Overview:
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Graduate School of Business and Leadership (GSBL) at National Louis University seeks a dynamic, energetic student-centered leader as Program Director for its graduate programs in Higher Education Leadership and Student Affairs Leadership. We seek a colleague who has had experience as a higher education leader, experience as faculty, and a fundamental understanding that the leaders of tomorrow must be able to translate and navigate the higher education environment in a pragmatic and knowledgeable way in order to help institutions remain viable and relevant. The successful candidate will ensure that the curriculum is problem-based and experiential, challenging students to tackle real-world issues.
This is a 12-month open rank administrative Professional Practice faculty position (non-tenured). Rank to be determined based on the successful candidate’s experience.
This full-time administrative faculty position carries responsibilities related to program administration, teaching graduate courses in multiple modalities, staffing, curriculum development, assessment, and student support. The successful candidate will have program administration and service responsibilities in addition to direct instruction and will ensure doctoral work is appropriately supervised.
The successful candidate will be required to transform the Higher Education Leadership Program to an executive format focused on building real-world experience and skills in higher education leadership. The candidate will also coordinate the implementation and management of a new Higher Education and Student Affairs master’s degree program. We are looking for someone who is entrepreneurial, comfortable thinking out of the box, and yet skilled using research to guide decision-making. Change leadership skills will be needed to engage multiple stakeholder groups and create a collaborative and productive team to accomplish this goal.
The Program Director will join a highly-engaged, change-forward and motivated Graduate School of Business and Leadership team. We are looking for an energetic, dedicated, empathic, and student-centered colleague who will thrive in our high-energy, collaborative learning environment built around NLU’s ten-year strategic plan which is focused on becoming a strong vibrant multi-disciplinary institution steeped in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity.
ABOUT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP
The Graduate School of Business and Leadership at NLU currently offers nine Master’s Degree programs, the Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership, and a Doctorate of Business Administration. The Higher Education Leadership program director is a key player in the success of our students and academic functions.
As a private, not-for-profit institution, National Louis University is approaching our 140th anniversary. NLU believes in providing access to educational opportunity because we view education as our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a professional learning community committed to continuous improvement and advocacy for all students. We believe that through education we can transform individuals, empower change, and build healthy communities.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Teaching:
- Delivery of master’s and doctoral level courses in Higher Education Leadership and related topics. Teaching may be both in-person and online.
- Passion for Student Success:
- Contributions to continuous improvement of student outcomes in engagement, retention, graduation, and career advancement.
- Active involvement in the programs, tools, and events that enable students to learn and experience more about the field while pursuing their degree.
- Student advising, including advising on academic progress and professional goals.
- Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
- Program and Course Assessment, Maintenance, and Development:
- Develop and implement a new vision for the program, including a redesign of the entire program model and curriculum.
- Ongoing assessment and development of courses and learning experiences.
- Course updates to the master online templates as necessary.
- Leadership and participation in programmatic and student learning outcome assessment.
- Maintenance of program quality (Quality Matters).
- Program Leadership:
- In collaboration with the GSBL Dean, the program director will lead and monitor the success of the Higher Education Ed.D. and the M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Master programs, including supporting enrollment and retention goals, programmatic assessment and accreditation goals, course scheduling, monitoring the quality of instruction, hiring talented adjuncts, and mentoring and supporting full-time and part-time faculty.
- The program director is a key leader in the GSBL working in collaboration with the enrollment and outreach team to support current and future partners.
- Serves as the program representative to internal and external constituents.
- Membership and active involvement in the field will be key in growing the prestige, identity, and enrollments in the NLU Higher Education leadership programs.
Qualifications:
- Earned EdD or doctorate in Higher Education or related field.
- Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate experience both in teaching and in practice, with a minimum of:
- Five years of full-time professional practice experience in administrative, managerial, and/or executive positions.
- Research experience in one of the above (or related) disciplines as evidenced by publications in journals, books, book chapters, white papers, or presentations to corporate, academic, or professional communities.
- Record of effective teaching in higher education.
- Record of effective teaching in online and hybrid/blended format.
- Professionalism in and demonstrated commitment to working with diverse populations.
- Commitment to student success, student professional growth, and effective professional advising.
- Experience in learning outcome assessment.
- Experience using technology in teaching and course development.
- Appropriate professional memberships.
Directions:
Please address in your cover letter how your prior experiences prepared you to be successful in the duties included in the position portfolio. Please submit scans of official transcripts for all graduate degrees held with the application.
NLU Inclusion Statement:
National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.
Special Instructions: Please include the following with your application:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Cover Letter
- Transcripts (Official or Unofficial)
- Optional Additional Attachments:
- Teaching Philosophy
- Sample Syllabus
- Additional Licenses/Certifications
- Course Evaluations
- Letters of Recommendation
