Associate Dean of Undergraduate Nursing

As a part of a diverse community of faculty and staff who represent many faith systems and worldviews, Marian University seeks an Associate Dean, Undergraduate Nursing Programs - Leighton School of Nursing (LSON) to promote our Catholic Franciscan mission and identity. Embarking on the journey to advance the Ministry of nursing education is an exhilarating endeavor that marries passion with purpose, thus relying on LSON leaders to set the stage for an inspiring nursing educational journey. It's about crafting an educational sanctuary where aspiring nurses can flourish, equipped with knowledge and skills to excel in the healthcare field.

The Associate Dean, Undergraduate Nursing Programs - LSON is called to be a visionary and reliable leader, embracing a pivotal opportunity to sustain and advance the integrity of nursing education at Marian University. This is a leader who is self-directed and who demonstrates exceptional communication and influence skills to professionally and effectively engage with a diverse university and external stakeholder population that includes, but is not limited to, students, faculty, cross-functional colleagues, community representatives, potential donors and healthcare partners.

Reporting directly to the Dean, Leighton School of Nursing, the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Nursing Programs oversees undergraduate program curriculum, student admission, progression, outcomes, and faculty development. This position has accountabilities for BSN curricular activities and program compliance with state, regional and national accreditation standards. Additionally, the incumbent must consistently employ sound judgment and guide decision-making for undergraduate nursing education policy and practices related to: teaching; advising students; curriculum revision and development; learning program delivery problem-solving; and clinical site management.

The scope and focus of this work requires the incumbent to be proficient at navigating across multiple nursing education program delivery locations and platforms, as described below:

• Traditional on-campus program delivery;
• Virtual technology-enabled program delivery;
• Coordinated, off-site multi-location program delivery;
• Program delivery through external partnerships; and/or
• Program delivery through targeted professional education and/or consulting and training collaborations.

LSON Undergraduate Program Scope and Focus

Guided by LSON Dean oversight and direction, the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Nursing Programs oversees all aspects of undergraduate nursing education. The overarching objectives of the position include: achieving program growth; expanding partnerships; attracting and retaining excellent faculty; increasing IPE; increasing program offerings; assuring financial strength; producing excellent academic results with students completing degree requirements and securing employment in their field; and sustaining compliance with all accreditation and regulatory bodies.

The incumbent in this role will directly and/or indirectly supervise tenured and non-tenured faculty and administrative professional staff and demonstrate capability to form and sustain vertical and cross-functional relationships and partnerships with a broad cross-section of colleagues to evolve an environment conducive to learning.

To ensure that LSON Associate Dean incumbents are gaining sufficient experience and preparation to advance to LSON Dean-level responsibilities, all LSON Associate Dean duties intentionally mirror the accountabilities and competencies of the LSON Dean role, with the understanding that the expected percentages of time stewarding these accountabilities will vary. The specific scope of duties and the expected percentages of time stewarding the responsibilities of the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Nursing Programs role are outlined below.

Marketing & Communications (10%)

• Mission integration
• Advocate for and communication of LSON Purpose

LSON Strategic Planning (15%)

• Industry regulatory and environmental scanning
• Strategic leadership
• Strategic, capability/capacity planning
• Strategy development and implementation
• Organizational development
• Integrated technology strategies

Student Recruitment (25%)

• Recruitment, retention and the student experience

Fundraising/External (15%)

• Philanthropic and grant acquisition initiatives
• Contributing to efforts to garner supplemental funding to support the nursing program
• Strategically cultivating relationships with donors
• Establishing and implementing effective philanthropic and grant acquisition plans

Academic Operations (35%)

• Student community (i.e. groups)
  
  
  
  • LSON Student Services
  
  
  
  
• Undergraduate Curriculum
  
  
  
  • Program strategies
  • Program curriculum development
  • Program compliance/quality accreditation and credentialing
  • Active pursuit of research opportunities
  • Establishing relevant nursing education program delivery partnerships
  • Clinical placement management
  • Program evaluation and delivery effectiveness
  • Academic Affairs - faculty development and inclusion
  • Resource management and allocation
  • Faculty recruitment and management
  • Program data collection, analysis and interpretation
  
  
  
  
• Leadership and Administrative Focus
  
  
  
  • Shared leadership/governance councils
  • Cross-functional leadership and influence
  • Navigating internal/external stakeholder relationships
  • Leadership professional development
  • Fiscal/budget management
  • Environment of work: workplace engagement effectiveness
  
  
  
  

Core Competence Expectations

Working cross-functionally through multiple, interdependent partnerships demands careful planning, dedication and readiness to navigate the complexities of a multi-dimensional, matrixed educational program delivery platform. To perform this job successfully, an individual must consistently demonstrate competence to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or abilities required.

• Decision Maturity - Actively engaging others in the decision process to get multiple inputs to improve the quality of the decision and to pave the path for smooth execution.
• Sustained Reliability - Consistently shows the desire to be someone whom others can truly depend on - demonstrates desire to stand up and be counted on, engaging when it counts and ready to support stakeholders in the moments that matter.
• Fluid Adaptation - Actively engages to learn from those from different services, units, ranks and experiences. Demonstrates willingness to plug into broad and seemingly unrelated information flows and tap into broader networks to sense changes earlier and make strategic moves to take advantage of the changes.
• Strategic Engagement - Engages with others for impact rather than affinity, balancing keen insight to stakeholder priorities with unrelenting focus on delivering program results. Understands the unique needs - emotional, financial, physical - of the full multitude of players who impact realization of their intent.
• Leveraging and Proficiency: Sees organizational politics as embedded aspects of the work itself, to be leveraged. Engages pro-actively and selectively and anticipates political threats and opportunities.
• Develops Networks and Relationships: Builds social networks and strong interpersonal relationships, particularly with key stakeholders. Evolves informed political awareness skills.
• Creates Alignment: Finds common ground among competing agendas and interests through alliances, coalitions and sponsorships. Leverages relationships and networks.
• Versatile Influence: Adapts one's influence behavior to different individuals and situations.
• Authenticity: Engages in organizational politics in a way that feels genuine and consistent with personal values/styles. Embraces honesty, openness.
• Political Awareness: Reads the political landscape, understands individual motives, maps out conflicting agendas, reads the informal power web, identifying key stakeholders.
• Employs Sound Management Practices: Creates a positive professional learning environment, fostering critical thinking, effective delegation, leadership and mentorship, time management, active listening, clear decision-making, commitment to ethical practice and open communication among staff.
• Active Mentoring: Actively seeks to engage and sustain one-on-one mentoring relationships, sharing depth of experience and knowledge that: helps mentees develop their professional skills and advance their careers; build their self-confidence; reduce stress; build their professional network; and connect them with opportunities to improve their problem-solving skills and gain new insight into their role.
• Effective Two-Way Communication: Develops collegial candor - taking steps to create a working environment where individuals feel safe to provide their perspectives on various issues, understanding that there will be agreements and disagreements with these views on the basis of their arguments' merits and not the individual advancing them. Creates an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, expressing concerns, and providing feedback.
• Critical Thinking: Demonstrates command-level skills in recognizing faulty assumptions - identifying what's being taken for granted and evaluating different viewpoints on issues. Evaluating arguments to see multiple sides of an issue - analyzing an argument's reasoning, supporting evidence thoroughly and exploring counterarguments, even when doing so is controversial. Drawing accurate conclusions - bringing diverse information together to come to an appropriate and reasonable conclusion and changing a position when the evidence warrants doing so.
• Coaching for Effectiveness: Applies coaching as a process and tool for navigating complex challenges, evolving critical thinking and evolving proficiency in decision-making and building effective workplace relationships.
• Data Collection, Analysis and Interpretation: Gathers relevant information about nursing students and their program experiences, organizing that data, applying statistical methods to identify patterns and trends and interpreting what the findings mean in the context of improving the nursing program's quality and effectiveness.

University Expectations

• Knowledge of and a commitment to the mission of Marian University.
• Adheres to Marian University's policies and procedures.
• Shows courtesy and respect in interactions with fellow employees, students subordinates, and supervisors.
• Communicates regularly with supervisor about department issues.
• Meets department productivity standards.
• Participates in developing department goals, objective, and systems.
• Assists to establish department measurements that align and support the accomplishment of the University's strategic goals.
• Adheres to the department budget.

Required Qualifications:

• Evidence of promoting mission values that include faculty, administration, staff and students.
• Philosophical alignment with Marian University's Mission, Vision, and Values.
• Legacy of Academic excellence, PhD or DNP preferred. Earned doctorate in nursing, education or health science required. Master's degree in nursing also required to supplement any non-nursing doctoral degree or related discipline from a regionally and professionally accredited institution.
• 5+ years of accredited nursing leadership in an academic setting.
• Demonstrable record of program growth and achievement of operational excellence.
• Record of high student achievement including exam scores and pass rates.
• Strong financial acumen and stewardship to effectively manage finite resources to achieve the goals of LSON and the University.
• Outstanding communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Sufficient evidence of publication, research, grant-writing.
• Promotion of faculty scholarship.
• Academic credentials commensurate with the appointment at the rank of associate or full professor preferred.
• The ability to attain an unencumbered RN license to practice in the state of Indiana. Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) may be required.
• A minimum of three years of administrative experience working within an undergraduate nursing program.
• Success in private sector fundraising or skillsets that would translate into this work and the willingness to learn how to be successful.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

For Consideration All Applications Require:

1. Cover Letter
2. Current resume or CV
3. Contact information of three professional references. The reference contact information must be entered after the application is submitted in the "My Presence" section of the applicant profile.
4. Responses to the supplementary mission & identity questions.

Please Review Marian University's Mission & Identity Statement before responding to the supplementary questions on your application:

https://www.marian.edu/faith

Marian University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All individuals, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.