Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

 

 

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs is the chief academic officer for the college and is responsible for providing leadership and support in all areas related to faculty and the matriculation of degree seeking students. This includes overall academic planning and assessment, faculty hiring, development and support, enrollment management, instructional and learning support, curriculum development, online learning, academic advising and student support services.

The associate dean works closely with the Dean and senior leadership in all areas related to academic affairs, providing leadership in shaping the college's academic policies and practices, in sustaining academic standards, and in collaborating with other units of the college and the university in support of student and faculty academic success. This includes keeping current on trends and changes in higher education and effecting changes required for improvement. The associate dean will monitor and evaluate programmatic and operational quality and effectiveness and work to actualize the academic vision of the College of Engineering. The associate dean will establish and implement short and long-range organizational goals, objectives, and strategic plans related to the college’s academic strategic vision.

 

Administration:

As a member of the Dean's Leadership Team, the associate dean will work to fulfill the missions of the university and the college related to student success. This includes working closely with departments and faculty to develop and comply with academic and administrative policies and procedures, and monitoring faculty workloads in consultation with the Dean and School Directors.

 

The associate dean will provide leadership in undergraduate academic program compliance, representing the college on relevant university commissions and committees including the Commission on Undergraduate Studies and Policies, the University Academic Appeals Board, the Registrar’s Academic Roundtables, and various university task forces related to academic affairs. This includes attending various university committees and councils in the absence of the Dean.

 

Faculty Affairs:

The associate dean will collaborate with college and university offices to support faculty hiring, development, promotion, and tenure. This includes oversight of faculty hiring and promotion and tenure processes. In collaboration with the Associate Dean and Chief of Staff, the associate dean will advise the Dean on departmental 5- year hiring plans, faculty merit reviews and overall departmental budget planning processes in support of college-wide strategic priorities. 

 

The associate dean will oversee the development and implementation of college-wide programs to support faculty in their professional careers including orientation, educational, mentoring and recognition programs to improve faculty satisfaction, well-being and performance.  In collaboration with the Associate Dean for Equity and Engagement, the associate dean will support initiatives to enhance the diversity of college faculty.

 

 

Undergraduate Curriculum and Assessment:

The associate dean will facilitate and support the development and implementation of undergraduate curricula, including advising faculty and new programs on course and curricula content and evaluation based on goals and objectives and including outcomes measurement. This includes serving as a non-voting member of the College Curriculum Committee, providing guidance in the development and implementation of the curriculum in collaboration with college leadership, school directors and department chairs, faculty and course coordinators. The associate dean will provide leadership in all curriculum and administrative assessment activities related to ABET and SACS, serving as the liaison to the Office of Academic Assessment and responsible for timely submission of required college assessment reports. The associate dean will oversee all dual degree and guaranteed admissions agreements.

 

Undergraduate Enrollment Management:

The associate dean will provide leadership in the implementation of the college’s enrollment management policies.  This includes evaluation of degree and course enrollment trends and oversight of all student admissions from sources both internal and external to the university. The associate dean will supervise enrollment services for all college students including overseeing the review and approval of independent study and research applications, enrollment management reports, coordination of academic advising, late course drops and adds, grade changes, graduation clearance, academic overloads, insuring accurate award of transfer equivalency for incoming students, course substitutions, probation/suspension appeals, resignations, dean’s list eligibility, scholarship eligibility, and other similar actions. Overall, this means review and approval of all student academic requests for which responsibility and authority resides at the college level. The associate dean is responsible for ensuring that all student records are maintained in accordance with university policies and directives.

 

The associate dean will serve as liaison to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and work with the Associate Dean for Equity and Engagement to develop and implement recruitment strategies that enhance college admissions and student diversity. This includes participation in University level recruiting events, analysis of demographic trends, anticipating recruitment needs, and promoting diversity in the applicant pools.

 

Financial:

The associate dean provides leadership and supervision of the undergraduate scholarship/fellowship award process for continuing students. This includes coordination with the departmental scholarship contacts to oversee the application, review and awarding processes. The associate dean will coordinate the Davenport Scholarship for new freshman, and oversee the monitoring of college scholarships to ensure compliance with university awarding requirements. The associate dean will work closely with the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies to increase the numbers of students, and amounts awarded for financial support. The associate dean will liaison with university Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to ensure that the college meets the stated University spending requirements.

 

 

Undergraduate Student Support:

The associate dean will serve as the college point-person, working with the Dean of Students to identify distressed students, referring them to appropriate student services. This includes communicating with families of students in academic or emotional/medical distress. In collaboration with faculty and departments, the associate dean will assist in developing academic recovery plans for students experiencing academic difficulty. The associate dean will serve as the mediator for issues involving faculty and undergraduate student grievances and appeals. The associate dean will work with college personnel to coordinate and participate in faculty and student award and commencement ceremonies, and work with Department of Engineering Education to coordinate and participate in student orientation activities.

 

Ware Lab:

The associate dean will provide leadership to the Ware Lab and is responsible for supervision of Ware Lab staff. 

 

Required Qualifications: Ph.D. in engineering or related STEM disciplines, minimum faculty rank of Associate Professor with tenure, significant related experience including managerial responsibilities in higher education preferably at a research university, excellent oral and written communication skills, ability to work independently as well as collaboratively, experience with ABET Accreditation, experience with curriculum development and academic policy implementation, and experience in developing and running academic programs to support student success.

 

Preferred Qualifications: Faculty rank of Professor with tenure, well-established credentials in engineering education and scholarly research, experience with fundraising and development efforts.

 

Interested applicants should reach out to Dr. Glenda Scales at gscales@vt.edu with intent to apply. Applications should be completed after July 22, 2019, at http://www.jobs.vt.edu to include the following documents:

  • curriculum vitae
  • cover letter
  • reference list to include 3 people

 

The review of applications will begin September 6, 2019 and continue until the position is filled.

 

Individuals with disabilities desiring accommodations should notify the search chair, Dr. Glenda Scales at (540) 231-9754 or gscales@vt.edu.

 

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.