POSITION SUMMARY

The University of Providence (UP) seeks a dynamic and experienced leader to serve as the Dean of the School of Health Professions (SHP). The Dean will provide strategic leadership and oversight for a diverse range of healthcare programs, including nursing, healthcare administration, and allied health. This role requires a strong commitment to academic excellence, student success, and faculty development. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of leadership, innovation, and collaboration.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Carry out all duties as the SHP’s chief academic administrator, and nursing programs chief nursing administrator (CNA).

• Provide dynamic and effective leadership for the SHP and its organizational units, building a culture of collaboration and mutual respect, the feeling of pride, fellowship, and common loyalty shared by the SNHP’s faculty, staff, learners, and administrators.

• Maintains effective communication across the university, especially with respect to common needs, service courses, and inter-disciplinary projects; communicate effectively and frequently with the SHP’s faculty and staff.

• Oversee the evaluation of faculty and staff within the school; serve as the SHP’s final arbitrator of learner, faculty, and staff disputes.

• Address any faculty and staff performance or behavioral issues, following the guidelines in the Faculty Handbook and in the Employee Handbook (those policies applicable to faculty).

• Provide recommendations on the continued employment and promotion of SHP’s faculty based on the UP-Faculty Handbook and consider the recommendations of the respective faculty committees and department chairs.

• Promote faculty, staff, and student development.

• Participate in long-range planning to meet current University objectives and develop strategies for future directions.

• Lead faculty and administration in the SHP’s strategic planning, monitoring, and execution, adjusting the plan to further the SHP’s mission in teaching, research, service, and patient care. Lead the faculty to further the SHP’s vision and inspire others to accept and extend it; ensure that the SHP’s goals and plans are aligned with UP’s strategic goals.

• Create a culture of interprofessional collaboration and engagement and promote excellence in teaching, scholarship, service, and professional growth/development.

• Ensure effective oversight of the implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of the SHP’s academic programs and compliance with accreditation standards.

• Collaborate with multiple internal and external constituencies to achieve SHP and institutional goals.

• In collaboration with all UP units, synergize ethical utilization of academic, fiscal, physical, and human resources and services to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and economy.

• Develop, monitor, adjust, and manage SHP’s budgets, maintaining budgetary authority over the annual budget linked to the SHP strategic plan; facilitate efficient planning, scheduling, and allocation of institutional resources.

• Seek external resources to support the SHP’s programs and initiatives through grants, contracts, and philanthropy in collaboration with the University’s development office.

• Effectively and proactively represent the UP vision and mission, strategic goals, policies and procedures, and administrative decisions to the learning community; enhance the visibility and recognition of the SHP and its respective programs with stakeholders and constituents in the community and the respective professions.

• Support the marketing efforts of the university for the SHP’s academic programs and grow the applicant pool and enrollments consistent with UP’s goals and resources.

• Collaborate to staff the SHP's organizational structure with high-quality personnel to best achieve the strategic plan; approve hire of faculty and approves teaching assignments on the recommendation of the program leads.

• Determine workload assignments with program chairs for coordinators, directors, faculty, and staff.

• Ensure compliance with all mandated rules, regulations, and accreditation requirements governing SHP programs; ensure compliance with safety standards, human resources policies, and other legal liability concerns.

• Provides school-wide reports and data to the provost related to meeting performance objectives, faculty retention, student success, and other academic analyses that may be required.

• Ensure programs achieve objectives and outcomes.

• Maintain currency with emerging pedagogies in healthcare and higher education.

• Provide oversight of all SHP’s learner-centered curricula and leadership in developing new programs. Innovate curriculum delivery to expand the reach and appeal of existing programs nationally and internationally.

• If relevant, provide oversight and leadership for the administrative management of patient care functions; ensure all clinical operations are efficient, effective, and safe.

• Performs other duties and projects as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

• An earned academic Doctoral degree in nursing from an accredited program

EXPERIENCE:

• Demonstrates successful significant faculty leadership.
• At least five years of proven leadership experience within the last ten years.
• Licensed or eligible for nursing licensure in Montana

Preferred Qualifications:

• Record of involvement in national professional organizations and nationally recognized accomplishments in leadership and achieving recognition.
• A strong record of scholarly activity, an understanding of changing patterns in higher education and healthcare education, and a commitment to diversity.
• Demonstrated involvement in interprofessional health education.
• Interprofessional administrative experience, preferably at a university with multiple professional programs.
• Record of effective leadership in healthcare.
• A record of budget management authority and administrative achievement in financial and programmatic management.
• Experience as part of an executive team.
• An appreciation and support of the critical role of shared governance.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER COVERED BY THE MONTANA VETERANS’ AND HANDICAPPED PERSONS’ EMPLOYMENT PREFERENCE ACT

The University of Providence is a Catholic, student-centered, mission-focused university. For more information, please contact Human Resources at 406.791.5977.