main campus. The University offers 36 bachelor’s degree programs, 31 master’s degree programs, and six doctoral programs.
The PVAMU Libraries (Libraries) consist of the John B. Coleman Library and the Dr. Robert A. Henry Music Library located at the main campus, the College of Nursing Library located in the Texas Medical Center, and the Northwest Houston Center Library in the Northwest Houston Corridor. The Libraries are a hub for learning, research, and collaboration, supporting faculty and students with extensive collections, premier research databases, digital scholarship initiatives, and instructional services. The Archives and Special Collections preserve rare materials, enriching scholarship across disciplines, while engaging programs and events to enhance campus life. The Libraries collaborate with faculty, staff, and students in building collections that support education, teaching, and research for the University. The Libraries consist of more than 1.6 million volumes in multiple formats, including print, electronic, databases, photographs, maps, DVDs, and microform, and have over 575,000 walk-in visitors each year.
PVAMU stands at a transformative moment in its journey to become a research-intensive (R1) university and a national model for student success. Central to this aspiration is a robust, innovative, and strategically aligned library system that supports teaching, learning, and research at the highest levels. To achieve this, PVAMU has elevated the leadership of its library system from a Director role to a Dean-level position.
Reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of Libraries is responsible for all matters relating to the administration of the Libraries, including personnel, budgets, fundraising, application of emerging information technologies, collection management and development, and internal and external partnerships. The Libraries have an annual budget of $3.1 million and employ approximately 25 staff.
Engaging with campus leaders, faculty, students, and staff, the Dean will create an innovative, forward-looking roadmap to ensure the Libraries are positioned to support the University’s mission and emerging strategic plan. The Dean will have experience shaping an organizational culture that encourages collaboration, engagement, and innovation. The successful candidate must have a minimum of five years of academic administrative experience and a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited program or an equivalent terminal degree. Candidates with a strong record of excellence in teaching, research, and scholarly publications, particularly in the integration of emerging library technologies, are preferred. While not a requirement for the role, candidates who have experience as a faculty member or an administrator at a research-intensive university are of interest to PVAMU.
All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile found below.
WittKieffer is assisting the Prairie View A&M University in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by May 5, 2025. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s, via the buttons below. Nominations and inquiries can be directed to Christine J. Pendleton and Corin Edwards at PVAMULibraryDean@wittkieffer.com.
Apply here: https://wittkieffer.com/positions/201000
Prairie View A&M University is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action/ Veterans/ Disability Employer.