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Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) selected by Stephen F. Austin State University for Dean, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture Search

(April 17, 2026, WEST HARTFORD, CT) Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES), a leading higher education focused executive search firm, has been selected to recruit the next Dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University.  Jennifer Muller, Managing Partner, will be leading the search.

The Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture is entering a new phase of growth, supported by a nearly completed $85 million facility, and a strong institutional commitment to its continued impact. SFA seeks a Dean to drive this evolution, strengthening culture, advancing high-potential programs, and building a more visible, industry-connected, and research-active college across forestry, agriculture, environmental science, and geospatial disciplines. This role offers the chance to accelerate an already solid foundation. Building on a decade of steady leadership, the College is stable and positioned to expand its impact. It includes three departments: Forestry, Agriculture, and Environmental Science, supported by extensive land holdings, laboratory space, working agricultural operations, and strong ties to East Texas industries.

From this foundation, the Dean will inherit significant physical and programmatic assets, including farms, research operations, and established industry relationships, and will be expected to translate these strengths into measurable results: Expanding research activity, strengthening partnerships, modernizing faculty systems, and advancing a more cohesive and forward-looking academic culture. The next Dean will bring clarity, alignment, and momentum, advancing research, partnerships, and program visibility.

The successful candidate will be an action-oriented academic leader with the judgment and credibility to move quickly while building trust across a long-tenured faculty environment. They will bring experience advancing applied, industry-connected research and developing external partnerships, particularly in sectors aligned with forestry, agriculture, and environmental science. Comfortable operating in a highly visible and expectation-rich environment, the Dean will combine strong interpersonal leadership with an external orientation toward fundraising, partnership development, and institutional advancement.

This role is well suited to a leader motivated by building and elevating, rather than maintaining, and by the opportunity to position the College more prominently within both the University and the region.  This is a full-time, twelve-month faculty position reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Direct reports include Department Chairs (Forestry; Agriculture; Environmental Sciences) and administrative staff.

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA), the newest member of The University of Texas System, began more than a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’s oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has evolved into a comprehensive regional institution comprising six colleges and offering the academic breadth of a larger university with the personalized attention of a liberal arts experience.  Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, SFA serves more than 11,000 students and plays a vital role in advancing educational access and opportunity across East Texas. The University is distinguished by its strong commitment to first-generation student success and its ability to connect academic programs with the needs of the region’s workforce and industries.  Set within a 421-acre campus in a pine forest environment, SFA integrates natural resources, applied learning, and community engagement into the student experience. Its broader footprint, including research centers, clinical facilities, and specialized program sites across more than 1,200 acres, supports hands-on education and applied research across disciplines.

Affordable Excellence 

Academic Career & Executive Search, a higher education focused search firm, specializes in affordable excellence, providing perfectly matched candidates to institutions quickly and accurately. Their methodologies, based on frequent touchpoints, pinpoint ideal candidates with speed and meticulous care resulting in highly successful placements.

They offer flexible service/pricing levels for all positions, ensuring affordability.

Contact Jennifer Muller, Managing Partner, at 860-740-2600 or Jennifer@ACESrch.com, or visit https://acesrch.com/.