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Director of the Michigan Community Scholars Program
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Position Number: 1715945
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Position Type: Business - Finance

Director of the Michigan Community Scholars Program

Job Opening ID: 181097
Work Location: Ann Arbor Campus
Full Time/Part Time: Full-Time
Regular/Temporary: Regular
FLSA Status: Exempt
Organizational Group: College Of Lsa
Department: LSA UG: Mich Community Schlrs
Posting Begin/End Date: 11/18/2019 12/18/2019
Salary: $87,000.00 $91,000.00
Paid Time Off:
Career Interest: Administration

How to Apply
This director position is interdependent with posting 181099- LEO Adjunct Lecturer, Michigan Community Scholars Program, which typically involves teaching one course during the academic fall term, though this may change in future years to include teaching throughout the academic year. You must apply to both job postings and be qualified for both positions in order to be considered as a candidate. (Please see Job Posting 181099, which describes the LEO Adjunct Lecturer position, for the specific application requirements for that position.)

To apply for the director position, a cover letter is required. Please attach the letter as the first page of your CV. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position. These materials and any supporting documents must be submitted through the UM Careers Website.

Job Summary
The University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA) seeks a director for its Michigan Community Scholars Program (MCSP). The program is one of the six Michigan Learning Communities (MLCs) on campus for which LSA is the administrative home. MCSP is an interdisciplinary academic residential learning community for primarily first and second year undergraduate students interested in diversity, dialogue, and community service, as well as academic and personal success. The program offers students shared coursework, experiential learning through community service and civic engagement, and a strong community to explore their identities.

The program focuses on developing a strong dialogic community where students engage in community service together while also considering issues of social justice in intercultural spaces. They focus on making a difference in the world and take seriously the opportunity for every student to contribute to building a vibrant multicultural community and engaging in a close-knit, diverse residential community. MCSP is typically the most racially and ethnically diverse of all of the university's residential learning communities and has a sizeable number of first generation students and students from other underrepresented groups. The focus is on creating high-impact educational practices for the participants. Additionally, MCSP offers returning students a number of leadership opportunities including peer advisor positions for programming, community service, and intergroup relations.

Mission Statement: The Michigan Community Scholars Program (MCSP) is a residential learning community emphasizing deep learning, meaningful civic engagement/community service learning, and intercultural understanding and dialogue. Students, faculty, community partners and staff think critically about issues of community, seek to model a just, diverse, and democratic community, and wish to make a difference throughout their lives as participants and leaders involved in local, national and global communities.

Director Overview

The director provides the intellectual vision for the program in collaboration with the LSA Dean's Office. This position is responsible for curricular planning, development, and innovation, and academically focused experiential learning. The director and staff are expected to develop strong working relationships with Student Life and University Housing in order to optimize the students' residential experience and include programming opportunities to all West Quad residents. This academic/administrative leadership position reports to the Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, with a direct reporting line to an Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education.

The Director leads and administers, with staff involvement, all aspects of the program - works with students, faculty, and staff in providing classroom and experiential education; oversees programming and staff performance; builds academic partnerships across campus to engage university faculty and professional/graduate students and community members in meaningful exchanges with the MCSP undergraduate students, including guest lectures; recruits students and staff for the program; collaborates with University Housing on building and sustaining an inclusive and engaged residential community; and provides staff and budget management.

This position plays a key role in advising the College on social justice and service learning initiatives. The director will convene unit leaders of similar undergraduate education, student life or other campus programs for collaboration, networking, and to maximize organizational advocacy while reducing redundancy. The director also will be expected to oversee the creation and coordination of summer civic engagement/social justice programming for U-M students in the surrounding communities and potentially abroad. The goal is to engage the MCSP community and other key summer stakeholder groups. Finally, MCSP has been recognized as a national model in living-learning communities. The director will collaborate with others on campus to envision how to infuse this small learning community model--that emphasizes wrap-around support for diverse communities--into other units on campus.

This is a 12-month, full time staff position that is interdependent with a 33.33% part-time adjunct lecturer instructional position during the fall term of the academic year. The effort associated with this staff position will decrease to allow for the instructional effort in the Lecturer appointment. Summer will afford the opportunity for the director to offer LSA students an engaged learning experience through social justice, service-learning, study abroad, or dialogic organizations. The proportion of administrative and teaching effort during each term will be determined in consultation with MCSP, based on the selected individual's preference and programmatic needs.

LSA Undergraduate Education

The Division of Undergraduate Education is the administrative home to many of the College's high-impact and experiential learning opportunities. The MCSP Director works in close partnership with the Division's leadership, programs and centers, and other campus units to provide an inclusive atmosphere of collaboration and to leverage the multiplicity of resources in service of the program objectives. This position also plays a key role in the various ways that LSA seeks to offer support to underrepresented populations, especially for first- and second-year students. Ultimately, the Division serves as a resource for students, faculty and staff engaged in various facets of the College's undergraduate education mission both inside and beyond the classroom.

Mission Statement
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

Responsibilities*
The MCSP Director provides the intellectual vision and strategic leadership for the program and is responsible for curricular development and innovation. Regular teaching in the program is integral to the directorship; teaching one course in fall term is the initial expectation, though this may vary in future years. Active collaboration with the university's academic units to ensure broad faculty involvement in the academic program is also an integral role.

The Director:

Leads and administers, with staff involvement, all aspects of the program; works with students, faculty, and staff in providing classroom and experiential education about contemporary social justice, dialogue, and civic engagement issues.
Oversees programming and staff performance; builds partnerships across the campus.
Recruitment and retention of a broadly diverse student cohort, program admissions, and creation of an inclusive and equitable living/learning environment are responsibilities this position shares with other MCSP staff.
Completes strategic planning, program evaluation, and alumni relations.
Design and administer surveys and assessments for MCSP in collaboration with other Michigan Learning Communities.
Train and support peer advisors and MCSP resident advisors.
Support individual student needs through coaching and mentorship. Formulate and implement recruitment plans with focus on first-generation and underrepresented students.
Develop and oversee MCSP budget.
Provide leadership, supervision, support, and advocacy for program staff.
Coordinate summer diversity and civic engagements broadly across LSA.
Collaborate with other learning communities and LSA Undergraduate Education units. Actively participate in LSA/UGED meetings and events.
Create a dissemination plan to reproduce the MCSP community-building approach across campus.
Participate in multiple LSA initiatives and serve on committees in LSA and the University.
Engage in LSA and campus-wide professional development activities.
Create, develop, and maintain efforts to increase MCSP engagement with MCSP alumni, campus partners and external constituencies.
Actively support LSA and the University of Michigan Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives.
The director meets regularly with MCSP and West Quad staff to ensure optimal coordination, integration of the academic and residential programming, and support for students in crisis.

Required Qualifications*

Master's degree in Higher Education, Sociology, Psychology, or related field.
5 years of experience working in an undergraduate academic student setting.
Ability to learn quickly and prioritize multiple demands.
Experience working with a diverse student population, as well as a demonstrated interest in student retention and academic success.
Demonstrated administrative success in program management and experience working with faculty.
Demonstrated accomplishment fostering teamwork and cooperation as well as a sense of community around a shared vision and set of values.
Demonstrated success in working with and participating in programs about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Knowledge of and demonstrated experience with high impact practices for undergraduates.
Well-developed interpersonal skills and excellent oral and written communication, with attention to detail.
Student-centered philosophy and cross-cultural sensitivity.
Demonstrated commitment to partnerships between academic and student life including a working knowledge of student development theory.
Ability to collaborate and work well with students, faculty, and staff from a wide range of experiences and identities.
Impeccable professional ethics and standards working with diverse populations.
Must be able to function independently, be highly motivated, and show excellent judgment in leadership and conflict resolution skills.
Capability to create and execute curricular and co-curricular programs relevant to program aims.
Administrative skills in academic planning and scheduling.
Strong leadership, team-building, and consultative skills.
Demonstrated ability to work on teams.

Desired Qualifications*

Ph.D. or terminal degree in a related field is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience using dialogic, social justice, and civic engagement pedagogies.
Experience with residential learning communities.
Strong leadership and team-building skills, especially in the creation and leadership of democratic, non-hierarchical environments.
Experience with fundraising.
Demonstrated research experience including direct experience with IRB-approved analysis, program assessment, and/or program evaluation.
Skills in higher education administration, including budget management, supervision of professional and/or student staff, and the ability to lead a team of staff members and affiliated faculty colleagues.
Expertise in developing student programming and student leadership skills.
Demonstrated success working with and participating in academic programs about diversity, social justice, dialogue, and/or civic engagement.

Additional Information
The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitments to serve the diverse people of Michigan, fulfill the College's Guiding Principles, and sustain the excellence of LSA.

To learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion visit http://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/about/diversity--equity-and-inclusion.html

To learn more about LSA's Guiding Principles visit http://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/faculty-staff/human-resources/lsa-staff-guiding-principles.html

Background Screening
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO/AA Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

To apply, visit https://careers.umich.edu/job_detail/181097/director_of_the_michigan_community_scholars_program