Associate Dean - 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

The Associate Dean, Occupational Therapy provides academic leadership and administrative oversight of all Occupational Therapy (OT) programs, Residential, Flex, and Hybrid Immersion, first and post-professional programs (i.e., MOT, OTD, and ppOTD) , as well as all entry-level program directors on all USAHS campuses. Through use of programmatic data internally and externally, the Associate Dean promotes academic excellence and growth of the OT programs, for the benefit of students and employees. The individual in this position coordinates communication and programmatic growth and consistency across campuses and delivery methods for all OT programs. The individual will lead and assist program directors by coordinating program outcome assessment, accreditation reporting, faculty performance evaluation and development, curricular improvement, and (re)accreditation. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Planning and Change Management

• With senior academic and university leadership, develops a strategic plan for all OT programs to focus on growth and quality improvement goals and initiatives that align with the goals of the Program and University

• Participates in the development, implementation, and assessment of the University’s strategic plan
• Serves as spokesperson in determining how OT programs are innovative to position USAHS as a leader in OT education

• Works closely with marketing, university representatives, and admissions personnel to assure enrollment projects and goals are being met; provides feedback on student recruiting methodology

Leadership Development

• Leads intra- and inter-campus OT faculty meetings and retreats; assists program directors with faculty development needs; student academic/professional misconduct issues
• Leads recruitment and training efforts for new OT program directors and assistant program directors; performs evaluations of the program directors; is responsible for leadership development
• Provides oversight to faculty performance evaluation process, assuring consistency; works with program directors to develop and reinforce faculty development plans; assures alignment of faculty development goals to program strategic goals; assist directors with faculty recruitment, as needed; recommends faculty hiring Human Resources and Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
• Monitors equity in faculty and program director workload
• Supervises orientation and development of new OT program directors and assistant directors

Fiscal and Resource Management

• Examines resource use; works with program directors for allocation and sharing of resources
• Works between program directors and the CAO for the coordination of policy revision/development
• Assures the clinical education and placements goals are delineated and met
• Works between program directors and the CAO for the coordination of resource procurement and management

• Develops annual budget and expenses for area(s) of responsibility and guides subordinate managerial personnel in the development of their budgets; administers or delegates the administration of budgets, approving expenditures and reviewing reports

Quality Improvement and Accreditation

• Stays up-to-date with and communicates broadly ACOTE standards, policies, procedures, and changes; assures accreditation reports from each campus are completed
• Coordinates programmatic (re)accreditation for new programs/locations
• Works with Accreditation, Compliance and Regulatory units to assure adherence to all standards and regulatory requirements
• Leads local participation in the programmatic accreditation process; assures full compliance with federal, state and accrediting body standards and regulations
• Oversees programmatic outcome analysis; develops improvement plans; implements curricular and teaching effectiveness to support program, student, and faculty success; leads OT program review
• Assures that all student academic and behavioral performances are evaluated and treated with consistency and follow University and Program policies and procedures
• Assures the curriculum is contemporary, well-delivered, and in compliance with accreditation standards across all campuses; promotes course coordination in OT courses and works closely with director(s) in other disciplines to promote coordination of HSC courses; reviews Course Coordinator reports; develops, leads, and assists with curriculum revisions
• Encourages, supports, and develops intercampus and interprofessional educational and research endeavors
• Works with Enrollment and Admissions to review enrollment admissions standards and procedures for OT programs

CORE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Promotes University’s core values
• Supports and demonstrates a student-centered philosophy
• Attends and participate in Academic Leadership, Program Director Council, and Student-Director meetings where appropriate;
• Maintains superior customer service to internal and external customers
• Fosters a success-oriented, accountable environment within the University
• Upholds University’s professional, ethics and integrity standards
• Maintains communication channels for all OT employees and students
• Maintains an active scholarly agenda and provides service to the University and profession; teaches as time allows

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

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

POSITION IN ORGANIZATION

REPORTS TO:   President and CAO

POSITIONS SUPERVISED: Academic Program Directors, Academic Program Assistants

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.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Personal and professional values in concert with the University’s mission and vision
• Exceptional leadership, communication and management skills; demonstrates forward, creative thinking
• 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

• Exceptional leadership, communication and management skills; demonstrates forward, creative thinking
• Operate effectively in a changing environment and effectively guide change management process

• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively as part of a team, and to interact effectively with colleagues, administrators and faculty members and students, as well as external constituencies;

• Ability to project vision, leadership, and objective reasoning to students, faculty, and staff
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• 7-10 years of progressive academic administrative experience in a higher education; earned academic/terminal degree doctorate (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., DHSc., etc.)
• Professional experience in a health professional field preferred
• Experience developing educational program; growth oriented
• Demonstrated senior-level administrative ability and University/College level faculty employment and teaching experience

• Possess knowledge of discipline specific accreditation

LICENSURE and/or CERTIFICATION

BUSINESS COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• 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 student’s 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 Occupational demands associated with a traditional office setting, e.g., walking, standing, communicating, and other Occupational functions as necessary.