In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both. An academic administration is a branch of University or College employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the
The term comes from the Latin decanus, a leader of "ten," taken from the Medieval monasteries (particularly those following the Cluny reform) which were often extremely large with hundreds of monks (the size of a small college campus). The town and commune of Cluny or Clugny lies in the modern-day département of Saône-et-Loire in the région The monks were organized into groups of ten for administrative purposes, along the lines of military platoons, headed by a senior monk, the decanus.
The term was later used to denote the head of a community of priests, as the chapter of a cathedral, or a section of a diocese (a "deanery").
When the universities grew out of the cathedral and monastery schools, the title of dean was used for officials with various administrative duties.
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United States
Many junior high schools and high schools have a teacher or administrator referred to as a dean who is in charge of student discipline and to some degree administrative services. In large schools there may be a dean of men or boys, and a dean of women or girls, or each year (freshman, sophomore, etc. ) may have a dean. Although most high schools are led by a principal or headmaster, a few (particularly private preparatory schools) refer to their chief authority as a dean. High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution Principal or Head of School is the title of the chief administrator of an Elementary school, Middle school, or High school in some English-speaking A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school (usually abbreviated to preparatory school, college prep school, or prep school
The term is much more commonly used in higher education. Higher education is Education that is provided by universities, vocational universities, Community colleges Liberal arts colleges Although usage differs from one institution to another, a dean is usually the head of a significant department or collection of departments within a university (as "dean of the downtown campus," "dean of the college of arts and sciences. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects ") Many colleges and universities have a position known as "dean of students," who is in charge of student services, and a "dean of the faculty," who serves as the faculty's voice in the school's day-to-day administration.
Almost every American law school, medical school, divinity school or other professional school refers to its highest ranking administrator as a dean, and most have several assistant or associate deans as well (such as a dean of academics and a dean of students). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A law school (also known as a school of law or college of law) is an institution specializing in Legal education. Medical education A medical school or faculty of medicine is a Tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches Medicine A divinity school is an Institute of Higher education devoted to the study of divinity, religion and Theology.
United Kingdom
In universities in the United Kingdom the dean is the head of a faculty, a collection of related academic departments. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A faculty is a division within a University. The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had Examples include Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
In collegiate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, each college may have a dean who is responsible for discipline. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the An interview with the dean as a result of misbehaviour is referred to as "a deaning". The dean may also be responsible for the running of the college chapel.
The University of Durham also has a Dean of Colleges, who is chosen from the various college principals and masters and takes a parallel role to the faculty deans in university-wide debate. Durham University is a University in Durham, England. It was founded as the University of Durham (which remains its official and legal name
Each of the colleges of The University of Lancaster have a dean as part of their governing syndicate. Lancaster University (officially " The University of Lancaster " is a British University in Lancaster, Lancashire,
Canada
In a Canadian university, a dean is typically the head of a faculty (sometimes called a "school"), which may include several academic departments. A faculty is a division within a University. The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had Typical positions include Dean of Engineering, Dean of Science and Dean of Business. Many universities also have a Dean of Graduate Studies, responsible for work at the postgraduate level in all parts of the university.
The job description for deans at the University of Waterloo is probably typical, and reads in part, "The dean of a faculty is primarily a university officer, serving in that capacity on the senate, appropriate major committees and on other university bodies. The University of Waterloo (also referred to as UW and Waterloo) is a comprehensive Public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario As university officer, the dean has the dual role of making independent judgments on total university matters and representing the particular faculty's policies and points of view. The dean should oversee the particular faculty's relations with other faculties to ensure that they are harmonious and serve the total university's objectives. The dean will report directly to the vice president, academic and provost. "
There may be associate deans responsible to the dean for particular administrative functions.
Some universities also have a dean of students, responsible for aspects of welfare and discipline and serving as an advocate for students within the institution.
See also
A dean, in a church context is a Cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy The word rector ("ruler" from the Latin regere and Rector meaning "Teacher" In Latin has a number of different meanings but all of them indicate an academicDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic