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Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence
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Position Number: 2128277
Location: Omaha, NE
Position Type: Faculty Development

DIRECTOR
CENTER FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) invites applications for the position of Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). The CFE Director leads campus efforts to meet the support and professional development needs of the faculty through an integrated, collaborative approach that involves the colleges and other key campus partners including the Office of Digital Learning, the Service Learning Academy, the Office of Research and Creative Activity, the Office of Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion, and the STEM TRAIL Center among others. This position is a full-time, 12-month, academic administrative appointment that works closely with the leadership of these offices and the Office of Academic Affairs.

We seek an innovative and engaging leader who will be transformative in supporting faculty work contributing to student success both in and outside of the classroom, leading the development of programming and resources necessary for faculty success and advancement at a public research university with a metropolitan mission, and leading efforts to foster an inclusive and equitable campus climate for UNO's diverse body of faculty, staff, and students. The CFE Director works collaboratively with other campus leaders and partners to engage in planning and ensure that programming is focused on the achievement of these goals.

More specific opportunities and expectations for the CFE Director include the following:
Develop and implement a strategic vision for CFE and faculty support for the future
Lead campus conversations and strategic planning efforts with key stakeholders to develop a bold and comprehensive vision for faculty support that spans all facets of faculty professional life (i.e., teaching and learning, research and creative activity, engagement with campus and community) and that supports faculty advancement and leadership development. This includes engineering the development and incubation of innovative resources for faculty search and recruitment (e.g., ongoing training on implicit bias in searches, search advocate training), faculty retention (e.g., communities of practice, faculty leadership forums, affinity group connections), and advancement (e.g., mentoring, leadership development, training on implicit bias in evaluation and promotion/tenure processes).

Foster academic leadership and professional development
Support the development of inclusive and equitable leadership skills among faculty and academic leaders and cultivate pathways in support of a diverse faculty leadership (e.g., Faculty Fellow program). Develop programming and resources focused on the development of leadership skills (e.g., mentoring program, workshops), provide support for academic leaders and chairs/directors (i.e., onboarding for new chairs/directors, peer mentoring and networking, conflict resolution and management.

Programming for an inclusive and equitable campus community
Lead collaborative efforts with campus partners to develop and offer programming that fosters a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive campus environment for faculty, staff, and students and that nurtures professional and personal life at a public, metropolitan institution with a diverse campus community. This includes training and professional development focused on microaggressions, understanding and ameliorating the impact of unconscious and implicit bias in academic processes and in the classroom, and the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty body and academic leadership, as examples.

Onboarding and orientation of new faculty
Lead the planning and implementation of programming and resources geared toward successfully onboarding new full- and part-time faculty as they prepare to fulfill the expectations of the faculty role where supporting the learning and success of students is of critical importance. This involves working closely with campus partners to deliver initial and ongoing first-year programming for both instructional and tenure-track faculty.

Support professional success and advancement across all faculty career stages
Faculty development should be consistent with a life-long learning approach. Meet faculty needs for professional success and advancement at all stages of the faculty career including support for early career faculty as they hone their teaching skills and develop a thriving research/creative activity program and also support for midcareer faculty to continue the momentum of their scholarship post-tenure and work toward advancement to professor. Also, explore means of engaging senior faculty, who often have tremendous expertise and experience, as mentors and advisors.

Coordinate a wide array of programming and resources for effective teaching and learning
Lead collaborative efforts with campus partners to coordinate a wide, diverse array of programming promoting the adoption of effective, inclusive, and research-based pedagogical practices that are responsive to the needs of diverse learners (e.g., student-centered, inquiry-based learning, universal design) and that prioritize connecting with students and relationship building as tools for teaching and learning. This also involves working collaboratively to develop effective methods of assessing teaching and student learning. Resources and programming must meet the needs of faculty who are themselves working on campus and remotely, and include opportunities for peer mentoring, coaching, and collaborative skill development.

Administration of the Center for Faculty Excellence
Oversee the administration and management of the Center for Faculty Excellence including the coordination and delivery of programming and resources in varied forms and modalities. For more information on CFE and faculty support at UNO, see the CFE website.

UNO and Omaha
UNO is a vibrant, metropolitan university in Omaha with an enrollment of approximately 15,000 students. The university has a strong commitment to diversity in its varied forms and to fostering an inclusive and welcoming learning environment where students, faculty and staff thrive and succeed. UNO serves a diverse student body including a large number of first-generation college students from varied cultural backgrounds, and faculty and staff take pride in fostering an equitable and inclusive campus environment that is welcoming to all members of the campus community. UNO is both a metropolitan university of distinction and a Carnegie Doctoral Research institution. Our mission is to transform and improve the quality of life locally, nationally, and globally. UNO also has the distinction of being one of the nation's leaders in engagement and outreach with a 2015 Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation. For more information about how UNO lives its metropolitan mission, see Growing with and within our Thriving Community.

UNO is located in the heart of Omaha, the state's largest and most cosmopolitan city of more than 600,000 (1.2 million including the large Omaha metro area), which is known for its excellent public school system and strong economic base. The city is home to a number of racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse groups, and is characterized by myriad places to eat, live and shop. For more information about Omaha, visit the Greater Omaha Chamber's newcomers and neighborhoods pages.

Qualifications and Application Information
The CFE Director is a full-time, 12-month, academic administrative appointment. The position reports directly to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs. Required qualifications include a masters degree, previous experience teaching at the college level, and prior experience in faculty mentoring (or coaching) or in leading faculty support and professional development. Also required are excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written; a demonstrated record of working collaboratively and building diverse, interdisciplinary teams and working groups; strong planning and organization skills; a commitment to high quality work and attention to details; and, a demonstrated record of follow through on complex, multifaceted projects or initiatives. Preferred qualifications include a terminal degree. Applicants with professional staff experience as well as those with more traditional faculty backgrounds are invited to apply. Applicants with the appropriate faculty credentials and experience will be considered for tenure. Salary is negotiable and is commensurate with other campus-wide, academic leadership appointments.

To apply for the position, submit the following application materials digitally through the UNO Employment site portal (https://unomaha.peopleadmin.com/postings/12212): 1) a letter of application detailing interest, qualifications, and relevant expertise and experiences, 2) a current CV, 3) a diversity, equity and inclusion statement that describes your approach and experience in mentoring and supporting the success of diverse students, faculty, and/or staff, and 4) the names and e-mail addresses for three references who will be asked to submit letters of recommendation electronically through PeopleAdmin. The review of applications will begin February 15, 2021 and continue until the position is filled. The position start date is approximately May 15 to June 1, 2021. For additional questions about the position, CFE, or UNO, please contact Candice Batton, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs, at 402.554.4452 or cbatton@unomaha.edu.

The University has a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff. The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment. UNO is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an E-Verify employer.