Application materials, nominations and inquiries of interest should be submitted to the Universitys executive search firm:

Martin Baker, Managing Partner

Buffkin / Baker



The University of Denver is pleased to announce the search for the founding Director and Chair of the Douglas and Mary Scrivner Institute of Public Policy at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. This position offers an extraordinary opportunity for a visionary leader with an established record of excellence in public policy to build the Scrivner Institutes engagement, impact, and visibility locally, nationally, and internationally. We seek applications from and nominations for outstanding candidates from the leading ranks of public policy. The position will begin on July 1, 2020.

The Scrivner Institute of Public Policy at the University of Denver was made possible by a generous gift from Douglas and Mary Scrivner in 2018 that will ultimately endow three faculty positions, in addition to supporting student scholarships and programming. The Scrivner Institute will be housed within the existing Josef Korbel School of International Studies, a top-ranked international affairs program with a range of both graduate and undergraduate degrees and a dynamic research profile. In re-launching a public policy program at the University of Denver, the Scrivner Institute and the Korbel School together intend to create a truly innovative, local-to-global public policy enterprise that trains students to meet 21^st century challenges in both domestic and international spheres. Supporting path-breaking, interdisciplinary research and local, national and international policy engagement at the Scrivner Institute are critical components of our vision.

Candidates must have qualifications appropriate for appointment as a tenured professor, including a distinguished record of rigorous scholarship and teaching/mentoring. The position is open to candidates from all fields of public policy. Effective and demonstrated administrative and budgetary expertise, the capacity for fundraising, and strong professional ties with broad policy communities are required. The desired candidate will also possess outstanding skills of leadership and collaboration in a setting that balances professional education with social science and public policy research. In addition, the successful candidate will have experience in and a commitment to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion, fostering an open intellectual and professional culture, and will excel at communicating with a wide range of audiences. The desired candidate will have a demonstrated interest in engaging with community leaders, policy makers and business professionals to involve them in the teaching, research and programming activities of the Institute, which currently engages students through Denver- and Colorado-focused courses and events. The ideal candidate will expand and strengthen the ties of the Institute with Denver's and Colorado's policy communities, and beyond.

The Scrivner Institute of Public Policy is strongly aligned with the University of Denvers strategic plan, DU Impact 2025: http://impact.du.edu. This alignment demonstrates Scrivners commitment to the student experience, experiential learning, and to serving the public. Scrivner will replace the Institute of Public Policy Studies (IPPS) that has existed at the University of Denver since the mid-1980s. IPPS has offered an undergraduate major in public policy that has required students to double major in another area. The public policy major has attracted 35-45 students over the years, and they are known as some of the most talented at the University. IPPS has also offered a 2-year Master of Public Policy degree that typically enrolls 10-15 students per year. The potential for growing these two degree programs is substantial. IPPS currently has four full-time faculty positions, including one tenure-line that is unfilled. Existing positions will be augmented by three more full-time faculty positions funded by the Scrivner gift, thus recruiting new faculty is a central responsibility of the new Director and Chair. IPPS currently has an annual expense budget of roughly $500,000, funded partly by a $1.8 million endowment. IPPS has historically focused only on teaching and training undergraduate and graduate students.

The Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, within which the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy resides, is an interdisciplinary professional school that prepares students for careers in the public, private, academic and nonprofit sectors. Our programs provide students with the knowledge, skills, and networks to design policies, implement programs, and realize outcomes that enhance human capabilities around the world. The Josef Korbel School has approximately 385 undergraduate majors, 250 MA students and 20 PhD students.

Minimum and Preferred Qualifications

Candidates must have a PhD in a social science or equivalent in the humanities or law. Extensive peer-reviewed as well as policy-oriented publications are required, as is administrative leadership in an academic or equivalent setting. Evidence of teaching excellence is strongly preferred. We are especially interested in applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to or experience working with diverse populations.

Application Deadline

We will accept applications until the position is filled, but we will give first consideration to applications received by December 10, 2019, with on-campus interviews beginning in January, 2020.