Chair, Department of Technology Studies

Date of Notice: February 1, 2012

Date of Appointment: June 10, 2012

Description of University: Fort Hays State University is a “mission-centered/market smart” public comprehensive institution of higher education with an enrollment of approximately 13,000. Founded in 1902 as primarily a teaching academy, Fort Hays State is dedicated to providing instruction in a computerized environment with an emphasis on high-touch, high-tech learning approaches. The institution’s evolution now includes a distributed learning strategy where the amenities of the traditional campus are combined with the convenience, timeliness and electronic accessibility of virtual coursework and programs in off-campus environments. The university is comprised of four academic colleges-Arts and Sciences, Business and Leadership, Education and Technology, and Health and Life Sciences and a growing faculty who design and deliver over 90 percent of all learning experiences. The physical campus is located in Hays, Kansas, a city of approximately 20,000 adjacent to Interstate 70, halfway between Kansas City and Denver. The city serves as the economic, cultural, medical and educational center for the western Kansas region www.fhsu.edu.

Description of Unit: The College of Education and Technology houses three departments: Advanced Education Programs, Teacher Education, and Technology Studies. The institution is a member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the College’s teacher education programs are accredited by the Kansas State Department of Education, the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The College works closely with other academic units to coordinate and administer all university approved teacher education requirements and programs. The Council on the Preparation of Teachers and School Personnel serves as the representative body for coordination efforts. The College offers the Specialist in Education in School Leadership and Counseling, the Master of Science in Counseling, Educational Administration, Instructional Technology, Secondary Education and Special Education. There are 3 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs with approximately 1400 majors and 36 full-time faculty. The college serves as a major stakeholder and innovator in coursework, programs and workshops delivered by the university’s distance education unit, the Virtual College. For more information, please visit the college’s homepage at http://www.fhsu.edu/departments.aspx?id=270&terms=Coet

Description of the Department of Technology Studies:
The Department of Technology Studies prepares students for rewarding careers in drafting and design, manufacturing, production, power/energy, and construction technologies in both the industry and education fields. The department provides three degree programs: (1) Industrial Technology, (2) Technology Education, (3) and Technology Leadership. Our graduates are highly sought after and quickly assume leadership positions. Students with an AAS (Associates in Applied Science) degree are eligible for the Bachelor of Technology Leadership (BTL) degree and find positions in management fields related to their area of study. There are approximately 120 majors and seven full-time faculty in addition to adjunct faculty.
For more information specifically about the Department of Technology Studies, please visit the following site: http://www.fhsu.edu/tecs/

Description of Position: The chair of the department occupies a tenure track, full-time, unclassified position. The chair is the academic leader of the department and normally teaches on a half-time basis. The chair reports to the Dean of the College of Education and Technology. As the chief administrator for technology studies, the major responsibilities of the chair are to:

1. provide vision and leadership in a constantly changing teacher education and industrial technology preparation environment;
2. provide supervision to faculty and assure that the department and all entities within it operate in accord with university policies, procedures and strategic planning guidelines;
3. provide the same assurance for external policies, in particular the Kansas Board of Regents and the State Department of Education;
4. provide, encourage and support the department’s role in the college and university’s effectiveness and learning assessment consistent with accreditation requirements;
5. manage the departmental personnel and fiscal resources, multi-purpose instructional facilities, academic program review and academic advising;
6. provide departmental leadership in student recruitment and retention activities including community college transfer functions;
7. initiate and facilitate new, high quality academic programs, certificates and other traditional or adult education opportunities;
8. promote a culturally-diverse and ethnically-conscious department faculty, staff and student population;
9. promote faculty and student morale, academic citizenship and collegial professionalism within the department, college and university-learning community;
10. motivate and reward faculty performance in a learner-centered, research-supported learning environment with a growing emphasis on off-campus coursework and programming offered through the Virtual College;
11. serve as an advocate for technology studies programs within the department, college and university, as well as to external constituencies;
12. serve as a liaison between FHSU and the educational and workplace community outside the university that mentors students and supports the Technology Studies program;
13.conduct other responsibilities as assigned by the Dean, College of Education and Technology.

Qualifications/Experience
1. Master’s degree required in technology education, or comparable field, plus experience, with a doctorate preferred, in one of the programs within the department.
2. Record of instruction, scholarly activities and service sufficient to merit appointment to a tenure track position
3. Demonstrated ability to think and act creatively with people, information and ideas
4. Record of experience designing and implementing initiatives that lead to improvement of technology studies programs
5. Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of learner-centered distance educational programs
6. Experience with field-based education programs and internship-based industrial technology instruction
7. Preferred successful experience in grant writing
8. Knowledge of state and national accreditation processes
9. Knowledge of and experience with program assessment
10. Knowledge of the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) methodology
11. Knowledge of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) methodology
12. Understanding of cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity

Application Procedures: Screening of applicants will begin on March 1, 2012. The search will remain open until a well-qualified appointee is identified. Successful candidates will have consented to and successfully completed a criminal background check. Applications will be accepted either in paper or electronic form. Electronic form is preferred and in PDF format. To ensure full consideration, applicants must submit the following items:

-Letter of interest which addresses the required qualifications/experience described above
-Current vita
-Information necessary to contact five professional references
-Copies of all college transcripts

Compensation: Commensurate with appointee’s experience, qualifications and credentials.

Materials and/or inquiries should be sent to:

Dr. Jim Barrett, Search Committee Chair
Fort Hays State University
600 Park Street
Hays, KS 67601
E-mail: jbarrett@fhsu.edu
Phone: 785-628-4413
Fax: 785-628-4268

Fort Hays State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, color, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability or veteran status