"Associate Dean and Director, School of Nursing"

Job Details

Associate Dean and Director, School of Nursing
Georgia Southern University
Position Description

The School of Nursing at Georgia Southern University invites nominations and applications for the position of Associate Dean and Director, School of Nursing within the Waters College of Health Professions. Georgia Southern University, a member institution of the University System of Georgia, is a high-level Carnegie Doctoral/R2 research university with a strong commitment to academic excellence, community engagement, and workforce development.

The Academic Unit

The School of Nursing is a dynamic and growing unit focused on excellence in teaching, research, practice, and service. The School offers a continuum of nursing programs including traditional and accelerated pre-licensure BSN, RN-to-BSN, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and post-graduate certificates. Programs are delivered across multiple campuses and through evolving online modalities. The School is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and staffed by dedicated faculty with strong records of clinical practice, scholarship, grant activity, and community engagement. Nursing students benefit from robust clinical partnerships in rural and urban settings and consistently achieve high outcomes on licensure and certification examinations.

The School is housed in state-of-the-art facilities with advanced simulation and learning laboratories, supported by active faculty scholarship and community outreach clinic partnerships that collectively enhance student learning and service to the region.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Dean of the Waters College of Health Professions, the Associate Dean and Director serves as the chief academic and administrative officer for the School of Nursing. As a key member of the College leadership team, the Associate Dean and Director provides visionary leadership to advance the School’s academic mission, enhance program quality and student success, and expand the School’s regional, national, and global impact. In addition, the Associate Dean will work closely with the Dean and all relevant stakeholders to support the institution’s transition to Carnegie R1 status.

This is a 12-month, tenure-track leadership appointment with responsibilities that include academic program oversight, strategic planning, budget and resource management, faculty development and evaluation, accreditation oversight, community and clinical partnerships, and advocacy for nursing education within the College and University.

The successful candidate will be an engaging, collaborative, and strategic leader with a demonstrated commitment to interprofessional education, innovation in teaching and learning, scholarship, and community partnerships.

Leadership Profile

The Associate Dean and Director should be an accomplished nurse educator and scholar with a solid record of leadership in academic nursing. Ideal qualities include the ability to:

• Advance the School’s programs across multiple modalities including in-person and online delivery
• Lead curricular innovation and assessment in alignment with CCNE standards and professional competencies
• Creatively stimulate and support expanded enrollment and graduation of highly qualified students
• Foster robust partnerships with clinical agencies, community stakeholders, and health systems in Georgia and beyond
• Create and support a robust environment of faculty-driven research, scholarship, and grant activity within the School
• Recruit, mentor, and retain a high-performing faculty and staff
• Collaborate effectively within shared governance structures and across University units
• Navigate accreditation processes and regulatory requirements with clarity and integrity
• Represent the School, College, and University with professionalism and vision

Qualifications

The Associate Dean and Director will exhibit exemplary academic and administrative leadership skills. The successful candidate must possess an outstanding record of scholarly achievement commensurate with an appointment as a tenured full professor in nursing or a closely related field. In addition to being an innovative academic administrator, the candidate must also possess a strong sense of professional ethics and a clear history of supporting student success. Additionally, the successful Associate Dean and Director should have the following:

• An earned doctorate (Ph.D., N.P., D.N.S., Ed.D., etc.) in nursing or a related field from an accredited institution
• Administrative and/or leadership experience in a university nursing education setting
• Experience working with faculty to develop a vision and plans for the future in an environment of shared governance
• A record of success in recruiting, retaining, and mentoring faculty and academic leaders
• Experience developing and implementing student recruitment, retention, and success initiatives
• Experience with accreditation and re-accreditation processes and knowledge of regulatory and certification requirements in nursing education
• Experience with a wide range of program delivery modes, including clinical, hybrid, and online education
• Experience fostering clinical partnerships and community engagement aligned with the mission of nursing education
• Active Registered Nurse licensure in Georgia or eligibility for licensure by the date of appointment

Additionally, it is preferred that the successful candidate possess the following:

• Experience working in a multi-campus or distributed learning environment and addressing stakeholder needs across the organization
• A record of success in leading change transparently and collaboratively
• Experience supporting faculty scholarship, practice, and external funding activity
• Solid experience in building and cultivating healthcare system, community, and professional partnerships
• A track record of success in advancing academic programs and responding to workforce needs
• Experience in advancing interprofessional education initiatives

Georgia Southern University

Since 1906, the University’s hallmark has been a culture of engagement that bridges theory with practice, extends the learning environment beyond the classroom, and promotes student growth and life success. Central to Georgia Southern’s mission is the faculty’s dedication to excellence in teaching and the development of a supportive earning environment exemplified by a free exchange of ideas, high academic expectations, and individual responsibility for academic achievement. Georgia Southern prides itself on promoting talent and economic development to enhance the quality of life through scholarly pursuits, cultural enrichment, student life, and community engagement across distinctive campuses.

In 2018, Armstrong State University and Georgia Southern University consolidated, creating an institution that retained the Georgia Southern University name. Georgia Southern is currently a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 “high research” institution with a Public Impact Research mission that focuses on community engagement, economic support, and professional development. It is the state’s largest and most comprehensive center of higher education south of Atlanta offering 150 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. As the University continues to build upon the existing momentum in its research and scholarship capabilities, Georgia Southern’s expert faculty can be found at the forefront of investigating, engaging, and discovering new methods for addressing many of the challenges facing the world today. In support of these efforts, the University strives to further elevate its Public Impact Research mission by partnering with industry, businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations to make meaningful and sustainable differences in the local, regional, and global communities it serves.

The University comprises ten colleges on four campuses: the Statesboro Campus, the Armstrong Campus in Savannah, the East Georgia Campus in Swainsboro, and the Liberty Campus in Hinesville serving over 29,500 students. As a unit of the University System of Georgia, Georgia Southern’s nationally accredited academic programs prepare scholars for leadership and service as working citizens. The University also boasts 300 plus student organizations, outstanding Division I athletics, state-of-the-art residence halls and campus facilities. For more information about Georgia Southern, please visit: https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/.

Application Process

The Associate Dean and Director Search Committee invites letters of nomination, applications (letter of interest, complete resume/CV, and references) to be submitted to the search firm assisting the university. Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications be submitted before March 25, 2026. For more information, please contact Parker Executive Search:

Porsha Williams, Vice President and Managing Director
Jacob Anderson, Senior Principal
Scott Gaffney, Associate
Parker Executive Search
Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875 Atlanta, GA 30328
pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com || sgaffney@parkersearch.com
(678) 775-4564