Hi Jeremy,
Yes, you can do this in the admin section by setting up a dashboard template by group/role.
The dashboard for new users is created from a dashboard template which determines the dashboard tabs, content items, and layout of the dashboard.
Members of the Customer Administrator group and the Customer Dashboard Administrator group can use the Dashboard Templates task in the Dashboard Manager workspace to modify the default dashboard template and create new dashboard templates. You can associate a dashboard template with a user group. When a new user belongs to a group that has an associated dashboard template, the user’s dashboard is created from that dashboard template.
For more information refer to the Common Data Import and Administration Guide - Chapter 11.
Let me know if this works.