Director of the Division of Academic Enhancement

Director of the Division of Academic Enhancement

Office of the Vice President for Instruction

The University of Georgia

 

Description

The University of Georgia seeks an innovative leader to serve as the next Director of the Division of Academic Enhancement (DAE). The Director of the Division of Academic Enhancement reports directly to an Associate Vice President for Instruction.

The DAE empowers all students to Learn Differently by offering innovative courses for academic success, programs, and services, and creating student-centered initiatives. The Division supports students as they transition into higher education and sustains their progress through the University’s unique academic environment. Its services include Academic Coaching; the PLaTO (Peer Learning and Teaching Others) program which includes Peer Allies, Peer Learning Assistants, and Peer Tutors; the Presentation Collaboratory; and Student Success Workshops. The DAE also includes Initiatives to support first-generation, rural, and underserved students, as well as the early start summer program Thrive at Georgia. It collaborates with several units in overseeing the Georgia Commitment Scholarship and the ALL Georgia program and is home to several TRIO programs, including Educational Talent Search, McNair Scholars, Student Support Services/STEM-H, and Upward Bound/Math + Science.

The Director provides vision and leadership to guide the development of new programs and strategically refresh the DAE’s curriculum and services to meet the needs of all students. The Director must be able to use recent educational research and intra-University data to promote the University’s student success agenda and assess the impact of the division on the University’s student success and completion agenda. The Director must be able to initiate, develop, and sustain strong positive relations with UGA advisors, faculty, administrators, and others; thus, the ability to collaborate and create partnerships is essential.

Work requires face-to-face and online interaction with students, colleagues, supervisors, administrators, and faculty.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Supervise and evaluate the activities of the DAE, recruit and supervise its staff, and administer its day-to-day operations;
• Develop, implement, and assess instructional support curricula, programs, services, and activities;
• Create and promote instructional support initiatives and strategies in collaboration with academic advisors, faculty, staff, and others;
• Keep current with state-of-the-art and emerging student success research, analytics, and technologies to benefit students;
• Conduct research and analyze test data and performance of current instructional support system in order to make recommendations to improve instructional support system;
• Evaluate current evidence-based research and innovative regional and national projects to inform local practices;
• Work with Office of Institutional Research to develop metrics to evaluate performance of instructional support system;
• Seek external funding where appropriate and, in collaboration with Development and Alumni Relations, support private fundraising for scholarships and other initiatives.

We seek a creative, highly organized, and collaborative individual who has previous experience in working with a variety of students, is committed to working with students, academic advisors, faculty, administrators, alumni, and donors, and is passionate about empowering students to achieve success. Excellent oral, written, presentation, and communication skills are required.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualified candidates must have all of the following qualifications:

• Doctoral (or other terminal) degree from an accredited college or university;
• At least three years of experience in teaching, tutoring, advising, or pedagogical training in a higher education setting;
• At least two years of progressively more responsible leadership as a director, manager, or supervisor with oversight of a program, center, or department;
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with academic advisors, faculty, administrators, and others;
• Excellent oral, written, presentation, and communication skills;
• Excellent networking skills.

Preferred Qualifications

The preferred candidate will have, in addition to those listed above, the following qualifications:

• At least two years of experience using evidence-based research to develop and assess programs;
• At least two years of experience working in a large, public R-1 university setting.

 

The University of Georgia

The University of Georgia, a land-grant/sea-grant university, is the state’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education. UGA was founded in 1785 as the first state-chartered university in the country. More than 235 years later, the University of Georgia remains a national leader in higher education. The University is located in Athens, GA, approximately 75 miles northeast of Atlanta, and is consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the country.

The University’s enrollment exceeds 39,000 students, including approximately 30,000 undergraduates and over 9,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 17 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens. Additional information about the University of Georgia is available at http://www.uga.edu/.

Application Process

The Search Committee invites applications, inquiries, and nominations for this position. Applications should be accompanied by a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact details of at least five professional references. References will not be contacted without prior communication with applicants. Applications and nominations will be accepted until the position is filled and review of applications will begin immediately. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit materials (electronic submissions preferred) prior to March 7, 2022 to the search firm assisting the University of Georgia. The planned start date for the position is July 1, 2022. It is also requested that you submit your packet online at https://www.ugajobsearch.com (search for job posting: 234067)

Laurie C. Wilder, President
Porsha L. Williams, Vice President
Jacob C. Anderson, Principal
Parker Executive Search
pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com
(770) 804-1996 x 111

As one of the top public universities in the nation, UGA offers a culture of academic excellence and opportunity made all the richer by our renowned faculty, diverse community of scholar-citizens, and vibrant student life programs. The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status.