The dean is the chief executive and academic officer for the school and has overall responsibility for defining the school’s strategic priorities, developed in concert with the school’s faculty; maintaining and supporting a faculty of national and international excellence and educational and research programs of the highest quality; attracting superb students; facilitating connections between theory, research and practice; forging academic links with other schools within the university and effective partnerships with educational bodies and other organizations in Los Angeles and beyond; maintaining productive relationships with alumni, trustees and councilors, donors and the local, national and global educational communities; and ensuring the short- and long-term economic health of the school. Serving as the school’s primary external representative, the dean is responsible for articulating its contributions to the greater community and ensuring the economic health of the school through sound financial planning, revenue management and external fundraising. Deans work in a university-wide system of Responsibility Center Management (RCM), which offers a relatively high degree of autonomy and independence in the leadership of one’s school, with responsibility for all of its fiscal, programmatic, research, teaching and service activities. The dean serves as the school’s primary ambassador to external communities, including alumni, school superintendents and the greater community.