Administrative Staff

Administrative Staff

University Chaplain and Director for Religious and Spiritual Life

A00037

AD 01

Competitive based on qualifications. Expected salary range will be discussed with candidates selected for screening interviews.

Student Development Office

S 121300838

Full Time

12 months

1

Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30 pm, some evenings and weekends

Serve as the student’s beacon of support for spiritual exploration, ethical and moral development, crisis, and emotional matters. Provide outreach to students and the Denison community to more fully understand diverse religious/spiritual needs as healthy contributors to the Denison community. Oversee local religious and spiritual support and a spiritual council, which includes spiritual leaders of several faiths, to promote student development and well-being. Maintain positive relationships between the campus and religious/spiritual partners.

•Provide direct one-on-one and group engagement with students.
•Serve as a positive influencer, consistently cultivating a sense of inclusion and belonging for all members of the Denison community by successfully collaborating with a variety of stakeholders within the college as well as local community partners.
•Summarize the moral and ethical voice on matters related to spiritual/religious identity.
•Provide administrative oversight for facilities associated with Religious and Spiritual Life, such as The Open House, including staff and budgets.
•Lead established university traditions, such as the Service of Lessons and Carols, Baccalaureate, Interfaith Week, and annual campus celebrations.
•Officiate spiritual and religious rituals and events, as the University Chaplain.
•Design innovative campus-wide initiatives in consideration of today’s shifting demographics and spiritual/religious needs.
•Facilitate and organize textual teachings of respective religious and spiritual development doctrines.
•Support the needs of students and other community members throughout respective faith practices while building bridges for interfaith and intercultural understanding particularly via dialogue initiatives.
•Oversee established outreach programs, including supporting and advising student organizations, facilitating conversations with faculty and staff via the Religious Advisory Board, and collaborating with the local Ministerium and other nearby clergy.
•Create intersectional initiatives across the unit of Diversity and Inclusion.
•Host Ecumenical services/programs for the university and local community.
•Provide leadership for on-going assessment of spiritual values, attitudes, and practices of students as it relates to the evolution of individual student support and campus programming.

•Seek to remain connected to academic partners, such as faculty and staff advisors who support campus faith communities.
•Collaborate with colleagues on the development of programs and practices that foster student and community well-being.
•Support the campus community in times of emergency or other crisis.
•Perform other duties as assigned.

Master’s Degree in Divinity, Theology, Religious Studies or Pastoral Counseling or equivalent. Must be ordained or otherwise credentialed by a recognized religious order. Qualified to officiate religious/spiritual services and rituals. Previous formal experience with young adult ministry; demonstrated enthusiasm for supporting diversity of religious/spiritual identities and intersectional identities.

Must be intentionally open and thoughtful in working with those of faiths other than their own, those who claim no faith tradition, or who are questioning. Must have an interest in community engagement and working directly with students of diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds, as well as identifying and partnering formally and informally with local religious leaders who provide mentorship and pastoral support to a diverse religious community. Exhibit an appreciation for the holistic student experience with a respect and understanding of shifting demographics as it relates to the intersectionality of lived experiences especially those pertaining to race and racial identities.

Strong interpersonal, public speaking, and written communication skills.
Must be willing to work during evenings and weekends. Must have a valid driver’s license and be insurable by the College.

None

Some light lifting is required.

Trinidy Jeter

jetert@denison.edu

05/18/2021

Yes

In addition to the cover letter and curriculum vitae/resume, please submit a 1-page document responding to the following:
Considering student needs, national/local trends and issues, please describe the relevance of spiritual identity exploration at an inclusive residential college community.

Since 1831, the mission of Denison University has been “to inspire and educate students to become autonomous thinkers, discerning moral agents and active citizens of a democratic society” and to provide all students the tools to live successful and fulfilling personal and professional lives. Denison has produced generations of alumni who boast about the impact of their Denison education on their lives. Denison’s distinct liberal arts, residential experience prepares students to thrive after their time at Denison and should not be limited by their identity markers. Starting from the first-year experience and continuing years after graduation, Denison provides students with the skills, knowledge and habits to be an architect of their own lives. Denison students are able to communicate, listen, collaborate, innovate, take responsibility, to apply discernment, solve, adapt, and lead.

In collaboration with students and colleagues, the Division of Student Development at Denison will strive to cultivate an inclusive campus experience that facilitates student engagement, social inclusion, intellectual curiosity, and personal exploration. Student Development includes the Diversity and Inclusion unit, which comprises the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, the Office of Gender and Sexuality and Religious and Spiritual Life. Diversity and Inclusion elevates a spectrum of learning experiences and educational services to create and sustain a campus environment where we respect ourselves and an environment that builds mutual respect among the student body across ethnic-racial, cultural, religious, gender, socio-economic status,(dis)ability and sexual orientation lines.

Religious and Spiritual Life is dedicated to fostering religious understanding and spiritual enrichment within the Denison University community. We support the expression of all recognized religious and spiritual identities while celebrating interfaith experiences. Religious and Spiritual Life includes The Open House, an inclusive welcoming meeting and programmatic space, hosts student organization engagements, meetings and university programs to stimulate religious and spiritual development. We seek a student-focused, energetic and highly visible individual committed to supporting highly-engaged students at a liberal arts college with nearly 2,000 residential students.

The University Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life supports student and communal needs of religious and spiritual life as an element of holistic well-being. The significant role of the University Chaplain at Denison University is multifaceted. The University Chaplain serves as the students beacon of support for spiritual exploration, ethical and moral development, crisis and emotional matters. The successful candidate will have an ability to summarize the moral and ethical voice on matters related to spiritual/religious identity. The ideal candidate will provide outreach to students and the Denison community to more fully understand diverse religious/spiritual needs as healthy contributors to the Denison community. The successful candidate will exhibit an appreciation for the holistic student experience with a respect and understanding of shifting demographics as it relates to the intersectionality of lived experiences especially those pertaining to race and racial identities. The University Chaplain oversees local religious and spiritual support and a spiritual council, which includes spiritual leaders of several faiths, to promote student development and well-being. The University Chaplain will maintain positive relationships between the campus and religious/spiritual partners. Spiritual and religious rituals will be officiated by the University Chaplain.

As a member of a dynamic division and unit, the University Chaplain and Director for Religious and Spiritual Life will serve as a spiritual guide, consistently cultivating a sense of inclusion and belonging for all members of the Denison community by successfully collaborating with a variety of stakeholders within the college as well as local community partners.

Candidates applying by June 21, 2021 will be given full consideration. The position will be open until filled.

The final candidate will undergo a background check as a conditional offer of employment.

To achieve our mission as a liberal arts college, we continually strive to attract and hire candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities. Denison fosters a campus community that recognizes the value of all persons regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender expression and identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socio-economic background. For additional information and resources about diversity at Denison, please see our Diversity Guide at https://denison.edu/forms/diversity-guide. Denison University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.