Program Director/Department Chair

Job Description

Saybrook University is seeking an Academic Department Chair for its Clinical Psychology program. This leader must be able to guide the program through the self-study process and advance its pursuit of APA accreditation.

Position Summary

Academic Department Chairs (ADC) are university leaders that encourage and foster excellence in scholarship, teaching and learning, professional and university service, student success, and collegiality. Under the direction of the Dean, the Department Chair will oversee curriculum development, supervise faculty and student progress, manage administrative tasks, as well as teach specific courses.

They oversee the department as an academic unit, facilitating curricular innovation, student enrollment, instructional delivery, program assessment and accreditation, faculty workload planning, and annual goal setting. ADCs work collaboratively with faculty and staff across Saybrook University in support of its mission, vision, and strategic aims.

Essential Function and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to achieve the highest possible level of excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and service activities by members of the academic department.
• Oversee core and part-time faculty, facilitating equitable workload and contributions to departmental and university mission and goals.
• Coordinate execution of the unit's educational programs with the faculty, and schedule courses and assign instructors to these courses in consultation with specialization coordinators, the faculty, and the dean's office.
• Plan and administer the unit's budget in consultation with the dean's office. Manage budget expectations, and present departmental recruitment requests.
• Serve as a central figure available to address questions, concerns, and communications from students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders with the expectation of a resolution of issues at the department level. Keep your Dean informed.
• Coordinate and engage in annual academic program and faculty review processes to follow accreditation requirements as well as external accrediting bodies as required.
• Teach specific courses and serve on student research committees.

Qualifications

• Doctorate (PhD or PsyD) in Clinical Psychology from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning
• Minimum of 5 years of combined faculty and administrative experience, including leadership experience within a doctoral-level program
• Direct experience leading an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited doctoral program
• License or certification in appropriate discipline, as appropriate (i.e., clinical psychology, counseling, coaching, etc.)
• Experience interfacing with institutional accreditors (e.g. WSCUC and HLC) and state regulatory/licensure bodies
• Strong interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills
• Willingness to develop strong organization, delegation, and follow through skills
• Experience leading projects and/or teams
• Record of scholarship sufficient to support and facilitate faculty scholarly activity at the doctoral faculty level
• Passion for innovative pedagogy and demonstrated teaching quality in online and hybrid environments.
• Established record of meaningful service to department, university, discipline, and/or community.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) to five (5) years academic administrative experience or equivalent
• Success in guiding processes through a shared governance environment
• Demonstrated orientation toward innovation, experimentation, and change