"Department Chair Natural and Behavioral Sciences"

Job Details

Responsibilities

This is a tenure track position starting August 2025.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

The Department Chair for Natural and Behavioral Sciences (Associate or full professor rank) is expected to: (1) be a high-quality teacher and advisor with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, (2) have an understanding of the curriculum and, (3) be engaged in scholarship, publishing, and research in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Psychology or closely related field. The responsibilities and expectations of the department chair are both specific and broad in nature and transpire within the context of systematic consultation with their College Dean. The Department Chair reports to the Dean of the College.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

The Department Chair for Natural and Behavioral Sciences is responsible for: (1) teaching six credit hours of coursework per semester (fall and spring) in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry Psychology or any discipline for which they are credentialed their graduate transcripts have been reviewed by the Dean, (2) meeting all their assigned classes regularly for the full class period during their scheduled meeting times, canceling class only according to University guidelines, and (3) holding10 Office Hours per week, with five hours being regularly scheduled while the remaining five hours may be offered by appointment. All faculty are expected to teach courses both in and not in the department’s degree program according to departmental needs.

ServeonUniversitycommitteesoroffices, as allowed by tenure status,i.e.non-tenuretrack, tenure-track, tenure-track.

Supervise and evaluate departmental faculty and staff.

Schedule classes.

Assign faculty teaching responsibilities with the intent of optimizing course offerings while limiting the incidence of course overloads across the faculty except in extenuating circumstances approved by the Provost and the President.f

Attend regularly, all program, department, college, and faculty meetings. Lead /facilitate

Maintain accurate records of class attendance and performance in all courses as necessary, and report non-attendance to the Registrar as requested per the Provost.

Assign course grades in keeping with university guidelines and provide midterm and final grades on the date and time assigned.

Attend University functions, e.g. Founder’s Day, Commencement, and any other University convocations.

Participate in and occasionally lead University-sponsored faculty development programs, such as workshops, conferences, and technology professional development workshops.

Follow all policies and procedures as described in The Faculty Handbook and provide proper and timely feedback on student assignments.

Conduct research as defined by university guidelines.

Solicit external funding via individual and collaborative grant writing and grant submission. Monitor the expenditures associated with research and training grants housed in the academic department.

Submit, in collaboration with the Office of Sponsored Programs, periodic expenditure reports on research and training grants housed in the academic department.

Foster faculty scholarship.

Participate in community activities as part of the Universityservicecommitment.

Participate in appropriate professional organizations as part of faculty development.

Seek to support University curricula and programs through grant writing.

Maintain University guidelines of professional conduct in the classroom and on other occasions with students and other members of the University community.

Conduct departmental recruitment and selection of both full­ time and part-time faculty with the intent of making recommendations to the College Dean.

Develop both short- and long-range strategic plans with departmental faculty input. Establish and monitor appropriate departmental committees.

Coordinate accreditation reports as well as departmental and/or program reviews within a schedule approved by the Provost and by the President and implemented by the respective College Dean.

Conduct periodic departmental evaluation and review, participate and/or lead student and faculty evaluation procedures for departmental faculty.

Assist with coordination and implementation of post-tenure review within a schedule approved by the Provost and the President and implemented by the respective College Dean.

Serve as an advocate/spokesperson for the department.

Develop, monitor, and present to the budget committee the departmental budget.

Assign appropriate departmental service responsibilities to departmental faculty.

Participate in promotion and tenure decisions with respect to providing both leadership and development of departmental guidelines for the implementation of promotion and tenure decisions in keeping with the Faculty Handbook, the Provost, and the President's expectations.

Support and promote faculty development in teaching scholarship, and service; to orient new faculty to the university and the department.

Recruit and assign dedicated Advisors to new students with the intent of increasing retention and graduation rates for students in the department.

Assign dedicated Advisors to existing students with the intent of increasing retention and graduation rates for students in the department.

Monitor effectiveness of faculty advisors and evaluate their efforts accordingly.

Advise and assist in the career development of students with respect to research training, internship, post-undergraduate employment, and entry into graduate and professional school.

Revise/update departmental curriculum and provide appropriate leadership in the development and/or revision of the department's annual operational assessment plan and its long­ range strategic plan.

Monitor and inventory departmental facilities and equipment.

Initiate and collaborate with other academic departments in joint educational activities to include grant writing and special events, etc.

Participate in the Department Chairs’ meetings as directed by the College Dean.

Represent the department and the College both internally and externally at designated events and/or functions as requested.

Qualifications

The NBS Department Chair is expected to meet the standards or tenure and rank at the Associate or full Professor level. Incumbent candidate must have a Ph.D degree in Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry or a closely related field.

PROFESSOR

Earned Doctorate or the terminal degree according to current academic and professional standards for the specific discipline . If the earned degree is in a closely related discipline, the faculty must have at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline or documented justifiable scholarly and professional experience in the discipline certified by the respective College Dean; At least six years of effective teaching experience at the college or graduate level or experience of a comparable number of years in research and/or other activities directly related to his or her field; and Satisfactory evidence of advanced scholarly competence in their field with a minimum of seven publications in the discipline.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

Earned Doctorate Degree or the terminal degree according to current academic and professional standards for the specific discipline . If the earned degree is in a closely related discipline, the faculty must have at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline or documented justifiable scholarly and professional experience in the discipline certified by the respective College Dean; At least four years of effective teaching experience at the college or graduate level or experience of a comparable number of years in research and/or other activities directly related to his or her field; and Satisfactory evidence of advanced scholarly competence in his or her field with a minimum of three publications in the discipline. Candidates for appointment as Associate Professor must submit copies of their publications to their College Dean and Department Chair by July 1 of the summer before appointment in order to identify external evaluators and provide adequate time for review and response.

Supplemental Information

Finalists for this position are subject to a background check. Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history and identity check.

Files to be submitted are 1) Letter of Application; 2) Curriculum Vitae; 3) Statement of Teaching Philosophy; 4) Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended (official transcripts will be required of all finalists); 5) Three signed Letters of Recommendation on letterhead from individuals familiar with the candidate's teaching abilities are also required. Send letters of recommendation to bjhunt@jcsu.edu.

Company

Johnson C. Smith University, a 155-year-old historically black liberal arts college dedicated to serving a diverse student body, is located in Charlotte, NC. The University has a rich history and is heralded as one of the best of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation, serving 1400 students in undergraduate, graduate, non-traditional and adult programs. Johnson C. Smith University continues to gain a strong national reputation for integrating the liberal arts with business, the sciences and technology. For more information, please visit http://www. jcsu.edu

Johnson C. Smith University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability or veteran’s status as it relates to student enrollment or hiring. Johnson C. Smith University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master's degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Johnson C. Smith University

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Website

https://www.jcsu.edu/