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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS:  Penn State New Kensington is now accepting applications and nominations for the position of Director of Academic Affairs (DAA) which will begin July 2012 or as negotiated.

RESPONSIBILITIES:  The Director of Academic Affairs is the campus academic officer and reports to the Chancellor. The DAA is responsible to the Chancellor for providing leadership for all academic and faculty matters. The DAA acts on behalf of the Chancellor in his or her absence or as delegated by the Chancellor.

As a member of the campus senior management team, the DAA works with faculty and other staff in an environment of shared governance and cross-functional relationships.  Of growing importance is the DAA’s work with colleagues from other Penn State campuses and offices.  These include the other nineteen Penn State Commonwealth Campuses, the staff in the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses, and other colleges and departments at the University Park campus.  These collaborative activities ensure that Penn State operates as one university geographically dispersed across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Specific campus responsibilities of the DAA include faculty recruitment, evaluations, and development; academic planning, program development, administration, and evaluation; promoting faculty and student scholarship and research; supporting innovation and excellence in teaching; enhancing a program for student recruitment, development, and retention; supporting academic enhancement activities for students, such as study-abroad, internships, and service-learning opportunities; leading efforts in grant writing and funding solicitations to support research and academic programs; and leading the faculty in outreach service to the community.

In addition, the DAA is responsible for administering budgets for academic programs and faculty development, coordinating the campus’s academic management team in developing an academic plan for the campus consistent with its mission and regional initiatives, collaborating with the campus Director of Continuing Education to create and deliver appropriate credit and non-credit regional programming, supervising various academic units, and supporting and fostering diversity.  The DAA also will be responsible for leading and supporting faculty efforts to expand campus programming through innovative uses of technology and other pedagogical tools as well as through collaboration with colleagues at other campuses.

QUALIFICATIONS:  A successful candidate will have an earned doctorate, academic administrative experience, and a minimum of five years of experience working in higher education in activities related to teaching, research and scholarship, and service.  Candidates should possess strong writing and interpersonal skills, including the ability to foster teamwork and promote collaborative activities in a multidisciplinary environment.  Also, candidates should possess the academic qualifications for a tenured, senior rank faculty appointment at Penn State.  Essential qualifications include experience with academic planning, assessment of learning, faculty recruitment and development, faculty governance, academic budgeting, and knowledge of various approaches to active and collaborative learning.  Desirable experience includes experience building and maintaining new programs in a complex and collaborative environment, grant writing, and familiarity with or expertise in the effective use of instructional technologies.  This 48-week academic administrative appointment includes an excellent benefits package.

CAMPUS INFORMATION:  Penn State New Kensington shares in the University’s international reputation for excellence in education, research, and service.   One of twenty campuses located throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Penn State New Kensington offers the first two years of study for nearly all of Penn State’s more than 160 degree programs in addition to eight baccalaureate and five associate degrees offered on campus.  The campus is situated 17 miles north of Pittsburgh in a rural setting and enrolls between 800 and 900 students each year who are attracted by the access to a Penn State degree as well as by quality educational opportunities provided in a small, supportive, hands-on, learning environment.

It is an exciting time for Penn State New Kensington as we work with our sister campuses to explore new and innovate ways to expand access to academic programming and realign our programs to the needs of Western Pennsylvania.  Our efforts are directed toward enhancing the Penn State New Kensington learning experience and developing a niche to attract students locally, regionally, and nationally.

For further information about Penn State New Kensington, visit our web site at http://www.nk.psu.edu/.

APPLICATION:  Applicants should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of four references.  All applications must be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word or PDF file to nk-daa-search@lists.psu.edu.  Review of applications will begin September 26, 2011 and continue until an appointment is made.

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.