Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Counseling

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Job description

Portland, OR

Lewis & Clark seeks a Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Counseling

Click here to view position profile: https://summitsearchsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/LC_Dean_GSEC_Profile.pdf

Location: Portland, Oregon

The Position:

The Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Counseling (GSEC) is the chief academic officer and administrative head of the School. The Dean is charged with maintaining the Graduate School’s academic and administrative integrity and effectiveness. The Dean serves as the academic leader of the faculty, with responsibilities for academic policy, curriculum, faculty recruitment and development, and also oversees the Graduate School departments, administrative offices, and programs. The Dean is responsible for promoting the financial health of the School through strategic planning and budgeting, enrollment management, fund-raising, and effective administration. Additionally, the Dean works actively at the local, regional, and national levels to create academic and professional ties that benefit the School and its graduates. The Dean provides leadership in shaping the School’s innovation priorities and programmatic directions, aligning them with the evolving needs of the teaching and counseling professions. This role encompasses strategic planning, collaboration, and resource allocation, all undertaken with an eye toward sustainability and future success.

The Dean reports to the President, serves as a strategic thought partner on the Executive Council, and provides leadership in all aspects of the operation of the Graduate School, leading the Graduate School to fulfill its commitment to academic excellence, with additional focus on fundraising efforts, alumni relations, personnel, and community outreach. The Dean is responsible for the operation of the Graduate School, subject to the authority of the President.

Responsibilities:

Leadership and Management (60% of the time)

  • Oversee and guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of short-term tactical and long-term strategic planning, ensuring the compatibility of these plans with the mission and objectives of the Graduate School and Lewis & Clark. The Dean’s responsibilities span the range of Graduate School operations, including: academic programs and policies; program development and innovation; faculty and staff evaluation; budgeting; facilities; and administrative services.
  • Plan, monitor, and implement the Graduate School’s budget. Ensure budget goals are met on an annual basis. This process includes the management of enrollment, faculty and exempt compensation, other personnel expenses, operating expenses, and non-discretionary institutional assessments.
  • Prepare an annual budget for submission to the President, College CFO and Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees.
  • Identify and manage the Graduate School’s response to emerging academic trends and opportunities. Lead the development of appropriate program responses to ensure that curriculum and related resources are current, relevant, and meet the needs of students entering the professions that the Graduate School serves. Develop new programs where opportunities emerge to expand the Graduate School’s impact and sustainability.
  • Oversee the performance evaluation process for tenure-track and clinical faculty. This includes the promotion and tenure process for tenure track faculty, the promotion process for clinical faculty, and other annual/periodic evaluations.
  • Manage and work collaboratively with the senior administrative offices of the Graduate School, including: Admissions; Career, Licensing, and Accreditation; the Center for Community Engagement; Communications; the Community Counseling Center; Finance & Operations; Registrar; Research & Assessment; and Strategic Partnerships and Placement.
  • Provide and support leadership opportunities for staff across the Graduate School, including professional development, opportunities for advancement, and a collegial management approach. Responsibilities include: the selection, training, supervision, support, and performance evaluation of Graduate School staff.
  • Sustain and expand the social justice, equity, and access mission of the Graduate School through its administrative policies and processes, academic program development, and the hiring and mentoring of faculty and staff. Encourage and build a community of mutual trust, respect, and collaboration among employees and community partners.
  • Oversee the senior administrators of the Graduate School including the Associate Dean and Department/Program Chairs.
  • Support accreditation, regulatory, and licensure requirements for graduate school programs, ensuring compliance with standards and national recognition of programs, where available.
  • Ensure that established policies, best practices, and ethical principles are followed in the resolution of student, faculty, and staff conflicts and/or complaints.

Community engagement and fundraising (20% of the time)

  • Oversee fundraising, alumni relations, the Graduate School Advisory Board, and community outreach for the Graduate School.
  • Achieve annual fundraising targets for the Graduate School as established by the President.
  • Working closely with Institutional Advancement, identify and execute fundraising opportunities that will support the mission and programs of the Graduate School and the institution.
  • Develop and maintain strong external relationships with other academic institutions, businesses, nonprofits, and governmental entities in order to promote the effectiveness of Graduate School operations, grow recognition of its achievements, and expand the impact of programming to meet key challenges locally, regionally, and nationally.
  • Advocate for the professions within the Graduate School at both the local, state, and national levels.
  • Represent the Graduate School at community-based events, civic organizations, legislative bodies, commissions, and other opportunities to promote awareness of its mission.

Executive leadership for the institution (20% of the time)

  • Participate in the executive leadership functions of the institution, principally through service on the President’s Executive Council.
  • The Executive Council, which is the President’s cabinet, includes all of the vice presidents and deans and provides guidance, leadership and strategy to help ensure the overall success of the institution.
  • Work collaboratively with the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, Dean of the Law School, and Dean of Equity and Inclusion to foster institutional collaboration through the exchange of ideas, information, and resources; strengthen collaboration and develop opportunities between and among the three schools.
  • Attend and participate in meetings of the institution’s Board of Trustees, particularly the Academic Affairs Committee, and cultivate and maintain strong relationships with members of the board.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

  • Doctoral degree in an academic field consistent with the professional preparation programs offered by the Graduate School.
  • 3+ years of experience in a senior leadership position managing graduate-level professional preparation programs in education, counseling/therapy/school psychology and/or related fields.
  • Experience in mission-focused leadership related to social justice, equity, and inclusion.
  • Tenurable as a faculty member at the Graduate School of Education and Counseling.
  • Demonstrated success in budget management and resource development.
  • Demonstrated success in program development, curriculum management, and strategic planning.
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate with diverse constituencies.
  • Experience related to fundraising and community engagement.
  • Record of significant scholarly research, evidence of sustained excellence in teaching and supervising students in education and/or counseling/psychology or a related field.
  • Evidence of extensive independent and broad decision-making ability; comfortable with making decisions related to financial impact on revenue, enrollment targets, costs, budgetary outcomes, and/or assets.
  • Ability to build and maintain excellent rapport with students, faculty, staff, alumni, Board of Trustees and the Graduate School Advisory Board.
  • Commitment to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
  • Ability to handle significant administrative workload.
  • Advanced understanding of the financial and business aspects of the School in order to ensure sustainability and increase resources; ability to prepare, analyze, and present budgetary material effectively across multiple stakeholder groups.
  • Strong public speaking and writing skills.
  • Exceptional organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
  • Demonstrated success in working with others, participating and collaborating, conflict management, relationship building, ensuring alignment, operating as a team player, and enhancing team effectiveness.

Preferred Qualifications

  • 5+ years of relevant experience.
  • Relevant administrative experience at a commensurate graduate school (i.e., previous deanship, associate or assistant dean).
  • Outstanding achievement in teaching and supervising graduate students.
  • A record of effective outreach and advocacy to build public support for the institution’s mission.

About the Graduate School of Education and Counseling:

At Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling (GSEC), mission-driven programs are grounded in social justice, access, and equity. Guided by world-class faculty and leading practitioners, students become agents of change who are ready to transform lives, sustain communities, and create a more just society.

The Graduate School is home to two academic departments and offers degree programs, licensure, endorsements, and certificates in the fields of education and counseling. Continuing education opportunities are available through the Center for Community Engagement.

About Lewis & Clark:

Lewis & Clark is a private higher education institution with a public conscience and global reach. Lewis & Clark has long embodied a spirit of curiosity and adventure no doubt linked to its location in the Pacific Northwest. The institution’s study of and commitment to sustainability and the natural environment is intrinsically linked to its unique place in the world. Its commitment to providing students with international experiences prepares them to be active, responsible, and confident citizens of the world. Its pursuits of innovation and leadership are outgrowths of a desire to venture beyond the status quo. In preparing students to be global citizens, Lewis & Clark helps them develop the tools and habits necessary to engage others with civility and respect. The College’s people – its energetic students, distinguished faculty, talented administrators and staff, and outstanding graduates – live committed, purposeful lives.

Lewis & Clark serves approximately 3,500 students in three schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and the Law School. The combination of outstanding liberal arts programs and top-ranked, high-quality professional programs, along with the College’s location in a major city that provides a lab for learning and engagement, makes Lewis & Clark unique. Lewis & Clark is one of the top ten producers of Fulbright scholars in the country and is nationally known for its academic programs, teaching excellence, global engagement, environmental leadership, and strong sense of civic responsibility. Lewis & Clark is located on three adjacent campuses nestled among towering trees and trillium-lined creeks, just six miles from downtown Portland, Oregon. The College’s campus is regularly recognized as one of the most beautiful in the country.

Energized by President Robin Holmes-Sullivan and led by a cohesive and talented senior administrative team, the institution’s positive momentum is palpable. On October 18, 2024, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a new strategic imperatives plan and mission statement for Lewis & Clark. The L&C Advantage: Three Strategic Imperatives for Lewis & Clark’s Future is a direction-setting document, the culmination of a collaborative process that began over a year earlier. The imperatives represent the first phase of a strategic plan that aims to leverage and build on the institution’s strengths to better meet the needs of students and respond to today’s marketplace. To create an institutional identity that sets Lewis & Clark apart from competition, the plan broadly outlines large-scale actions (or “north stars”) needed to achieve the mission, suggests where the institution will invest additional resources, and defines where the three schools will work together more closely. As the process continues, each imperative will incorporate the use of best practices and strategies to meet the needs of a diverse student body and community.

How to apply

Confidential review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; parties who apply by February 7, 2025 will be given first consideration. Please submit a PDF version of your CV/resume and a letter of interest explaining your suitability for this position. To apply online, go to https://theapplicantmanager.com/jobs?pos=su439

For more information or to offer recommendations:

Lyndi Hewitt, PhD

Senior Consultant
Summit Search Solutions, Inc.
Direct: 615-423-0525
[email protected]

Lewis & Clark explicitly acknowledges and affirms its conviction that diversity with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, socio-economic background, religious orientation or spirituality, physical or sensory disability, gender, and sexual orientation on the Lewis & Clark campus provides an educational benefit for all students that can be realized only if students and education professionals from diverse backgrounds are present in significant numbers within our learning community. In creating and sustaining such a community, we engage, to the extent legally possible, in practices that will ensure a high degree of diversity on our campus, simultaneously meeting the highest standards of academic excellence of which we are capable.