The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) seeks applications for an innovative and strategic leader for the position of Executive Director of the Center for Community Engaged Learning and Research, a twelve-month administrative position. The Executive Director serves as the campus leader for community engagement and reports to the Associate Provost for Curriculum and Liberal Learning. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to build on the considerable strengths of the Center, while shaping the future direction of community engagement at TCNJ.
Responsibilities
▪ Provide leadership and strategic planning for the College’s community-engagement activities, programs, and initiatives.
▪ Develop and administer community-engagement opportunities for students, faculty, and staff.
▪ Build and maintain strategic partnerships, across campus and with community members and organizations, in support of community-engagement opportunities for TCNJ students, faculty, and staff.
▪ Lead activities and initiatives that foster the incorporation of best practices into community-engagement efforts by TCNJ faculty and staff.
▪ Lead the assessment of community-engagement activities, programs, and initiatives.
▪ Manage, mentor, and support the Center’s leadership team.
▪ Manage the Center’s budget and seek extramural funds to support the Center’s activities.
Qualifications
Required
▪ Masters degree.
▪ At least five years of experience in community engagement, civic engagement, or service learning at an institution of higher learning.
▪ Record of success in a leadership position related to community engagement, including budgetary experience.
▪ Ability to work collaboratively with diverse constituencies, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community partners.
▪ Record of building strategic partnerships, both across campus and with community partners, in support of community-engagement opportunities for students and faculty.
▪ Ability to collaborate with faculty as academic leaders in community engagement and engage them in developments in the pedagogy and scholarship of community engagement.
▪ Success in securing external funds to support community engagement.
Preferred
▪ Terminal degree (strongly preferred).
▪ Record of scholarship in community engagement and leadership.
▪ Experience in the development and implementation of strategic plans.
▪ Involvement in assessment of community-engagement programs at an institution of higher education.
▪ Leadership in regional or national organizations or networks focused on community engagement.
About TCNJ
Founded in 1855, TCNJ is a highly selective, comprehensive, residential institution recognized as one of the outstanding public colleges in the country. Emphasizing a residential experience for its over 6,800 undergraduates, TCNJ also offers focused graduate programs in nursing, education and English for 650 students. TCNJ has earned national recognition for its commitment to excellence, and TCNJ faculty members are teacher/scholars who share a commitment to liberal learning. The College is one of Barron’s 75 “Most Competitive” American colleges and U.S. News & World Report’s No. 1 public institution of its kind in the northern region of the country. The Princeton Review ranked TCNJ 6th in the nation based on overall student satisfaction, and 19th for how well different types of students (backgrounds, ethnicities) interact at the College. TCNJ has been awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, an honor shared by less than 10% of colleges and universities nationally, and the first-ever Campus-wide Award for Undergraduate Research for master’s level institutions from the Council on Undergraduate Research. The College ranks 32nd among U.S. master’s colleges and universities for the number of study-abroad students (IIE Open Doors Data), with annual participation by over 450 students. TCNJ is located within roughly an hour, by train, of NYC and Philadelphia. The College’s campus has 39 major buildings set on 289 tree-lined acres in suburban Ewing Township and is known for its natural beauty (ranked 7th in The Princeton Review).
Community Engagement at TCNJ
Community engagement is a high priority at TCNJ, representing one of TCNJ’s five Signature Experiences and required of all first-year students as part of the College’s general education program. TCNJ’s commitment to community-engaged learning has earned it the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The Center for Community Engaged Learning and Research is the administrative home for the College’s community-engagement activities that integrate educational experiences with community service, student development, and civic participation. From its origin a decade ago, the Center has expanded from two full-time staff members and 12 Bonner Community Scholars to nine full-time staff, four AmeriCorps members, and over 100 Bonner Community Scholars – making it the largest Bonner program in the country. The Center recently developed a five-year strategic plan and has begun its implementation.
The Center works in close collaboration with over 30 community partners to provide community-engagement opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. In the past academic year, the Center supported community-engaged experiences for over 1,200 first-year students, 703 students in 41 upper-division courses, and 39 internships at 19 community partner sites; these activities involved roughly 50 faculty members. The Center brought in $1 million in external funding during the last academic year and is a partner in the highly successful Trenton Violence Reduction Strategy and Trenton Prevention Policy Board initiatives.
Contact Information
This position carries the state title of Executive Director and is a non-aligned position. Qualified candidates should submit a letter of interest, resume or C.V., and a list of at least three professional references electronically to jo…@tcnj.edu. Applications received by October 19, 2016 will be given full consideration, but review of applications will continue until a suitable candidate has been identified.
Final offer of employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation. This position includes a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental and prescription, as well as generous sick and vacation leave.
To enrich education through diversity, The College of New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The College has a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff, and strongly encourages women and members of underrepresented groups to apply.