At some universities, the dean of students is the highest-ranked administrative officer. Such deans are responsible for the overall management of the university. Their responsibilities include overseeing the budget, evaluating and updating the academic curriculum, managing the administration, hiring professors and serving as the spokesperson for the university, according to CareerPlanner.com.
At other schools---especially larger universities---there is a president who serves as the chief administrative officer. At these schools, there is typically a dean of students within each academic discipline. These deans are typically experts in their field of study, rather than in university management. They are responsible for evaluating and writing the curriculum for their discipline, hiring professors, counseling students and assisting students in getting jobs, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Typical day-to-day duties depend on the type of dean. Administrative deans spend a great deal of their time managing the university budget, which includes setting professorial salaries and tuition rates, and serving as the spokesperson for the school, which includes giving interviews to the press and speaking to prospective students. Academic deans spend the bulk of their time assessing the academic curriculum. Many of these deans also teach one or more classes, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because these deans specialize in a particular discipline, they are often more involved in the daily activities of the students.
The dean of students usually holds a Ph.D., M.D. or other doctoral degree. An academic dean typically rises to her post after serving as a professor. Administrative deans often ascend from lower university management positions. Many universities look for deans with excellent communication skills, vast experience in research, solid organizational skills and an innovative mindset, says Colorado State University.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a chief administrative officer (sometimes called a dean) earns an average of $158,000 per year. An academic dean typically earns between $92,000 and $150,000, depending on the discipline. An administrative dean of students earns $88,280 on average. Different universities use different titles to represent the same post. Thus, the dean of students at one school may be the highest administrator, while it may be a mid-level administrator at another school.