Weick's Sensemaking in Organizations (1995) details an understanding in organizational leadership in effort to establish clarity in roles, duties and responsibilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to use sensemaking as a framework to examine the role of the academic dean at the Four Year, Regional Public Institution (FYRPI). According to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (TCCIHE), these institutions enrollment profile consist of a high undergraduate population in primarily regional, residential areas. The study focused on the lived experiences of academic deans at this specific institution type to develop a deeper understanding of the role, and how leaders at this level perceive their role in relation to sensemaking (1995). The seven characteristics developed by Weick (1995) were categorized into two distinct groups by the researcher: "intuition-based characteristics" of sensemaking and "environmentally-constructed characteristics" of sensemaking. These two adjusted groups undergirded the analysis of the data obtained from participants. The findings of the study revealed that academic deans at FYRPIs primarily viewed their roles as leaders in student development who engage with various internal and external campus partners to accelerate high quality student experience. Additionally, academic deans perceived their roles as intermediary where they consistently navigate being the leader of a unit and acting as a direct report to the more central administration of the university. The study has significance and implications for clarifying the role of academic deans, providing a path for future deans aspiring to the role, and adding to the sparse literature in the field. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]