Dean of Arts and Sciences

The Dean is responsible for promoting academic, administrative, and fiscal leadership in  accordance with Kirtland Community College’s Strategic Plan and for exercising holistic  judgment when executing the duties of this position. The Dean supervises both full-time and part-time faculty in liberal arts courses within transfer programs and those general education courses required for various Associate in Applied Science degrees. The Dean also supervises the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Science Department lab coordinator.  Academic subjects supervised by this position include Accounting, Art/Graphic Design, Astronomy, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Economics, Education, English, Geography, Geology, History, Humanities, Languages, Marketing, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Speech. As such, the Dean is responsible for leading curriculum development, program assessment and evaluation, grant supervision, budget planning and monitoring, faculty recruitment, supervision, and evaluation.  

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES*

• Collaborate with faculty and staff to assess and improve learning at the program level, produce reports as needed to demonstrate progress made toward achievement of learning and designing, collecting, and evaluating data related to learning. 
• Support faculty and staff through open communication and professional development.
  • Hear ideas and concerns with an open mind. 
  • Communicate directly, honestly, and respectfully regarding achievements and challenges. 
  • Provide recommendations for professional development. 
  • Provide timely performance evaluation. 
  • Collaborate with faculty and staff on professional development opportunities for both full-time and part-time employees. 
• Ensure the academic integrity of the Liberal Arts by upholding professional and accreditation standards.
  • Collaborate with faculty on curriculum development ensuring that standards are maintained for course objectives, course content, examinations, and grading. 
  • Collaborate with faculty on program review. 
  • Ensure faculty develop assessment methods that will demonstrate student learning both at the course and program levels. 
  • Provide recommendations to ensure that instructional facilities, equipment, and supplies are appropriate.  
  • Work with faculty to resolve student complaints at the lowest level possible. 
  • Collaborate with faculty to maintain accreditation of their programs. Maintain standards required by all accrediting agencies, including the Higher Learning Commission and any other governing agencies. 
• Develop with faculty and staff necessary reports and submit by deadlines.
• Select, supervise, evaluate, and develop faculty and staff.
  • Analyze data and provide a rationale for new positions or replacement positions. 
  • Develop faculty and staff by helping them to maximize their contribution to the organization and to grow professionally. 
  • Take corrective action when performance needs improvement.
  • Build and maintain partnerships among faculty, staff, administration, and community members. 
  • Participate with administration, faculty, and staff in campus and college-wide planning. 
• Develop external partnerships in the liberal arts and transfer area and serve as a main administrative liaison to regional K-12 school districts.
  • Investigate opportunities for dual enrollment and/or develop articulation agreements with K-12 partners. 
  • Align programs with the Michigan Transfer Agreement and develop partnerships and articulation agreements with 4-year colleges and universities. 
  • Participate in various external affinity groups to advocate for the advancement of liberal arts education, such as the Michigan Liberal Arts Deans (MLAD) and the Liberal Arts Network for Development (LAND). 
• Formulate strategic objectives for each department.
  • Facilitate faculty discussions to develop strategic objectives in keeping with the college strategic plan. 
  • Recommend program improvements as needed. 
  • Encourage innovation in the development of departmental objectives and projects. 
• Participate actively in the work of the college.
  • Maintain a visible presence within the college and community.
  • Work collaboratively with other managers across the organization. Serve as a member of committees as needed. 
  • Facilitate the promotion and marketing of programs and courses by working with the Marketing Department and Webmaster.  
  • Participate in the counseling and disciplinary process as outlined in the student handbook and Kirtland’s academic appeal policies and procedures. 
  • Conduct oneself as a spokesperson for the College, as a member of the  Academic leadership team, and as the leader of and advocate for the Liberal Arts.
• Oversee the administrative tasks associated with this position.
  • Prepare and administer the department budgets while maintaining fiscal integrity. 
  • Develop a schedule that meets student needs determining when and where classes will be offered.
  • Collaborate with Human Resources to recruit, document, and hire part-time faculty as needed. 
  • Support adoption, acquisition, and implementation of appropriate new technologies. 
  • Participate in seeking, developing, and managing external grants that promote strategic learning objectives. 
  • Provide data as needed on existing programs. 
  • Hold meetings with faculty and staff on a regular basis making sure that standards for the programs are maintained. 
  • Supervise and advise the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Science Department lab coordinator. 
• Performs other related duties as assigned. 

SUPERVISION – Works under the supervision of the Vice President of Instructional Services.

ATTENDANCE – Individuals in this position are expected to be generally present and/or available for college business or instructional purposes when and as required by contract, policy, or reasonable direction of the college administration. This individual will work at the Grayling campus.  

WORKING CONDITIONS – Conditions are those of a typical college administrative office and classroom. Individuals in this position must be able to work effectively with  individuals of diverse personalities and outlooks, and varied skills and abilities. A high level of performance in all job dimensions is essential. In the classroom, the person in this position must be cognizant of students’ understanding and progress, able to communicate effectively with students and associated professionals, and able to operate technical equipment in a modern classroom or online environment. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in a Liberal Arts field, Educational Administration, or related degree.  
• A minimum of three (3) years of teaching experience at the college level. 
• A strong understanding of the value of a well-rounded education both for transfer and to provide skills to support occupational degrees.  
• A minimum of two years of increasing leadership experience. 
• A commitment to and understanding of the mission of community college education both in the occupations and liberal arts. 
• Budget experience that encompasses the management of resources and the reconciliation of competing needs in excess of available resources.
• Demonstrated project planning and management, time management, and priority setting skills. Ability to work successfully in a high stress environment, handling multiple tasks and projects simultaneously. Demonstrated history of on-time delivery of projects; project coordination; and anticipation of issues. 
• Good interpersonal skills, including listening, with demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups of people. Must have the ability to work as a team member,  foster a cooperative work environment, and maintain effective relationships.

JOB DIMENSIONS – Knowledge of work, delegation, planning and organization, impact, performance results, persuasiveness, self-reliance, negotiation, attention to detail, work standards, sensitivity, stress tolerance, technical/professional self-development, initiative, judgment, analysis, commitment to the college, teamwork, decisiveness, informal communication, written communication, dependability, influence, and presentations.

An equal opportunity employer

* This job description is intended to describe the type and level of work being performed by a person in this position. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities required by a person so classified.

12/23