Academic Program Director, Full-time - Occupational Therapy

The mission of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is the development of professional health care practitioners through innovation, individualized, and quality classroom, clinical, and distance education.

GENERAL SUMMARY

In collaboration with Associate Dean and faculty, the Program Director assures delivery of the local campus curriculum in a manner that meets program goals, learning outcomes, consistency, and institutional expectations. The Program Director leads local campus programmatic accreditation to assure all standards are met and reports are appropriately filed. Works closely with the Dean and other Program Directors and/or faculty on revisions of program policies, admissions, academic progress and graduation competencies. The Director is accountable for strategic plan initiatives concerning the program, as well integrating with other departments and programs to resolve student and faculty issues and promote assessment of educational effectiveness.  Program directors serve as an important conduit connecting the program with other University departments, communicating information and contributing to the growth and improvement of the institution.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Planning

• Provides leadership, strategy, vision, organization, processes and infrastructure for a respective program, and in concert with the University’s strategic and quality improvement plan;
• Assesses and reports on program metrics, such as faculty workload and scholarly productivity, student satisfaction, graduation rates, enrollments, etc. to assure program goals are being met;

Local Program Operations

• Responsible for the development and maintenance of effective department operations including efficient workflow, achieving student learning outcomes; ensuring appropriate faculty numbers; assuring quality curriculum;
• Works effectively with other departments across the University to coordinate activities and promote change;
• Promotes a campus culture in alignment with the University’s core values that focuses on the academic achievement and personal development of all students;
• Reports to the Management Committee to support educational effectiveness;
• Communicates effectively and fosters collaborative relationships among all campus constituencies including students, faculty, and staff; advises students, assisting with problem solving and complaint resolution
• Collaborate with Clinical Education department to assure quality clinical experiences for students.
• Conducts student recruiting information sessions;
• Ensures faculty support the attainment of department and institutional outcomes as laid out in the Institutional Effectiveness plan;

Faculty Leadership and Development

• Hires, develops, and evaluates faculty (core and adjunct).  Assists them in planning staffing patterns for their area(s) of responsibility.  Utilizing standards for effective job performance evaluates faculty effectiveness;
• Mentors and develops employees to maximize individual performance, build future organizational leadership, enhance teamwork and strengthen support of the organization’s core values;

Scholarly and Professional Development

• Stays abreast of educational best practices, policy changes and developments that may impact the program through attendance, and developing professional relationships at professional conferences, seminars and local, state and national organizations;
• Meets scholarly goals, as identified in annual performance evaluation;
• Maintains visibility in respective professional organizations;
• Uses research and practice, and theory and experience to foster professional development and student learning;

Core Management Responsibilities

• Promotes University’s core values;
• Develops and implements Department’s strategic plan;
• Identifies new opportunities
• Maintains superior customer service to internal and external customers;
• Fosters a success-oriented, accountable environment within the University;
• Develops annual budget and expenses for area(s) of responsibility and guides subordinate managerial personnel in the development of their budgets as necessary.  Administers or delegates the administration of budgets, approving expenditures, reviewing reports;
• Develops, communicates, and upholds University policies and procedures;
• Leads local participation in the programmatic accreditation process; assures full compliance with federal, state and accrediting body standards and regulations;
• Attends and participate in Management Committee, Program Directors Council and Student-Director Meetings where appropriate;
• Teaches at a significantly reduced teaching load, i.e. no more than a 0.5 FTE faculty member (no more than 148 hours/term);
• Approves pre-requisite course substitutions and transfer credits.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

May perform other duties and responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Position may require local driving and/or overnight travel to other campuses.

*A valid driver’s license for State of residence and at least minimum liability insurance required by State.

MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsible for the direction and supervision of core faculty, contributing faculty and staff employees for program.  May supervise an assistant director or site coordinator.

POSITION IN ORGANIZATION

REPORTS TO:  Associate Dean, Occupational Therapy

POSITIONS SUPERVISED:  Core faculty, Contributing faculty, Academic support staff

TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL, and PEOPLE SKILLS REQUIRED

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Incumbents will be evaluated, in part, based on performance of each essential function. Appropriate reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Demonstrated effectiveness in teaching, scholarship and administration, in an institution of higher education.
• Knowledge of financial aid, and fiscal management;
• Exceptional leadership, communication and management skills;
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, and to interact effectively with colleagues, administrators and faculty members and students, as well as external constituencies;
• Valid driver’s license for State of residence and at least minimum liability insurance required by State.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Possess knowledge of accreditation;
• Five or more years’ progressive levels of leadership, responsibility and expertise in teaching, preferably in higher education;

Occupational Therapy Program

• Must have a minimum of 8 years of documented experience in the field of occupational therapy; this experience must include clinical practice as an occupational therapist, administrative experience, scholarship, and at least 3 years of experience in a full-time academic appointment with teaching responsibilities at the post-baccalaureate level;
• Must be initially certified as an occupational therapist who is licensed according to state regulation in the state in which the program is located;

All Other Programs

• Terminal degree required, Associate Professor rank for certain programs, one degree must be in related field (e.g. OT, PT, M.D., etc.), awarded by an institution that is accredited by a regional accrediting body;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint);

LICENSURE and/or CERTIFICATION

• State practice license

BUSINESS COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies to perform the essential functions of the position:

• Committed to Mission and Values - Has a clear understanding of institution’s mission and values. Has a passion for facilitating learning and for enabling students to navigate their own learning journey.
• Contribute Knowledge to the Discipline - Compelled by the opportunity to contribute through research, scholarship professional practice or creativity.
• Accountable -Takes personal responsibility for own goals and outcomes to ensure student success. Establishes clear expectations, follows through on commitments to students and holds them accountable for assignments and performance
• Collaborative - Works cooperatively with others across the institution and beyond, including the community and through partnerships. Represents own interests while being inclusive and fair to others.
• Communicates Effectively - Adapts oral and written communication approach and style to the audience and based on the message. Also listens attentively to others.
• Drives Engagement - Makes students feel welcome, understood and valued. Creates a learning environment that is compelling, challenging and productive.
• Academic Discipline Expertise - Has sufficient credentials, industry expertise and/or experience in the discipline to teach according to the standards and qualifications required.
• Education Design - Designs learning experiences closely linked to learning outcomes including lesson planning, design of project, work integrated, group learning experiences, or interactive learning objects. Has depth of expertise in pedagogy, andragogy and overall learning effectiveness.
• Teaching Delivery/Learning Facilitation Skills - Manages small, large, blended, hybrid and/or online classrooms, monitoring and ensuring participation, managing one’s own and students' time and attention effectively.
• Drives Engagement - Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
• People Leadership - Leads by example when it comes to finding and developing talent, with a focus on talent acquisition strategies, setting performance targets that raises standards and development of high potential talent.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment but may involve exposure to moderate noise levels. Work involves operation of personal computer equipment for six to eight hours daily and includes physical demands associated with a traditional office setting, e.g., walking, standing, communicating, and other physical functions as necessary.

Hiring Range (Austin): $102,480 - $178,290