[Hiring] Department Chair - Nursing @American Public University System

Role Description

The Department Chair is a key leadership position within the University. The Department Chair provides the leadership for a quality learning experience for students by ensuring coherence in the discipline and relevance to the practice in support of the University Mission. This leadership position contributes to a range of activities that supports student learning outcomes, program quality, discipline integrity, and faculty growth, success, and belonging, all of which focus on student learning, teaching excellence, and faculty and student retention. The Department Chair oversees the daily operations of one or more programs and faculty.

Responsibilities

• Articulate the department’s goals and needs to advance the department’s programs within the School, as well as outside the institution.
• Confer with internal and external stakeholders and advisory groups to obtain knowledge of student, curricular, occupational, discipline, or University needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional departments and program stakeholders to develop, measure, and evaluate student learning outcomes, instructional efficacy, and student persistence and retention for continuous improvement.
• Contribute to and participate in the annual strategic planning and budgeting processes.
• Manage student conduct, appeals, and grievance processes.

Teaching and Learning Culture Activities

• Hire, develop, support, and evaluate faculty.
• Document faculty successes and improvements in teaching, research, curriculum management, and service.
• Recognize faculty and colleagues for outstanding performance and accomplishments.
• Assign courses / credential faculty to teach.
• Assign appropriate amount of curriculum development to FTF.
• Regularly communicate with faculty.
• Convene regular faculty meetings.

Leadership Activities

• Develop and support faculty to ensure discipline and program continuity, currency, and relevancy.
• Collaborate with faculty to ensure the program’s evolution reflects external changes in the discipline, external market, and internal changes within the University.
• Empower and support faculty to create student-centric, inclusive, welcoming learning environments in which all students can succeed.
• Model good engagement in the discipline.
• Demonstrate excellence in teaching and share effective practices within the University community.
• Uphold academic quality design by leading curriculum innovation, academic rigor, and teaching excellence.

Effective Leadership Skills

• Contribute and model professionalism as a thought-leader within the discipline, the School, and the University.
• Remain current on trends and developments within academic disciplines and leadership.
• Take initiative to address current challenges and opportunities with forward-thinking solutions.
• Show attention to detail and accountability for deliverables while managing competing priorities.
• Collaborate effectively, respectfully, and constructively with faculty and staff following the APEI employee handbook, APUS employee handbook and faculty handbook.
• Coach and develop others to improve performance and achieve professional goals.
• Practice emotional intelligence and coaching techniques, especially when managing stressful situations and difficult conversations.
• Value the diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, strengths, and perspectives of others.
• Adapt quickly to changing priorities, strategic initiatives, and industry trends.
• Communicate effectively via written, oral, and visual media.
• Exhibit flexibility when the need arises.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in nursing or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution is required.
• Five or more years of nursing experience is required.
• Five or more years of teaching experience is required.
• Academic management and leadership experience is required.
• Online teaching experience is required.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite programs required.
• Experience with nursing specialty accreditation is strongly preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

• Full-time faculty are salaried employees.
• Information regarding our faculty benefits may be found here .
• Full-time faculty members and department chairs are to consider APU/AMU their primary employer.
• Full-time salaried faculty and department chairs may not be full-time employees of any university, school, college, or institution of higher education outside of APUS; this includes administrative, staff, and teaching positions.