Vice President for Academic AffairsAsheville, NCFull-TimeAcademic Affairs ABOUT WARREN WILSON COLLEGE

Warren Wilson College is an independent residential college with a liberal arts foundation, one of only eight federally recognized work colleges in the United States. Founded in 1894 as the Asheville Farm School, the college is located on 1130 acres of working farm and forest on a beautiful core campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains close to Asheville, North Carolina. Warren Wilson’s distinctive educational program features an innovative focus on applied learning in a curriculum that intentionally integrates academic excellence, community engagement and career preparation through on-campus work experiences, experiential academics, and meaningful internships. The college is also home to the nationally ranked low-residency MFA Program in Creative Writing and a new low-residency M.A. in Critical and Historical Craft Studies.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Vice President for Academic Affairs is the institution’s chief academic officer, reporting directly to the President. The position is highly strategic and will focus primarily on specific college objectives identified by the President. The Vice President for Academic Affairs provides oversight for administration of academic programs and policies; faculty recruitment and evaluation; and budget planning and implementation. Current direct reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs include the Dean of the Faculty, the Director of the Library, the Dean of Land Resources, the Director of the Center for Faculty Innovation and Excellence, the Director of the Global Engagement Office [International Education], and the Directors of our two master’s programs, the MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in Craft Studies.

The Vice President is a critical member of the college leadership team and in addition to serving on the President’s Cabinet also works with the Board of Trustees in areas of educational policy and management of College resources. Teaching assignments and other contract considerations are negotiable.

Applications are currently being reviewed as of September 1, 2019. Priority will be given to candidates who apply by 5PM EST on October 4, 2019. The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2020. Interested candidates should read below to learn more details about the position and key areas of responsibility listed in the job description.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy and Academic Leadership

• Serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet, leading specific strategic initiatives identified by the President and contributing actively to the leadership team.
• Serves as the principal College academic planning officer, acting with the input and involvement of the trustees, the other members of the President’s Cabinet, the Dean of the Faculty, Academic Affairs staff, and faculty.
• Serves as the main academic liaison to the Board of Trustees and the appropriate Academic Affairs committees. Prepare documents and reports in the areas of academic responsibility.
• Provides high level oversight for all academic initiatives and offices related to Academic Affairs.
• Provides high level oversight and final responsibility for SACS responses related to Academic Affairs.

Operations

• Participates in College committees and meetings as appropriate.
• Fulfills VPAA responsibilities at convocation, commencement and other formal events.
• Receives recommendations from the Dean of the Faculty, Faculty Body and other academic bodies, reviews these recommendations, and presents a position on these recommendations to the President and/or to the Cabinet when appropriate.
• Works closely with the President and the Chief Financial Officer to make decisions about new faculty positions, having received recommendations from the Dean of the Faculty.
• Appoints academic department and/or division chairs in consultation with faculty and the Dean of the Faculty.
• Holds final responsibility for all budgets in Academic Affairs and works with the President and Cabinet on college budget matters.
• Fosters a sense of community and shared governance, including working with Faculty Body and the Dean of the Faculty.
• Determines salary recommendations and conducts hiring negotiations with new faculty and Academic Affairs staff for which the President has final authority.
• Enforces policies relating to time off, adjustments of work and personnel for all faculty and Academic Affairs staff, and advises and advocates for staff appropriately, and handles related legal matters as needed.
• Ensures timely evaluation of all faculty by the Extended Contracts Committee [Promotion and Tenure Committee] and makes recommendations to the President and Board.

Staff Supervision and Development

• Promotes a culture of high performance and develops staff using a supportive, collaborative and data driven approach.
• Ensures all areas are customer focused in their dealings with students, faculty, staff and others..
• Provides leadership by overseeing, directing and supervising employees in the Academic Affairs offices. This includes actively participating in the selection, hiring, training, and evaluation of all direct reports, in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources.
• Orients and guides direct reports by communicating departmental standard procedures, philosophy of mentoring and supervising students on work crews and general performance expectations.
• Facilitates and directs the process of goal setting for all direct reports, conduct regular meetings to monitor workflow and offer feedback and guidance to support the professional development of direct reports.
• Delegates tasks to appropriate departmental staff members as new college initiatives arise.

Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Earned doctorate or terminal degree.
• Record of successful teaching and professional activity; appropriate record of professional publication or comparable scholarship.
• Demonstrated leadership and strategic thinking ability.
• Demonstrated ability to execute on initiatives and follow through to successful conclusion.
• Prior administrative experience (vice president, dean, department chair, director, etc.) required.
• Ability to learn new skills quickly and embrace mentoring and coaching.
• Open and collaborative leadership style that is conducive to shared governance; ability to encourage and nurture faculty development while maintaining high standards of academic excellence and achievement.
• Ability to recognize the importance of integrative and experiential learning and the practical application of knowledge.
• Ability to analyze the position of Warren Wilson College in the changing landscape of undergraduate education.
• Commitment to the Warren Wilson College program of academics, work, community engagement, cross-cultural understanding, and sustainability/environmental responsibility.
• Commitment to developing and enhancing the integration of academics, work, and community engagement.
• Ability to travel overnight and weekends as required.
• A strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in all academic practices.

Department

Academic Affairs

Supervisor

Lynn M. Morton

FLSA Status

Exempt

Supervisor’s Title

President

Classification

Full-time

Status

Regular

Positions Supervised

Academic Affairs Staff Dean of the Faculty

Dean of Land Resources

Director of Library

Director of Center for Faculty Innovation & Excellence

Director of International Programs

Directors of Master’s Programs

Schedule/Hours

Irregular hours, evening and weekend hours required. Minimum of 40 hours per week.