Assistant or Associate Dean of the College of Professional Studies

Associate Dean of the College of Professional Studies Department of College of Professional Studies College of Professional Studies Status: Full-Time, Exempt, 12-month On-Site Benefit Eligible: Yes Bushnell University Overview Founded in 1895, Bushnell University provides a holistic Christian education fostering wisdom, faith, and service in its students. In joining the staff here, you will be part of an academic community that seeks to cultivate your faith while making a difference in the lives of our students. Bushnell is the largest private university in Eugenes vibrant university district, which also includes the University of Oregon. Eugene is a college town, small enough to know your neighbors and large enough to offer fantastic arts, entertainment, dining, healthcare, and educational opportunities. It is also an ideal place to enjoy the beautiful Pacific Northwest, being just one hour from the Oregon Coast, one hour from the Cascade Mountains, and less than two hours from Portland and the Columbia River Gorge.

Job Summary The Associate Dean of the College of Professional Studies reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty (VPAA) and supervises the work and faculty and staff in both the School of Business, Leadership, and Technology (SBLT) and the School of Education (SOE), relating to the development, implementation, and evaluative review of the curriculum and to the recruitment, orientation, support, and evaluation of school and departmental faculty and staff.

Responsibilities The Associate Dean identifies and cultivates key external relationships in the local business community and beyond to create effective partnerships and networks to the benefit of program rigor and growth. The Associate Dean collaborates with the Dean of Admissions in student recruitment efforts and leads retention initiatives for all programs in the department, including Residential Undergraduate, Online Evening Undergraduate, and Graduate Programs, such as our MBA, MAL, and MSM.

As time permits and in consultation with the VPAA, the Associate Dean may carry a teaching load of up to 12 credits per academic year. The Associate Dean serves in an entrepreneurial role, working to identify research and develop opportunities for strategic and sustainable enrollment growth, program development, both for new and existing programs, and auxiliary revenue sources, such as grants, revenue centers, partnerships.

Position Duties & Responsibilities Leadership & Strategic Direction

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for the colleges faculty and staff, planning future goals and objectives based on data.
• Governance • Chair biannual general meetings of the college. • Serve on institutional committees, working groups, and attend Faculty Assembly meetings.
• Representation • Represent the college at local, regional, state, and national events. • Develop professional relationships with educational, business, and civic communities.
• Research & Service • Provide leadership to the colleges research and public service commitments.
• Academic Administration & Faculty Management • Personnel Oversight • Recruit, mentor, and supervise all college faculty and staff, including adjuncts. • Monitor faculty workloads, schedules, and contracted loads, recommending special assignments as needed. • Leadership Appointments • In consultation with the VPAA, appoint and evaluate licensure program group directors, non-licensure program group department chairs, and individual program leads, providing them with ongoing direction and support. • Evaluation • Evaluate faculty performance and make recommendations to the VPAA regarding appointments, promotions, leaves, dismissals, and other personnel matters.
• Curriculum & Catalog • Monitor curricula and recommend changes initiated by the schools. • Supervise the revision of the colleges portion of the academic catalog.
• Teaching • Teach up to 12 credits per year in departmental offerings, as agreed upon with the VPAA.
• Enrollment Management & External Relations • Develop and implement an ongoing enrollment management plan focused on strategic growth, recruitment, and retention for new and existing programs. • Marketing & Outreach • Develop an outreach plan with VPAA oversight and engage with marketing to create publications and support the colleges promotional efforts. • Partnerships • Collaborate with enrollment and advancement staff to cultivate community partnerships, such as internships, practicums, that benefit the institution.
• Alumni Engagement • Seek out alumni feedback and experiences to inform program improvements.
• Student Success & Support Services • Monitor the student experience across schools to recommend improvements. • Collaborate with faculty to ensure program quality, student satisfaction, and retention.
• Academic Support Liaison • Liaise with Academic Services, Advising, and the Registrars Office to ensure effective advising, career counseling, tutorial services, and accurate transcript evaluation.
• Operational Support • Actively support the Registrar, Admissions, Career Services, Library, and Athletics in matters related to orientation, registration, and student support.
• Accreditation Assessment & Compliance • Serve as Accreditation Liaison Officer for the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) and ensure departmental compliance with standards and lead successful accreditation reviews.
• Assessment • Oversee program and course assessment procedures in the SBLT and SOE in support of institutional and college-level assessment and improvement.
• Instructional Design • Collaborate with Bushnell Instructional Design to ensure effective use of Canvas and online resources across all programs.
• Reporting • Prepare data-based reports on goals and objectives and write or assist with special studies and grant proposals.
• Deadlines • Prepare a master calendar of critical deadlines for the college.

Experience and Qualification Requirements

• Doctoral degree (required and desirable).
• Professional degree in an appropriate field of business studies and/or education (required).
• Significant administrative experience preferably in higher education with a strong acumen in marketing and/or organizational leadership.
• Ability to lead in all areas of curricular affairs, including student recruitment and retention, integration of faith and learning, and external partnerships.
• Proven track record of people management skills, including the ability to supervise, mentor, and achieve goals.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, along with good judgment.
• Ability to manage budgets and understand marketing.
• Candidate must be actively engaged in a Christian congregation and able to identify with and support the Bushnell Theological Context for Community statement.
• Higher educational background in the area of Bible, Ministry, and/or professional experience in an institution of Christian higher education is highly desirable.
• Ability to utilize Windows-based software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft 365 Suite.
• Experience utilizing e-mail for organizational communications.
• Listening skills and the ability to speak and write clearly are essential to the position.

Working Conditions

• Special Requirements • Bushnell employees must have a maturing Christian faith and live in compliance with the duties and expectations as detailed in the Employee Handbook. • The position requires a strong commitment to multiculturalism and diversity. • The position requires working in a non-smoking, drug-free environment. • The employee must adhere to FERPA guidelines and student confidentiality at all times. • All employees of Bushnell are mandatory reporters under Oregon law. • The employee must have knowledge of strong office management techniques, operations procedures, specific rules and precedents of the office, research methods, and report writing techniques, record-keeping techniques, operation of office machines, including computer equipment, and specified software principles of training and providing work direction. • The position requires a strong ability to communicate effectively and succinctly, both verbally and in writing, utilizing tact, patience, and courtesy. • Listening skills and the ability to speak and write clearly are essential to this position. • Must possess exceptional interpersonal and communication skills. • The employee must have high personal motivation with great attention to detail and accuracy. • This person must project a positive, vibrant, and professional attitude in assisting people. • This person must have high ethics of honesty and confidentiality with a genuine and gracious presence pertaining to the students, faculty, staff, and business of the department and the University. • This position may require lifting up to 25 lbs and bending, stooping, kneeling. • This position description is subject to change at any time.

Application Instructions

• Bushnell employees are expected to abide by the Theological Context for Bushnell Community Life.
• Please read this document before continuing.
• To be considered for this position, please submit all six of the following: • Cover letter addressing skills, experience, and knowledge. • CV/Resume. • Personal Statement of Faith that clearly addresses all three of the sections below: • Section 1: How a maturing Christian faith finds expression in the candidates personal life, family life, community life, and current church membership. • Section 2: How the candidate integrates faith into their work life and academic discipline, both inside and outside the classroom. • Section 3: The candidates understanding of and ability to support Bushnell Universitys Theological Context for Community statement. • Contact Information for three references, one of which must be the applicants pastor or another appropriate church leader who is able to address the applicants faith background. • Please include all requested materials. • Incomplete application packets may result in disqualification. • If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings or apply for a job on this site as a result of your disability. • You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting Mark Cameron at 541-684-7215 or mcameron@bushnell.edu. • In compliance with the Clery Act, Bushnell University provides our Annual Security Report & Fire Safety Report online. • You may request a paper copy from the Office of Student Life by calling 541-684-7345. • This report is required by federal law and contains policy statements and crime statistics for the university.