Director-Professional Performance Program & Professor of the Practice

26995BR

School of Professional Studies

Position Overview

The Professional Performance Program at the University of Kansas (KU) is housed in the KU School of Professional Studies (SPS), which is located on the KU Edwards Campus (KUEC) in Overland Park, Kansas in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. KUEC has been a KU presence in Kansas City for 30 years, playing a crucial role in the Greater KC professional community. The campus now offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates with classes geared toward working professionals, available in the evening, online and in-person.

The KU School of Professional Studies (SPS) was created in 2019 with a vision to transform students’ lives and improve communities through innovative, student-focused, and exemplary academic programs that lead to rewarding careers in an array of fields that serve the workforce needs of Kansas and beyond. The school offers a variety of disciplines, course formats, class schedules, student services, aid, and more to meet the needs of diverse students who may work full-time, have considerable commitments outside of the classroom, have prior college-level education or otherwise need a different approach to earning academic credentials. SPS continues to launch new degree programs aimed at supporting the needs of future students and is poised for significant growth over the next five years.

KUEC and SPS have a reputation for employing innovative teaching techniques and serving the unique needs of non- traditional students. KUEC and SPS faculty enjoy an interdisciplinary and collaborative atmosphere focused on supporting faculty in building rewarding careers while improving the success of students we teach. Employees typically enjoy a hybrid work environment, providing sufficient flexibility for a healthy work-life balance.

The School of Professional Studies (SPS) is launching the Professional Performance degree to meet the growing demands of individuals creating a career surrounding their athletic or artistic talents. The Bachelor of Applied Science in Professional Performance degree is designed for students with a strong interest in developing their own skills in entrepreneurship, media and marketing, content and brand creation, “influencing,” web design, personal and business finance, and communication; and who have already earned an associate degree or equivalent hours. 

The Professional Performance program focuses on preparing students with professional and workforce ready skills to ensure employment immediately following completion of the program.  Professional Performance allows students to tailor the degree to their career goals by choosing an area of focus. The program allows students the opportunity to explore the technical and strategic aspects of self-promotion, entrepreneurship, and creating a personal or professional brand. Students will learn the foundational skills related to critical thinking, communication, leadership, finance, ethics, and career management, which will prepare them for the workforce, while also allowing students the ability to explore the reality of turning their athletic, artistic, or other strengths into a career. The program will prepare students to shape their own career by developing the pathway to monetizing their individual talents, creating a personal brand, becoming an influencer (such as a YouTube influencer), or creating their own business.

Job Description

The Director – Professional Performance Program/Professor of the Practice is both an Administrative and Teaching position. The Asst/Assoc/Professor of the Practice portion serves a 3-year limited term, that may be renewed pending comprehensive evaluation. The director serves as the program director for the undergraduate in Professional Performance program within SPS. The program director will work closely with KUEC and SPS administration and faculty to provide strategic direction for this academic program. This position serves the educational needs of a Johnson County Education Research Triangle (JCERT) program, which is funded through a 1/8 of a cent sales tax within Johnson County. Specific percentages of effort for JCERT are determined each year.

Responsibilities include managing course development and design (including course transitioning and development of new online/hybrid courses), delivering classroom and online instruction, and providing academic support for these programs, related long-term curriculum development, student recruitment and admission, student retention, supervision of faculty, program budgets, program quality and assessment, community outreach, and alumni
development. In addition, the program leader provides an important link to other programs at the campus with similar content knowledge.

Teaching - 60%
Teach five courses per calendar year in professional performance at the Edwards Campus, Lawrence Campus, or online. Teaching responsibilities include: curriculum development, instructional design, classroom management, grading and teaching improvement in relation to student and colleague feedback. Faculty are responsible for keeping curriculum up-to-date and engaging with external organizations to ensure relevance to a variety of workplace needs. In addition to the regular class teaching schedule, it is expected that transitioning courses to online, hybrid and different length formats as needed will be part of the position. Adhere to program, School, and University policies.
Program Leadership - 30%

• Program Coordination: Provides leadership for program administration
  • Course Scheduling: Coordinates the development of the course schedules with Edwards Campus student needs in mind. Promotes best practice in course scheduling with student feedback. The program leader will collaborate with other program and unit leaders to support the development and integration of communication curriculum and student competency development into other academic and continuing education programs. Develops a two- or three-year course rotation plan.
• • Course Staffing: Develops plans for staffing of the courses to be taught with the appropriate mix of faculty (tenure-track, professor of the practice, teaching professor, lecturer).
  • Program Budgets: Works with the KUEC and SPS administration to develop and manage the budgets for the Professional Performance program.
  • Program Records and Reports: In conjunction with the KUEC and SPS administration responsible for the management and maintenance of all program records, and preparation of reports in accordance with School and University procedures and policies.
  • The program director should be receptive to questions, complaints, grievances, and suggestions from the members of the program, both academic and staff personnel, and from students. The program director has the responsibility to take appropriate actions as required and in accordance with the policies and rules of the School and University.
• Program Supervision:
  • Develop mechanisms to receive constant feedback from the relevant constituencies, including the creation of an advisory board and participation in professional meetings to ensure the continued relevance of the curriculum to meet student and workforce needs.
  • Manages searches, appointments, compensations, evaluations, reviews, teaching assignments, professional development, promotions, merit raises, and dismissals.
  • Provides mentoring and leadership for faculty, particularly those seeking promotion.
• Curriculum Development/Management and Instructional Oversight:
  • Develop mechanisms to receive constant feedback from the relevant constituencies, including the creation of an advisory board and participation in professional meetings to ensure the continued relevance of the curriculum to meet student and workforce needs.
  • Identify program goals for students in appropriate language for marketing.
  • Work with faculty, staff, and the KU Center for Online and Distance Learning to transition/maintain courses for online delivery. Continuously monitor online course offerings to ensure content remains relevant and refreshed on a regular basis.
• Recruitment: Oversees student recruitment activities
  • Defines recruitment messages for the program and audiences; collaborates with campus marketing to maintain and regularly update web content, market program-specific events.
  • Determines enrollment goals in and tracks data in relation to these goals.
  • Participates in the development of recruitment plans.
  • Participates in recruitment and orientation activities coordinated by the recruiter/advisor and Edward Campus staff.
  • Identifies and participates in community engagement activities – partner with campus business development team and local community leaders to build program awareness in the community through presentations and panel participations with local professional associations, chambers of commerce, and specific business, government and non-profit organizations related to one’s academic program.
• Student Career-Related Advising: Defines professional career path advising and works with KU Career Center and Edwards Campus staff to provide career services to student.
  • Provides mentoring for students on career and educational choices
  • Advises students on job hunting and professional networking
• Program Quality and Assessment: Ensures curriculum and teaching pedagogy meets workforce and student needs.
  • Collaborates with Edwards Campus faculty governance and the Academic & Faculty Support Center to deliver Edwards Campus based teaching improvement programs.
  • Ensures that teaching provides students both theory and practical exposure to the discipline, including guest speakers, service learning, internships, etc.
  • Oversees the development of initial program curriculum given market research and competitor analysis. Ensures continued relevance of the curriculum to meet student needs.
  • Develops mechanisms to receive consistent feedback from the relevant professional communities in the Kansas City metro area, including advisory board and participation in professional associations.
  • Oversees elective approvals
  • Conduct annual program reviews and develop/manage formal assessment mechanisms to ensure program coherence and full compliance with guidelines and policies of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR), and industry accreditation authorities.
  • Manage accreditations of PMGT programs, as applicable.
• Service - 10%
  • Serves as a member of the Edwards Campus Academic Program Leadership Team.
    • Contributes to the service mission of the university.
    • Participates regularly in the Edwards Campus Academic Leadership Council
    • Performs community related service as it relates to recruitment and Edwards Campus and program outreach efforts.

Required Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

Additional Candidate Instruction

Only complete application packages submitted online will be considered. A complete online application will include:

• Resume

• Cover Letter

• Names and contact information for three professional references

In addition to the materials above, learning about each applicant's contribution and engagement in areas of diversity is an important part of KU's mission. As a result, applicants will be presented the following question at the time of application. The response must be within 4,000 characters or less:

• Describe your experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds, and explain how those experiences reflect your commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Application review begins Monday, March 7, 2024 and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants is identified. Anticipated start date is April 8, 2024.

In a continuing effort to enrich the academic environment and provide equal educational and employment opportunities, KU actively encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups in higher education. The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the time of appointment.

Details regarding KU benefits can be found here: Benefits

Application Review Begins

07-Mar-2024

Anticipated Start Date

08-Apr-2024

Conditions of Employment

Limited Term

Primary Campus

Univ of Kansas Edwards Campus

Limited Term End Date

03-Apr-2027

Advertised Salary Range

$95k-115k

Disclaimer

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and is the Title IX coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for Civil Rights and Title IX, [email protected], Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY.