TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
FOUNDING DIRECTOR, CENTER ON AGING
Temple University College of Health Professions and Social Work is developing a Center on Aging Research, Intergenerational Teaching and Service (CARITAS). In response to the critical social needs and demographic changes of our nation’s older adult population, Temple University School of Social Work is committed to developing a Center on Aging that will become a leading model for research on social, economic and human rights issues resulting in the development of knowledge, policies and services to enhance the quality of life for older adults and their families. The School of Social Work invites applications and nominations for the position of Founding Director of CARITAS.
Mission – The primary mission of CARITAS is to build the capacity of the University to assist the nation in addressing the opportunities and challenges of an aging society through education, research, training and consultation, and community engagement. “CARITAS”, the historic Latin word for community caring and responsibility for one another reflects a core value of the proposed center and will be incorporated into the teaching, community and research mission.
CARITAS will integrate and expand the work of two successful CHPSW Centers that focus on various aspects of aging and intergenerational practice – the Intergenerational Center and the Institute for Protective Services. The Centers share common values related to human rights and safety, community inclusion across the life span and generational interdependence and provide a strong foundation for CARITAS. The Intergenerational Center (www.templeigc.org [4]) is highly regarded for its national intergenerational community building and civic engagement initiatives as well as its innovative cross-age programs that support immigrant elders, caregiving families, and children/youth. The Institute on Protective Services (http://www.instituteonps.org/ [5]) was established by the School of Social Work-Harrisburg Campus in 2000 and became the Pennsylvania Department of Aging’s principal educational, training and consultative mechanism. Its mission is to serve vulnerable adults by providing training, consultative and investigative services to the state’s 52 area agencies on aging and law enforcement. Both Centers are supported through public and private funding sources. For more information, please visit the College of Health Professions and Social Work website (http://chpsw.temple.edu/ [6]).
The Position
Reporting to the Chair of the School of Social work, the Founding Director will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic plan for building a College-wide Center on Aging. This position will require a visionary leader capable of carrying forward the mission and working toward national recognition as one of a few centers on aging to emphasize social, economic and human rights. The Founding Director will build on the existing assets of the two Centers while advancing a research agenda and designing curricula in aging studies to prepare social workers to meet the needs of a growing population of older adults. Other integral responsibilities include expanding community engagement by forming partnerships with non-profit agencies, health care systems and policymakers to create sustainable programs and policy in support of older adults, bolstering training initiatives in areas such as protective services and cross-age programs and leading the strategic planning process with long- and short-term goals to build the College capacity for new innovations in research, education, practice and community outreach. The Founding Director will manage the directors of the Intergenerational Center and the Institute on Protective Services, along with dedicated administrative staff. He or she will be responsible for an annual budget and monitoring allocation of financial resources.
The University/College
Temple is a comprehensive university that holds the Carnegie classification of high research activity (RU/H) and is the 28th largest school of higher education in the United States. The University has distinguished itself as a rapidly growing research enterprise comprised of externally sponsored grants and impressive scholarship. There are 1600 full time faculty members in 16 schools and colleges, over 300 academic degree programs, including 123 masters programs and 60 doctoral programs that contribute to interdisciplinary research. The College of Health Professions and Social Work had the second largest sponsored project portfolio in 2011-2012, and has over 4,250 students and 152 full time faculty members. Three of the graduate programs in the College have been ranked among the top 50 of their type in the nation by U.S. News and World Report: Communication Sciences and Disorders, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. The College is located on Temple’s Main Campus and the Health Science Center Campus, and is minutes from the culturally vibrant center of Philadelphia.
Required Experience:
The successful candidate will have a PhD or equivalent degree in Social Work or other applied social science, public health or public policy discipline. This individual will be a visionary leader in academia or practice with a concentration in aging. Experience in university administration and processes as evidenced by leadership on key committees and success in administrative roles is highly desired. Individuals coming from government, nonprofits, or for profit entities will be considered, but must be eligible for tenure on appointment.
Experience with grant writing and securing external funding, strong interpersonal skills and commitment to creating a collaborative work environment are required. The ideal candidate will be expected to have an established program of research and a record of scholarship. Areas of expertise may include but are not limited to caregiving, community-based aging, intergenerational relations, and legal and policy intervention.
A full position description is available upon request.
Application Process:
All applications will be held in the strictest of confidence. Review of potential candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To be considered for this position, please submit your curricula vitae, a letter of interest that addresses your qualifications, management and leadership philosophy, and a list of references in Word format to:
Joy Yablonsky, Principal
Armington Recruiting LLC
2020 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Email: jyablonsky@armingtonrecruiting.com [7]
www.armingtonrecruiting.com [8]
Temple University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, dedicated to excellence through diversity.