Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs (Arts Humanities & Social Sciences)

SUNY Niagara is seeking a dynamic and visionary leader to serve as the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs (AVPAA) for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Division. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA), the AVPAA will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight for all academic programs within the division. The AVPAA is responsible for the development, direction, and maintenance of effective and efficient instructional and support services within the division. The AVPAA ensures the programs meet all accreditation standards and assists the VPAA in conducting annual evaluations of full-time teaching faculty. The AVPAA plays a key role in promoting excellence in teaching, fostering faculty development, and supporting student success. This position will collaborate with faculty, staff, and administrators to advance the college’s mission and goals and will also serve as an active member of the Academic Council.

The successful candidate will possess demonstrated leadership skills with a track record of fostering collaboration among stakeholders of different departments and divisions. They will have the ability to establish trust, goodwill, and strong relationships with faculty, staff, students, and community partners. The AVPAA must be flexible and adaptable, able to navigate diverse perspectives and changing circumstances.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential, as the AVPAA will engage effectively with diverse stakeholders. They must be able to inspire and motivate others, while also actively listening and responding to the needs and concerns of the college community. Additionally, the AVPAA must have a proven ability to effectively manage conflict and make sound judgments in complex situations.

Typical Work Activities:

1. Administer and oversee the programs within the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Academic Division.

2. Provide leadership to advance the division’s mission and goals and develop a divisional strategic plan in alignment with the college’s strategic plan.

3. Provide leadership and support for faculty development, including mentoring, professional development opportunities, and performance evaluation.

4. Develop and implement academic policies, procedures, and initiatives to enhance the quality of instruction and student learning outcomes.

5. Recommend appointments, evaluate, and supervise faculty, program coordinators, and staff with the Academic Division.

6. Collaborate with faculty and external stakeholders to incorporate interdisciplinary approaches and emerging pedagogies.

7. Be the liaison to the specialized accrediting agencies as well as state and SUNY entities, ensuring that each program meets accreditation standards, produces timely documents and reports for self-studies, and responds to accrediting agency, state, or SUNY queries. Facilitates on-site visits by accrediting agencies.

8. In consultation with the program coordinators, oversee the development, review, and revision of curricula to meet academic standards; scheduling of classes; and admissions requirements.

9. Ensure the assessment of student learning outcomes and the continuous improvement of academic programs and student evaluations for each of the programs.

10. Coordinate and develop master schedule and teaching assignments consistent with student needs, ensuring programs are staffed with qualified instructors to meet the requirements of the program within budget parameters.

11. Implement and monitor recommendations and required changes as a result of accreditation/PEERs as well as changes in college policies and procedures.

12. Implement Academic Affairs policies and procedures for all Academic Policies and Standards and regulations and propose changes to current standards

13. Prepare the annual budget, facilities, and equipment requests for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences programs for review by the VPAA and Executive Council.

14. Allocate resources effectively to support instructional needs, faculty development, and student services and identify external funding opportunities and grants to support programmatic initiatives and innovation.

15. Establish and conducts meeting with each of the programs and program coordinators.

16. Coordinate with other college departments and divisions as needed to facilitate faculty and student success.

17. Collaborate with student services departments to enhance student success and retention initiatives; provide academic advising and support services to students within the division; and address student concerns and complaints in a timely and effective manner.

18. Respond to faculty and student questions and concerns regarding curriculum or course requirements.

19. Updates College catalog and web site; develop program brochures as appropriate; and attend meetings as appropriate.

20. Provide and/or approve professional development opportunities for full-time and part-time faculty and staff.

21. Represent Arts, Humanities, and Social Science programs to the public, media, Board of Trustees, and internal and external groups.

22. Other duties as assigned by the VPAA.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Education, Education Leadership, Higher Education Administration, or related program of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences division;
• Experience in an administrative role in a higher education institution including exercising budgetary responsibilities as well as monitoring or conducting staff and faculty recruitment, hiring, and supervision;
• Experience with curriculum development and assessment;
• Experience with development and/or review of accreditation self-studies, program reviews and/or responses to site visits; experience in conducting faculty orientations, evaluations, and classroom observations; and experience with mentoring faculty.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree with course work in administration or education.
• Prior teaching experience in courses related to a program within Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
• Experience working at a community college.
• Experience with grant writing and external funding procurement.
• Experience with online and hybrid learning modalities.
• Working knowledge of any of the following: Banner, Microsoft 365 (Word, Outlook, Excel, SharePoint, Teams, PowerPoint), Brightspace, Degree Works, Zoom, and Argos.