Associate Director, Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation (KCAI)

BEST CONSIDERATION DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Wednesday, July 31, 2024

ABOUT THE WILLIAM E. KIRWAN CENTER FOR ACADEMIC INNOVATION:

The William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation champions access, affordability, and achievement of high-quality credentials for Maryland students through the development of system-level innovations focused on teaching and learning. We are guided in this work by the values of equity, inclusion, collaboration, and sharing. The Kirwan Center sits within the Office of Academic and Student Affairs in the University System of Maryland.

The Center’s portfolio includes projects and initiatives that support these aims, as well as regular convenings of teaching and learning and academic innovation representatives from USM institutions, an external advisory board for the Center, and advisory committees for more established initiatives. Capacity-building, boundary-spanning, and collaboration are at the heart of the Kirwan Center’s work; hallmarks of all Kirwan Center projects and initiatives are a) there being a unique and value-added role for work to take place at a System level (e.g., reach/scale, cross-institutional sharing of lessons learned) and b) the promise of improving teaching and learning, equity, and student success.

The Center’s strategic priorities for 2024-2027 are to:

1. Build institutional capacity to support and scale inclusive, learner-centered teaching and high-impact educational practices;
2. Advance faculty engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning to understand what works to improve student success;
3. Champion statewide use of open education to increase educational relevance, advance equity, and deepen student engagement;
4. Explore alternative credentials and other mechanisms aimed at making students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities more transparent. 
5. Facilitate cross-institutional knowledge-sharing and use of established and emerging technologies to improve teaching and learning, with particular attention directed to Generative AI and to digital accessibility.

The Kirwan Center marked its 10-year anniversary in academic year 2023-24. Coming in at a time of exciting transition for the Kirwan Center, the Associate Director will play a critical role in helping to set direction for the Center for the next decade.

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The Associate Director is responsible for planning, organizing, and carrying out day-to-day operations of a subset of Kirwan Center projects and initiatives and works with the Executive Director to set the Center’s goals and priorities and develop initiatives. The position actively contributes to all aspects of program and associated event development – planning, implementation, and evaluation – with an orientation toward excellence in all offerings and continuous improvement of programs and services.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Implementation of Initiatives/Projects:

• Supports the implementation of system-wide academic innovation initiatives and associated projects, including planning, coordination, execution, and evaluation.
• Leads planning committees and task forces to advance initiatives and develop specific projects.
• With input from ED and any advisory groups:
• conducts needs/interest assessments;
• determines length and type of engagements relative to available budget and human resources (e.g., individual, team-based);
• develops initiative framing language, project goals, call for participation (etc.);
• structures opportunities for engagement that help advance initiative/project goals;
• assesses progress and conducts evaluation.

Center Operations:

• Plans and leads staff meetings.
• Tracks progress across projects and initiatives; helps set short-term (weekly, monthly) priorities for advancing current projects.
• Drafts/contributes to the development of meeting agendas, grant proposals, position papers, reports, press releases, and other Center documents.
• Leads the planning and execution of virtual and in-person webinars, summits, workshops, retreats, and meetings.
• Uses research methods to evaluate Center’s reach and impact.

Committee Leadership and Representation:

• Leads committees affiliated with the Center or represents the Kirwan Center on committees within the System.
• Stands in for the Executive Director at events and meetings as needed.
• Contributes to maintaining and enhancing the Kirwan Center’s reputation as a trusted partner and leader in academic innovation.

Strategic Planning:

• Works with the Executive Director to set Center goals and priorities and develop initiatives.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Education Level/Certifications:

Master’s degree from an accredited institution.

Required Experience:

• 5 years of experience developing and leading innovative professional development (workshops, learning communities, etc.) and/or initiatives related to college teaching and learning.
• Experience facilitating adoption of established and emerging learning technologies.
• Experience with quantitative data analysis and reporting.

Required Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Strong attention to detail in one’s work.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
• Problem-solving skills and ability to take initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to:
• Incorporate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into programs and services;
• Work collaboratively and productively with administrators, faculty, and staff;
• Develop and manage collegial relationships with professionalism and grace;
• Communicate and act with discretion, sensitivity, and sound judgment in working across different campus constituent groups;
• Set priorities, work independently, and be flexible in one’s work; and
• Give and receive productive feedback.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Preferred Education Level/Certifications:

Doctorate from an accredited institution

Preferred Experience:

Experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Facilitating the development of alternative credentials and other mechanisms aimed at making students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities more transparent
• Facilitating cross-institutional knowledge-sharing and use of established and emerging technologies to improve teaching and learning, with emphasis on Generative AI
• Advancing best practices in universal design for learning and digital accessibility
• Building institutional capacity to support and scale inclusive, learner-centered teaching
• Leading academic change at a higher education state system level or at a higher education consortium/institutional member-based higher education association.
• Organizing, leading, and evaluating train-the-trainer activities.
• Conducting quantitative data analysis and reporting in the area of program evaluation.
• Conducting quantitative educational research or program evaluation in one or more of the Kirwan Center’s current initiative areas (see www.usmd.edu/cai).

Preferred Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

Successful grant proposal authorship in one or more of the Kirwan Center’s current initiative areas (see www.usmd.edu/cai).

Annual Salary:

$135,000-$150,000

Benefits

• Paid Leave: 22 days of annual leave, 15 days of sick & safe leave, 15 holidays, 3 personal leave days, 12 weeks paid parental leave.
• Health Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with flexible spending accounts.
• Retirement Plans: Mandatory and supplemental options with major providers like Fidelity and TIAA.
• Life Insurance: Optional term life and AD&D benefits through MetLife.
• Tuition Benefits: Tuition remission for employees and their families.
• Training & Development: Free professional development conferences and unlimited LinkedIn Learning access.
• Credit Union Access: Membership eligibility for SECU, Maryland’s largest credit union.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Free counseling, legal, financial, and work-life support services.

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