Department Head for Elementary and Special Education at InsideHigherEd

Job Title: Department Head for Elementary and Special Education Location: UNG-Dahlonega, GA Regular/Temporary: Regular Full/Part Time: Full-Time Job ID: 293035 About Us Located in the fastest-growing region of the state, the University of North Georgia is a multi-campus university with an enrollment of over 20,000 students, making it one of the largest institutions in the University System of Georgia. UNG is focused on a mission of educational excellence, leadership development and community engagement opportunities that develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. Through a variety of educational pathways that provide access and range from certificates and associate degrees to a professional doctoral program, UNG is responsive to regional education and economic development needs. Federally designated as a senior military college, one of the university's signature leadership programs is its 800-member Corps of Cadets on UNG's Dahlonega Campus.Department Information UNG's College of Education is committed to serving the children, families, and schools by preparing compassionate, knowledgeable, and highly effective teachers and leaders. In addition to academic rigor, which is a hallmark of the College of Education, we are committed to partnerships with regional school systems, which allow us to provide our students with intensive levels of field and clinical experience in public school classrooms. UNG's College of Education graduates are highly regarded by regional school districts because of the extensive field experiences they complete as part of their program requirements. Partnerships are designed to create environments that support professional development, personal growth, and academic excellence in the context of service to our students, colleagues, institution, community, and discipline. Faculty and staff in the COE are expected to model professional and personal integrity, communication skills, passion for teaching, and collaborative support and care of the communities and children served by our partner schools.Job Summary The University of North Georgia is currently accepting applications for a Department Head for Elementary and Special Education, College of Education. The department head role is a 12-month position, meaning the department heads reports to campus Monday through Friday throughout the year and participates in a five-year 360 review. The department head is responsible for the quality of the instruction, research, and programs conducted in the department and has general direction over the work of the department. Working with members of the leadership team, the department head formulates and recommends proposed policies for the department and presents them to faculty of the department for consideration, administers the rules and regulations enacted by the faculty of the department, and is charged with the responsibility for the execution of departmental, institutional, and system-level policies insofar as they affect the work of the department. The department head provides appropriate opportunities and forums for faculty to express ideas freely, have productive discussions, and participate in departmental affairs. Moreover, the department head provides leadership for the faculty in developing curricula that are pedagogically sound, using resources efficiently, utilizing robust methods for assessing instructional programs, and ensuring quality and standards for submission of departmental initiatives to other units within shared governance (e.g. course, curriculum and program development, grant submissions, marketing, assessment). The department head works with faculty on promotion and tenure, professional development, and evaluation; manages personnel issues; works with faculty on student issues; and manages the course schedule. They also work with our leadership team on recruitment and retention for graduate and undergraduate programs and work to enhance the departmental image and reputation of its programs on and off campus. Please be advised that any offer of employment is contingent upon your eligibility to work in the United States. The university is aware of recent federal changes that may significantly increase the cost of filing H-1B visa petitions. As a public institution, the university's ability to cover such costs is subject to budgetary constraints and state funding policies. Therefore, while we remain committed to supporting international faculty hires, we cannot guarantee payment of any newly imposed or increased visa-related fees.If you have any questions regarding the visa policy, please contact Monica Arrendale at (706) 867-4470. Responsibilities Manage/build the course schedule and faculty assignments each semester.Attend state meetings regarding accreditation and assessment as related to the individual programs in the department and share relevant information with faculty. Collaborate with the Associate Dean of Assessment and Accreditation to continuously collect, monitor, track, analyze, and report on program performance data. Maintain an efficient system of records and reporting for the department and its programs.Collaborate with the Associate Dean of Student Support Services to monitor academic student program performance and handle student issues as they emerge.Manage faculty issues as they emerge, keep faculty informed, ensure faculty understand the Faculty Annual Review process, and conduct evaluations.Work with faculty on curricular review and development. Facilitate the process for new courses and programs and modifications, including the initial departmental voting process and submission of all documents to the College's Curriculum Committee and the institution's curriculum management system. Consistently review and update the catalogue, website, and public materials for the department's programs and courses. Post part-time and full-time positions as needed or available, charge hiring committees, and ensure faculty are trained to serve on search committees. Select mentors for new faculty and help with the onboarding process in terms of knowledge sharing and guidance for new faculty. Guide the Pre-Tenure, Promotion and Tenure, and Post-Tenure processes with faculty, including meeting with faculty in preparation, writing letters for all portfolios, and facilitating the selection of the departmental committee.Collaborate with the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Community Engagement to provide professional development and workshop opportunities for faculty in the areas of service, scholarship, and teaching. Encourage faculty participation in regular service events, including commencement, orientations, open house, teacher signing events, campus fieldtrips, teaching as a pathway high school visits, and other events as needed. Work with faculty and the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Community Engagement to develop departmental guidelines, procedures, and policies in addition to those currently listed for all UNG employees in the Faculty Handbook.Work in collaboration with the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Community Engagement and faculty on recruitment of students and the overall recruitment plan for each department and program. Work on web page development and continued maintenance for web pages for the department and programs within the department.Manage general communication and dissemination of information to students, faculty, and staff. Hold regular departmental meetings for faculty. Participate in leadership meetings with the Dean and represent the department at other on-campus meetings, including Academic Affairs and department head meetings. Knowledge, Skills, and AbilitiesKnowledge of current national and state accreditation and program approval standardsKnowledge of qualitative and quantitative approaches to research and data collection, analysis, and disseminationProfessional written and oral communication skillsAbility to work collegially with members of the faculty and utilize opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborationAbility to be appointed at the rank of associate professor or higher in a discipline within the department Required Qualifications Doctorate in Elementary or Special Education, research, or related field required.Experience with CRM platforms/software for scheduling and communications.Experience teaching at the K12 level.Experience with developing and maintaining K12 partnerships.Experience teaching courses at the college level in online, hybrid, and face-to-face modalities.Record of scholarly activity.Experience with accreditation.Prior leadership experience, including experience with supervision. Required Documents to Attach Resume/Curriculum Vitae, Cover Letter, and TranscriptsContact information for three professional references USG Core Values The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.Institutional Values The University of North Georgia, a regional multi-campus institution and premier senior military college, provides a culture of academic excellence in a student-focused environment that includes quality education, service, research, and creativity. This is accomplished through broad access to comprehensive academic and co-curricular programs that develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. The University of North Georgia is a University System of Georgia leadership institution and is The Military College of Georgia. More details on the UNG Mission, Values, Vision, and Culture can be found at https://ung.edu/about/mission-vision-values.php Conditions of Employment Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a background investigation including a criminal background check demonstrating your eligibility for employment with the University of North Georgia, as determined by University of North Georgia in its sole discretion, confirmation of the credentials and employment history reflected in your application materials and, if applicable, a satisfactory credit check. Applicants may be subject to a pre-employment drug test.Equal Employment Opportunity The University of North Georgia, a unit of the University System of Georgia, is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sex or national origin, age, disability, religion, genetics or veteran status. Georgia is an open records state. Also, UNG is a federal contractor and desires priority referrals of protected veterans.Other Information This is a supervisory position.This position does not have any financial responsibilities.This position will be required to drive.This role is considered a position of trust.This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).This position may travel 1% - 24% of the timeThis position does not require security clearance.Background Check Position of Trust + EducationSpecial Applicant Instructions If you received any graduate degrees from an institution outside the United States, you must provide a foreign course-by-course credential evaluation by an independent evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES). Find a full list of NACES members at http://www.naces.org/members.htm.