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[heptameron]

What's the real deal with meeting with the Dean during an on-campus visit?
Everyone I've asked this question of says that the interview with the Dean is more of a formality.
Sometimes it's with the Associate Dean.  Sometimes it is both together, and then the Associate takes over.
They talk about about various aspects of the university.
And Deans are supposedly in a high-powered position.
Yet everyone I've asked says that whatever the Dean thinks about candidates is pretty much immaterial.

On my last on-campus interview, the dean said she thought my background and research interests were a really good fit for that university.  Another time the dean was Asian-American, which I am partly also, so I felt we clicked.  Generally, though, I've gotten the sense from meetings with deans that they only just looked at the CV for 30 seconds before the meeting.

So, what's the deal?  Is there something candidates should be sure to do in a meeting with the Dean?
Is there some secret that candidates are unaware of that has something to do with meeting with the Dean?
I have another on-campus visit soon, and it includes an entire hour scheduled with the Dean, so is there something I should prepare for?

[zharkov]

You just never know.  Some admins are annoying micromanagers, some are high level leaders that almost always support the faculty.  I'd say it is best to assume the dean has some say in the matter.

As odd as it sounds, the last time I was interviewed by an admin, the guy spent almost all the time talking.  You meet all kinds in this racket.

[seniorscholar]

As odd as it sounds, the last time I was interviewed by an admin, the guy spent almost all the time talking.  You meet all kinds in this racket.

Yes, some deans spend most of the interview talking about their vision for the college/university, either on the assumption that the candidate will want to grow to the stratosphere with us, or because they're inflated egos and don't really care about candidates in other fields.

Just remembering the five years some time ago during which we had a biologist dean in our College of Arts and Sciences, who rejiggered the application forms for grants in aid of research to ask, among other things, to "describe your mode of data analysis" which, for those of us in literature, was somewhat baffling, though I did  get a grant of $800 to buy microfilm needed for my current project  by writing "I will read the documents on this microfilm, which are not otherwise available anywhere in the United States, and then I will write about them."

[lowerninthward]

I am going to have to agree that dean involvement varies greatly. I have been invited to five campus interviews and served on a search committee and have seen deans be everything from engaged and involved to utterly unprepared. The meeting with the dean tells you a lot about how you will be relating with Admin., and this can indeed be a major quality of life issue so you want the dean to be knowledgeable, approachable and fair.

[helpful]

I had a meeting with a Dean once who wrote little notes on a notepad about every candidate so that, s/he explained, they would remember the candidates when it came to write the offer letter.

Another meeting with a Dean consisted of the Dean mostly talking about contract details if I were to be hired.

[txgalprof]

In my experience, (n=8) interviews with the dean usually involve the dreaded "What questions do you have about the university?"-- so it pays to have a couple in your back pocket about the university. I usually ask about requirements for tenure, about the students, possible the expectations for service, etc.

The deans that I have met spend some amount of time discussing the college and/or department. They share relevant information about employment, policies, vision for the future, etc.

I have rarely gotten the impression that this was an interview type situation, and it was more of an informative session for the applicant. (Not that the applicant shouldn't be putting their best foot forward, since the dean has varying amounts of input into the hiring situation).

Of course, take this with a grain of salt, since I've only gotten one job offer from the interviews-- the one from my current tt-position.

[vkw10]

In my experience, the interview with dean is a chance for the dean to share info that will attract you to position/community, a chance for you to show that you can ask a couple of intelligent questions about issues that reach beyond the department, and an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you won't embarrass the college by total ineptness in conversing with educated people who aren't in your field.

I've had deans ask about my salary expectations, tell me about their concern with faculty who don't pursue full professor status, chat about the beauty of living in a small town, and advise me to always look for housing east of campus. As a search committee chair, I once had a dean volunteer to pay for a third candidate to visit campus within 15 minutes of candidate one leaving his office; I doubt we'd have gotten that candidate approved even if we'd unanimously agreed he was the best choice.

So, prep a couple of good questions and let the dean lead the conversation.

[watermarkup]

At my latest campus interview, I talked to the president, the academic VP, and then the dean. When I got to his office, it was nice to finally talk to someone who was sort of close to my own discipline.

I don't know what all the administrators wanted with me, but I found it a helpful way for me to figure out if I had confidence in the leadership team in place. If the scatter-brained dean doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd have your back when the ruthless and neurotic president goes on a rampage, that could be an issue.

[paulsa]

A friend who was on an SC told me about a dean who held up the SC's recommended hire (which eventually went through) in order to lobby hard for another candidate. Most of the time the dean won't interfere with a SC's decisions, but I've heard of it happening more than once, especially in situations where the administration has some broader vision about the mission of the school or composition of the faculty which the SC/department, with its narrower focus on their needs as they relate to that specific job, may not be as concerned with. For example, the SC/department at a school which has a very loose religious affiliation may care nothing about that part of the school's mission. A dean, however, who could be under pressure from the university trustees, donors, and alumni, may feel differently. There's also the whole issue of diversity.

A larger point. Even the most seemingly minor or routine interaction with anybody might break your candidacy during a campus visit. You don't know what unguarded moment witnessed or overheard by a student, administrative assistant, custodian, etc., may get back to the SC. This is only magnified in your interaction with a dean. You may not need to impress the dean (though that can't hurt), but if you actually offend or irritate the dean, you may not get the job even if the SC recommends you.

[helpful]

Chime to the previous posting. A colleague of mine drove a candidate to the airport after the campus visit and what was said in that drive was the final straw in nixing their candidacy. it wasn't the only thing but it confirmed what the faculty were thinking during the visit.

[justanotherucprof]

As has been noted, deans can and do veto departmental decisions, though in my (rather extensive) experience that doesn't happen very often.  Far more frequently, a dean is called on to help the department do something difficult: make a second hire out of a single pool, negotiate an academic or non-academic position for a partner, fund expensive renovations or unusual start-up needs.  So you want to impress the dean.  Prepare for this part of your interview. Think about how you will explain your research to a senior academic outside your own field (which is very different from explaining it to a student).  Think about how you will contribute to the success of the unit, not just the success of your lab.  Remember that at this time of year the dean is probably struggling to find new department chairs, and be the kind of engaged and interested person that the dean can imagine one day growing into university leadership....

[zyzzx]

Also, if you are in the sciences, be prepared to talk about startups/lab requirements. This has been a key part of all my meetings with deans, since it's their job to find that money for you (at least it is for the ones who told me this). Hopefully one of the faculty will warn you about ballpark numbers, so you don't list $500K worth of needs at a place with $50k startups. Obviously this isn't the time to get into details, but they have all wanted a quick summary.
I just had back to back interviews where I went from talking about what I needed at a place with very little startup to trying to come up with what I "needed" at a place with $500K startup. Talk about a shift in thinking.

[ruralguy]

At a SLAC, this meeting would be quite critical (and isn't any interview with "the boss"?)

What looks to be cursory is THE boss's look into his underlings' search. If he doesn't like a candidate, he can say so.

Different Deans act differently, but almost all can put the kibosh on a candidate (or the search in general).

I also second any and all comments about discussing salary, start up needs, tenure requirements, etc.

I think writing this off is what kills a lot of green candidates.

[nocalprof]

As mentioned, deans will quite often be involved in funding startup packages.  Also, deans offer a unique view on how the department is viewed in the college and university, and they can give you some sense of how the unit fits into the institutional ecology.

[kangaroo]

At a SLAC, this meeting would be quite critical (and isn't any interview with "the boss"?)

What looks to be cursory is THE boss's look into his underlings' search. If he doesn't like a candidate, he can say so.

Different Deans act differently, but almost all can put the kibosh on a candidate (or the search in general).

I also second any and all comments about discussing salary, start up needs, tenure requirements, etc.

I think writing this off is what kills a lot of green candidates.

Oh gosh, this makes me nervous about my meeting with the dean at my top choice school, a SLAC. I had done my research before the interview and definitely didn't write off my meeting with the dean. But when I got to his office, I got flustered and totally forgot that he wasn't in my field. (My other interviews had been at larger schools where I had met with the Dean of the School of Basketweaving, not the Dean of the College.) It didn't go badly, I just felt like I was in the wrong frame of mind.

I need to go run a marathon or something. I am driving myself nuts worrying about this school.