"Dean of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (COA)"

College of Alameda’s mission is to meet the educational needs of its multicultural and diverse community by providing excellent comprehensive and flexible programs including basic skills, transfer, and occupational, which will enable each student to achieve his/her own unique goals. The College is California’s only island-based community college and it offers both park-like tranquility and easy access to urban resources. Having served almost half a million day, evening and weekend students since its 1970 founding, College of Alameda enjoys a well-deserved reputation for excellence in its academic, vocational, and student support programs. The College of Alameda is proud of its strong ties to the City of Alameda and is recognized for its strong partnerships with the local business community.

Under the direction of the Vice President of Instruction, the dean provides leadership in the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of the college’s instructional programs as assigned. Assures compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and funding requirements related to community college instruction, and ensures the quality of instruction for meeting the needs of students and the community. Works collaboratively with the other deans, and with faculty, staff, and administration, to achieve the goals and objectives of the College of Alameda Mission, Vision and Values as well as the Educational Master Plan. Serves on the college management team and participates in district-wide initiatives and governance. Manages and guides staff activities; participates in faculty evaluations.

This position directs, encourages and supports the development of a variety of teaching and learning techniques used by faculty and learning support staff providing students with an optimal learning experience. The coordination of academic scheduling, faculty assignments, review of course outlines and syllabi, learning practices and assessment are within the purview of this position.

The dean assigned to Liberal Studies, Language Arts, Learning Resources and Library, will become conversant and contribute as a thought leader in the curriculum, programs, instructional methods, community partnerships, and student success in the division. S/he will support basic skills, Career Education programs, degree and transfer programs, and will advance innovations, including through oversight of grants and special initiatives, in these disciplines and fields of study. The dean will guide participation by these departments in cross-institutional efforts such as the First Year Experience, contract education, dual enrollment, faculty advising, and institutional learning outcomes assessment. The dean will facilitate interdepartmental communication and collaboration with the other departments in instruction and in student services.

Duties & Responsibilities: Planning, implementation, and coordination of the development of the instructional program. Lead efforts to develop and sustain community partnerships, build pathways from high school and other organizations, develop programs and courses in response to state legislation. Develop and supervise departmental, programmatic, grant, and instruction-wide budgets. Participate in the hiring and evaluation of faculty and classified staff for the division. Assign teaching loads of faculty and staff in the division. Supervise the design of new curricular offerings, delivery methods, and program revisions. Initiate the class schedule and conduct ongoing enrollment management activities. Work toward achievement of internal and external equity and student success measures, maintain practices in compliance with accreditation standards, advance innovation in accordance with developments in higher education. Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: Possession of a Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university. One year of formal training, internship or leadership experience reasonably related to the administrator’s assignment. Knowledge and proficiency in the operation and use of personal computers utilizing office productivity software applications (i.e., word processing, spreadsheet and database management software) including the Internet. Applicant must have demonstrated cultural competency, sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college staff, faculty, and students.

Desirable Qualifications: Three or more years of teaching experience, preferably at the lower division level. Previous experience in developing academic programs, curriculum, and grants. Knowledge of state and federal laws, such as Title 5 and Education Code, as well as policies, programs, regulations and services related to student recruitment, admissions, enrollment, retention, financial aid, matriculation, and records management. Skill in budget development, maintenance, and reporting related to general fund, grants, and other externally-funded resources. Four (4) years of comprehensive and increasingly responsible management experience in instruction, or a related field. Skill in oral and written communication, including public speaking and complex reports. Skill in training, directing, supervising and evaluating the work of others. Proficiency in the use of a variety of computer software and databases and technology related to student and other educational services. Commitment to and experience with Participatory Governance processes. Effective organizational, communication and public relations skills. Demonstrated ability to work constructively with faculty, administration, classified personnel, students and the public. Collaborative and visionary leadership skills with the ability to encourage improvement and to inspire her/his colleagues. Experience with budget philosophy and effective practice, especially in a difficult state budget environment. Demonstrated ability to create and maintain high staff morale to achieve consensus while demonstrating sensitivity to the understanding of the college’s diverse populations of students and staff. Demonstrated commitment to the continued improvement of teaching and learning.