Dean, Westbrook College of Health Professions

University of New England, United States

Updated: about 19 hours ago
Location: Portland, MAINE
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: ;

Position Details
Position Information


Position Type Faculty
Faculty Track
Position Title Dean, Westbrook College of Health Professions
Employment Status Full Time
Months 12
Campus Portland, ME
Description
NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONS
The University of New England has retained the services of the executive search firm Korn Ferry.  Applicants should submit the following two documents (in two separate PDFs):  (1) An up-to-date and detailed curriculum vitae.  (2) A two-to-four-page letter of interest describing why you are interested in the role of Dean of the Westbrook College of Health Professions at UNE, why your professional experience would lead to your success, and why now is a good time for you to consider this opportunity.  For priority consideration, please submit all application materials by Monday, April 29, 2024.  The two PDF documents should be sent directly to Dr. Josh Ward at [email protected] .
THE OPPORTUNITY

The University of New England (UNE) is seeking an agile, entrepreneurial, and collaborative leader to serve as Dean of the Westbrook College of Health Professions (WCHP). UNE has established itself as a leading comprehensive university with particular strengths in the health sciences with programs located on both its Biddeford and Portland, Maine campuses. The WCHP is home to over 150 full-time faculty and professional staff and enrolls approximately 1,600 students. The College is home to undergraduate majors including applied exercise science, dental hygiene, occupational studies, nursing, nutrition, public health, and social work. The College additionally offers master’s degrees in athletic training, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, occupational therapy, and physician assistant; and doctoral programs in nurse anesthesia, pharmacy, and physical therapy. The College is configured via numerous departments and three schools, including the School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, and School of Social Work. As a recognized leader in interprofessional education, the college values collaborative, student-centered learning experiences from the classroom to our various clinical partner sites. The College is dedicated to educating graduates to advance the health and well-being of people, their communities, and the evolving needs of society.
The Dean will be a key part of a team of academic leaders who works in close collaboration across five other colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Dental Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the College of Professional Studies, which offers several graduate health professions programs in both the fully online and hybrid mode of delivery. In addition, the Dean will work closely with numerous centers that support health professions education and scholarship, including the Center to Advance Interprofessional Education and Practice (CAIEP), the Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center (ISIC), and the Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About the University of New England
With roots dating to 1831, the University of New England (UNE) has evolved to become the largest private university in Maine. UNE has established itself as a leading comprehensive university with particular strengths in the health sciences and marine sciences and a wide range of academic programs offered both onsite and online to nearly 6,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. UNE is guided by the core values of student-centeredness, diversity, inclusion, relentless inquiry, interdisciplinary collaboration, learning everywhere, progressive change, and stewardship of our planet.
UNE’s more than 70 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and online degree programs are offered through six colleges – the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Dental Medicine, the Westbrook College of Health Professions, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Professional Studies, and a recently-established College of Business. UNE is home to Maine’s only medical school and only physician assistant program and northern New England’s only dental school. UNE’s robust research agenda garners more NIH funding in biomedical research than any other college or university in Maine. UNE is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine – the coastal Biddeford Campus and Portland Campus for the Health Sciences – and also has a unique study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco. UNE is regionally accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
During a tumultuous time for higher education, UNE has bucked the trends, emerging from a global pandemic with robust enrolment numbers, a bold plan to move its medical college from Biddeford to Portland in order to create a unique, interprofessional health sciences campus there, and a host of new academic programs and student support initiatives designed to meet the workplace needs of an ever-changing economy. While many other institutions were content to merely keep their doors open during the pandemic, UNE’s dedicated faculty and professional staff were determined to seize every opportunity during a time of much change and realignment for the industry. And guided by the recently refreshed Our World, Our Futurestrategic plan , UNE has done just that. As a result, the University’s credit rating has recently been upgraded to A2 from Moody’s Investor Services and A+ (with positive outlook) from Fitch Ratings .
UNE emphasizes inclusion, diversity, and meeting the needs of first-generation students while consciously immersing students in an environment that prioritizes viewpoint diversity. Indeed, one of UNE’s distinguishing characteristics is its commitment to fostering a robust marketplace of ideas so that students may develop the respect for opposing viewpoints and intellectual curiosity needed to be productive participants in our increasingly polarized society. The University invites guest speakers to campus whose ideas span various ideological spectra and, through an array of interrelated programs, exposes students to multiple views on important topics, both inside and outside the classroom.
Perennially included on “best colleges” lists by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, Forbes, and others, UNE prides itself on its excellent student outcomes. It has recently been ranked first in Maine for value added by Brookings and first in Maine for job placement by Zippia. Meanwhile, UNE students enjoy an exceptionally low student-loan default rate of just 0.6% compared to 2.3% nationally. UNE’s clinical programs also boast exceptional board pass rates, while the aspiring doctors in UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine earn a residency choice match rate that is among the ten best in the country. For more information about these and other accolades, visit www.une.edu/about/glance .
About UNE President James D. Herbert
President James D. Herbert is the sixth president of the University of New England, serving since July 2017. Under President Herbert’s leadership, UNE has redoubled its commitment to collaborative, team-based clinical education; launched a slate of new undergraduate and graduate academic programs; expanded marine programs and several health profession programs; reorganized student support services to be more student-centric; expanded physical facilities on both campuses, including new athletic facilities and a new home for Maine’s only medical school; significantly increased fundraising, including securing the largest gift in the University’s history; bolstered DEI structures and programming; greatly improved financial footing, as reflected by significant credit upgrades; and implemented and renewed UNE’s strategic plan “Our World, Our Future.” As a champion of the academy as the ultimate marketplace of ideas, President Herbert founded a number of programs to encourage viewpoint diversity and civil, robust discourse on campus, including “The President’s Forum,” a moderated discussion series that facilitates discussion of timely topics to promote a deeper understanding of critical issues facing society.
Herbert arrived at UNE via Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he held several senior administrative positions, including interim provost and executive vice provost and dean of the Graduate College. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include cognitive behavior therapy—including newer mindfulness and psychological acceptance-based models of behavior therapy, anxiety, mood, and eating disorders, remote Internet-based treatment, and the promotion of evidence-based practice in mental health.
About UNE Provost Gwendolyn Mahon
Provost Gwendolyn Mahon joined UNE in November 2022, bringing her passion for higher education and extensive leadership in the field to campus. As a first-generation college graduate, Provost Mahon is passionate about helping others access the opportunities that higher education has provided her and has a keen understanding of the importance of a student-centered philosophy and a community-engaged approach in higher education.
During her first year at UNE, Provost Mahon implemented several programmatic changes to enhance various academic programs. She has established new majors in Computer Science and Statistics, initiated the development of a faculty information system to better support and streamline the faculty reappointment, promotion, and tenure process, and made several organizational changes to enhance visibility and spur growth of key degree offerings. This includes the creation of the School of Education, School of Computer Science and Data Analytics, and College of Business. Most recently, she opened UNE’s inaugural Honors College, which will enroll its first cohort of students in the fall of 2024.
Prior to arriving at UNE, Provost Mahon spent 24 years at Rutgers University, where she filled multiple leadership roles, including dean of the Rutgers School of Health Professions. She holds a master’s degree in medical genetics from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and a doctorate in biomedical science from Rutgers School of Graduate Studies. Her research is focused on molecular oncology, specifically signal transduction pathways involved in leukemogenesis and cell motility.
About Life in Maine
The University of New England is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine – an oceanfront coastal campus of Biddeford and a vibrant health sciences campus in Portland, a city of great appeal and historic significance. With breathtaking scenery, a rich cultural environment, world-class dining, low crime rates, and classic New England charm, southern Maine provides an unparalleled quality of life. The quality of life is exemplified by safe towns and cities, top school systems, and a variety of highly accessible outdoor activities, from the beach to the mountains. Whether you enjoy local shopping in Portland’s Old Port, sampling unique breweries and distilleries in Biddeford, strolling the harbor-side trail on the Eastern Promenade, hiking, sailing, skiing, or the arts, the area offers something for everyone. The greater Portland region combines city living with small-town charm, frequently cited as one of the best cities in America to live and work.
Responsibilities
The Dean of the College will be a strategic thinker with deep experience in the education of health professionals. The ideal candidate will be an innovative and inclusive collaborator with demonstrated breadth of understanding and experience in innovative curricular design, assessment of educational effectiveness, new program development, and disciplinary accreditation practices across a diverse range of health care disciplines. The candidate must demonstrate a steadfast commitment to building infrastructure that supports disciplinary and interprofessional teaching and learning, external clinical partnerships, research and scholarship, and community outreach.
The Dean’s primary responsibilities and expectations for leadership include:
  • Oversight for the quality and outcomes of academic programming
  • Create new degree offerings to support the growth of the College and University
  • Reimagine and revise degree programs poised for growth
  • Promote key differentiators that distinguish WCHP degree offerings
  • Lead disciplinary accreditation and credentialing endeavors
  • Oversee and coordinate the administration of WCHP operating budgets
  • Facilitate the ongoing implementation of the WCHP strategic plan in coordination with the University strategic plan
  • Cultivate/enhance relationships with regional clinical partners to support experiential/clinical learning opportunities for all majors/programs
  • Advance interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice endeavors
  • Provide leadership in college and institutional DEI endeavors
  • Enhance research and scholarship within the college
  • Collaborate with the other deans, center directors, provost, and the president on various cross-college unit initiatives
  • Engage in external community outreach and institutional advancement
  • Perform other duties as necessary


The Dean is responsible for providing direct and indirect supervision to all college faculty and professional staff. The Dean reports directly to the Provost/Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Qualifications
The successful candidate will hold an earned doctorate in an appropriate discipline as well as strong relevant teaching, administrative, research and scholarship experience. The candidate will exhibit a broad base of knowledge, skills, and experience in academic program planning, evaluation, graduate and professional education, and professional accreditation, along with strong organizational, administrative, personnel, and fiscal management skills. Proven leadership experience, requisite expertise in working collaboratively with faculty and health care professionals, strong interpersonal skills, and a thorough understanding of university structure and culture are essential. Ideally, while not required, the candidate will have experience in developing and implementing an extramurally funded research program. The candidate must be able to effectively represent the College to a wide range of individuals and groups, both internal and external to the University, carrying out varied marketing, public relations, clinical site cultivation, and fundraising endeavors.
EEO Statement Summary
Consistent with federal and state law and University policy, the University of New England is committed to the fundamental concept of equal opportunity for all of the members of the University community. The University prohibits, and will not tolerate, discrimination in employment, the provision of academic services or in any other area of University life based on race, color, sex, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, ethnicity, genetic information, HIV status, or status as a veteran. Prohibited bias factors should not motivate decisions regarding students, employees, applicants for admission, applicants for employment, contractors, volunteers or participants in and/or users of institutional programs, services, and activities.
COVID Vaccination Statement (PLEASE NOTE)
Employees in clinical settings must meet the State of Maine’s immunization requirements for clinical activity.

Posting Detail Information


Posting Number 2022F0116P
Open Date 03/25/2024
Close Date
Open Until Filled Yes

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