DSW Program Director, Associate Tenure-Track Faculty

Position Summary

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for the DSW Program Director-Tenure Track Faculty Member position, a 9-month faculty appointment with administrative compensation that extends to 12 months. This position will begin in August of 2027. Candidates will build on the SSW’s strengths and lead the DSW Program into the future. They will support the success of doctoral students, faculty, and staff through their leadership and guidance. They will have a track record of excellence in teaching and scholarship, and success in managing social work programming. The qualified candidate will be expected to teach courses, advise doctoral students, and lead program accreditation and curriculum development efforts.

Grounded in social justice and inspired by Catholic social thought, our mission is to educate and engage students to learn, grow, and develop their professional skills as they prepare for social work practice in support of health, well-being, and the common good.

As part of the Morrison Family College of Health (MFCOH), the SSW collaborates with the School of Nursing, the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, and the Department of Health and Exercise Science to prepare highly skilled and caring professionals who are culturally responsive, practice with ingenuity, and proactively advance health equity and social justice.

The University of St. Thomas

The University of St. Thomas is a vibrant, mission-driven, urban university. The main campus is located in a historic St. Paul neighborhood with easy access to downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis. In addition to being Minnesota’s largest private university, we are one of the largest Catholic colleges or universities in the nation, with more than 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students at our eight schools and colleges. Learn more about life as a faculty member at St. Thomas.

The DSW Program at the University of St. Thomas

For more than a decade, the St. Thomas DSW Program has prepared social workers across the country to lead, educate, and create meaningful change. As the first fully online DSW program of its kind, it now offers two areas of emphasis: one in higher education, and the other in transformational leadership in the community and public–private sectors. The DSW program is part of the St. Thomas SSW, a nationally respected School that has been shaping social work education and practice for more than 50 years. Designed for experienced social workers with an MSW, the program combines academic excellence with flexibility for working professionals. 

The University of St. Thomas embraces belonging and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity, and personal attention call us to embody and champion an inclusive environment. The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic. This commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

Key Responsibilities

Teaching and Scholarship

• Teaches graduate doctoral courses and advises doctoral students within the school (reduced teaching load).
• Maintains active professional engagement or scholarly research agenda in their area of expertise.

Curricular and Programmatic Leadership

• Innovates curriculum development and revision processes.
• Oversees DSW accreditation and program assessment processes and reporting.
• Generates course and faculty scheduling for the program in consultation with the SSW Chair.
• Guides directed and independent study proposals for the program as needed.
• Facilitates transfer credit decisions and updates the transfer credit tool.

Day-to-Day Operations

• Develops the Academic Program budget and provides planning, oversight, and forecasting of the DSW budget.
• Oversees the program budget and provides regular updates to the Chair.
• Assures that social work policies, operating frameworks, curriculum, and practices align with university and college-level decisions and those of external regulatory entities.
• Responsible for DSW program academic infrastructure and shared governance activities to ensure optimal functioning and ethical generation and use of resources in support of the University’s mission.
• Addresses student academic concerns.
• Supports recruiting and marketing efforts, conducts informational sessions, and meets with prospective students.
• Supports faculty, staff, and adjunct faculty hiring processes and onboarding for the program as requested by the SSW Chair.
• Contributes to annual evaluations of adjunct faculty and to the academic unit reporting as requested by the SSW Chair.

Strategic Communications and Stakeholder Management.

• Serves as a liaison between program faculty/staff and Chair/Dean’s Office.
• Represents the academic program, SSW, and MFCOH both in and outside of the university.
• Provides thought leadership about social work and is the primary spokesperson for the SSW’s DSW Program at St. Thomas.
• Participates on the MFCOH Leadership Team, and key standing committees.
• Communicates openly and transparently with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Cultivates and stewards new and existing partnerships between the SSW and external entities.
• Initiates, writes, and reviews materials, reports, and communications.
• Actively engages in advocacy for the DSW Program.

Salary and Benefits

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Tuition remission benefits for employees, spouses, and dependents upon eligibility
• A generous employer retirement contribution upon eligibility
• Medical, dental, and vision options
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits
• Paid parental leave benefits  

The salary range is for this position is $80,000 - $100,000 with a 9-month contract, depending on determined rank.

Additional administrative compensation for the DSW Program Director role is between $6200-$18,000 and depends on the scope of responsibility throughout a 12-month period. One term as DSW Program Director is 4 years, with this appointment renewable upon mutual agreement with formal consultation from the faculty. 

The University of St. Thomas has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The specific salary offered will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications

• A PhD (U.S. or foreign equivalent degree) or DSW in social work, with a minimum of two years post-MSW practice experience.
• Record of teaching and scholarly achievements. Possibility for expedited tenure review upon hiring.
• Administrative or management experience in an academic institution of a comparable profile.
• Master’s degree in social work from a CSWE accredited institution.
• Licensed in the State of Minnesota (or license-eligible and gaining such licensure within a year of residency).
• Understand CSWE accreditation standards and process, including curriculum alignment and compliance.
• Demonstrated experience with student recruitment and retention.
• Ability to guide academic and curricular development responsive to community needs and professional trends.
• Experience with shared governance to support the institutional mission.
• Familiarity with budget oversight and planning.
• Strong communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of three years of administrative or management experience in an academic institution of a comparable profile.
• Rank of associate professor, with scholarly work that could be counted toward the rank of full professor.
• Record of external funding, including successful grant writing and administration.
• Track record of serving on college or university leadership teams.
• Experience leading through change in higher education.

How to Apply:

To be considered for this opportunity, all applicants must apply online at  https://www.stthomas.edu/jobs/.

The application process consists of several required steps, completed in the order outlined below.

Step 1.

You will first be asked to create an applicant profile. As part of creating your profile, you must upload the following materials:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Written statements discussing their teaching philosophy, area of research and scholarship, philosophy of leadership, and commitment to the mission of the MFCOH and the University.

Please upload only the documents specifically requested in the job posting at this stage. Do not upload any additional materials into other available fields. Candidates selected for further review may be contacted later to submit additional materials.

Step 2.

After submitting your applicant profile, you will be directed to the job‑specific application. During this step, you will be asked to:

• Copy and paste a job‑specific cover letter detailing your interest in the position.
• Complete the voluntary EEO, Veteran, and Disability self‑identification forms.

Step 3.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide contact information for three professional references who can speak directly to your teaching experience and qualifications.

• References will not be contacted without your permission.
• Reference checks typically occur during the later stages of the search process.

All application materials must be submitted online through the University of St. Thomas employment site.

Official job posting is available at https://www.stthomas.edu/jobs/.