Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Academic Affairs

Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Academic Affairs

Reporting to the Vice Dean, the Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Academic Affairs promotes excellence in teaching at the Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW). The Associate Dean supports the growth of instructors of all ranks through training and mentoring programs, and recruits and supervises adjunct faculty. The Associate Dean possesses key knowledge and skills in teaching and learning, including online pedagogy, and is responsible for assuring that CSSW implements cutting-edge methods and best Practices in online and residential teaching and learning. The Associate Dean assures that the principles of social justice and anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practices are included in courses, evaluates outcomes of curricular initiatives, and ensures consistency in curricula and academic policies.

Responsibilities

• Implement a program of support for CSSW Faculty including new faculty orientation, mentorship with experienced faculty, direct follow-up with new faculty, and other programs and support as might be deemed necessary for faculty advancement and success.
• Design and implement, in collaboration with the Director of Curricular Innovation, programs of faculty training and development that are responsive to the needs of students and instructors in residential and online classrooms.
• Oversee and implement an Institute of Online Pedagogy and Technology specifically for online educators.
• Collaborate with the Vice Dean to establish, lead, and direct a Faculty mentoring and Development Program to assure the success of both full-time and part-time faculty.
• Assess the activities and outcomes of the existing mentoring program for tenure-track faculty.
• Conduct ongoing assessments of the needs of faculty at all levels with respect to mentoring support for instruction.
• Establish a tracking and evaluation system to monitor faculty progress and outcomes.
• Lead the recruitment, screening, and selection of adjunct instructors.
• Oversee assignment of courses to adjunct and full-time instructors in residential and online classes.
• Assign and oversee course directors for core courses and ensure consistency in syllabi across course sections.
• Communicate and ensure compliance with all Columbia University and CSSW instructional policies.
• Provide developmental support to faculty whose student course evaluations evidence the need for improvement in teaching methods and approaches.
• Assess faculty performance and provide recommendations to Vice Dean on whether to renew contracts with adjunct lecturers.
• Conduct teaching observations as part of the reappointment process of Lecturers in Discipline and Professors of Professional Practice.
• Develop reports and analyses of a variety of data related to faculty outcomes such as teaching evaluations, academic surveys, and academic program reviews.
• Collaborate with the departments of advising and student services to address needs or challenges that may arise in the classroom.
• Collaborate with Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and CSSW's IT team including online team members, to unify course development in Canvas for both residential and online courses.
• Review and approve Independent Study proposals.
• Collaborate with the Senior Associate Dean for MSSW Education on academic matters as needed, including assisting with reviews of the MSSW curriculum.
• Serve on CSSW and university-wide academic and faculty affairs committees, as relevant.
• Facilitate Adjunct Faculty Advisory Group meetings with the Director of Curricular Innovation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Social Work or related fields.
• 8–10 years of significant work experience in higher education, organizational development, recruitment, and/or project management.
• Established record of excellence in teaching university-level courses.
• Knowledge of national higher education issues and trends, specifically faculty and academic affairs
• Direct experience with online education.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills; excellent writing and oral communication skills; attention to detail and ability to multi-task required; a customer service orientation and strong problem-solving skills; demonstrated tact, discretion, and diplomacy
• Ability to develop an in-depth and sophisticated understanding of the overall and day-to-day function of graduate academic programs.
• Ability to work with diverse students and faculty towards an environment in which diversity and cultural competency are expected and social justice is an overriding goal.
• Ability to deal tactfully and sensitively with a wide variety of people; exercise discretion; and demonstrate respect for confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate degree in social work, higher education or a related field.
• Three or more years of experience developing or implementing online education programs.
• Experience with program evaluation, especially in higher education.
• Experience with social work faculty, students, and administrators; familiarity with social work education.
• Experience with teaching courses in social work.
• Familiarity with online learning management systems.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.