Program Director/Department Chair

Job Description:

Saybrook University is seeking an Academic Department Chair for its Clinical Psychology program. This leader must be able to guide the program through the self-study process and advance its pursuit of APA accreditation.

Position Summary:

Academic Department Chairs (ADC) are university leaders that encourage and foster excellence in scholarship, teaching and learning, professional and university service, student success, and collegiality. Under the direction of the Dean, the Department Chair will oversee curriculum development, supervise faculty and student progress, manage administrative tasks, as well as teach specific courses.

They oversee the department as an academic unit, facilitating curricular innovation, student enrollment, instructional delivery, program assessment and accreditation, faculty workload planning, and annual goal setting. ADCs work collaboratively with faculty and staff across Saybrook University in support of its mission, vision, and strategic aims.

Essential Function and Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership to achieve the highest possible level of excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and service activities by members of the academic department.
  • Facilitate faculty and departmental goal setting annually.
  • Establish a culture in support of openness to change and innovation.
• Oversee core and part-time faculty, facilitating equitable workload and contributions to departmental and university mission and goals.
  • Guide and coordinate faculty workload planning to support faculty, attending to faculty professional desires and life-work balance while ensuring department and student needs are met.
  • Monitor faculty engagement in courses to ensure quality teaching and effective communications with students. Ensure quality instruction based on institutional learning objectives.
  • Maintain and implement processes for appointment, contract renewal, application for faculty rank, and professional development. Evaluate core faculty annually; maintain open channels for feedback throughout the year.
  • Monitor adjunct faculty course engagement and course evaluations and provide appropriate guidance and supports. Assess part-time faculty performance when determining reappointment.
  • Communicate and interact with Human Resource Services, Labor Relations, and the Office of General Counsel on personnel issues, when and as necessary.
• Coordinate execution of the unit's educational programs with the faculty, and schedule courses and assign instructors to these courses in consultation with specialization coordinators, the faculty, and the dean's office.
  • Monitor course registrations and make appropriate adjustments in course schedules and instructor assignments in cooperation with other departments/areas/programs and the dean's office.
  • Communicate new academic policies and procedures as well as grading/evaluation due dates to all faculty.
  • Collaborate with Academic Affairs to deliver an effective faculty orientation program that includes a review of Saybrook University’s policies and LMS training.

• Plan and administer the unit's budget in consultation with the dean’s office. Manage budget expectations, and present departmental recruitment requests.
  • Approve faculty and FWS schedules, pay and expenses.
• Serve as a central figure available to address questions, concerns, and communications from students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders with the expectation of a resolution of issues at the department level. Keep your Dean informed.
  • Facilitate administrative and departmental faculty meetings and committees.
  • Follow through on faculty and student inquiries and requests as it relates to academic progress.
  • Lead the recruitment efforts, when resources are available, for replacement or net growth of faculty. The chair is responsible for making certain that the diversity goals of the department and college are met by assuring a diverse pool of highly qualified candidates.
  • All core faculty are expected to play a key role in recruiting prospective students and processing student admissions. Review and interview applications and use the systems in place to move applicants through the review process in a timely manner.
  • Develop relationships and maintain a system of regular communications with appropriate university and system partners.
• Coordinate and engage in annual academic program and faculty review processes to follow accreditation requirements as well as external accrediting bodies as required.
  • Facilitate regular program reviews to maintain relevancy and pedagogical innovation.
  • Monitor curriculum and recommend curricular changes to the department faculty to meet the changing needs of students and the University.
  • Coordinate curricular changes initiated within the department before sending them on to the appropriate college and University committees.
  • Support curricular and course development processes for new and existing programs, to keep content and pedagogy fresh and relevant.
  • Regularly review and support degree program policies, coordinate catalog revision and update website managers with program changes.
  • Propose new initiatives, programs, and projects; organize and facilitate approval of new course offerings and learning outcomes; support the upkeep, relevance, growth and maintenance of the academic program*.
• Teach specific courses and serve on student research committees.
  • All faculty members at Saybrook University are expected to be available and responsive to students.
  • Course-level faculty engagement expectations are detailed in the faculty handbook. Utilize university offered resources to maintain technology skills specific and appropriate to each program and process.

Qualifications:

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Preferred Qualifications:

• Three (3) to five (5) years academic administrative experience or equivalent
• Success in guiding processes through a shared governance environment
• Demonstrated orientation toward innovation, experimentation, and change

*The role of department chair may include program-specific accreditation and activities to be articulated and agreed upon with College Dean.

About Saybrook University

Saybrook University was founded over 50 years ago by some of the greatest minds of the 20th century and continues to inspire a new generation of innovators. A non-profit, regionally accredited university known for its commitment to humanistic studies and rigorous research, Saybrook University’s academic model centers the student in everything we do to provide a unique, transformational learning experience. Saybrook offers advanced degrees in organizational systems, psychology, mind-body medicine, and counseling through flexible learning formats, helping students remain active contributors in their fields as they advance their education. Saybrook University is proud to be a diverse, inclusive community of creative, compassionate innovators dedicated to pursuing new ways of thinking and doing for our professions, organizations, and communities.

Saybrook University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information, visit www.saybrook.edu.

Saybrook University offers a generous compensation and benefits package, as well as the opportunity to work for a leader in the field of education. Some of our key benefits include: generous paid time-off, medical and dental coverage, company-paid life and disability insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, multiple flexible spending accounts (FSA), tuition reimbursement, professional development, and regular employee appreciation events.Saybrook University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Company:

Saybrook University

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