Associate Professor/Professor and Executive Director of the School of Global Studies and Languages

Position Announcement
The University of Oregon College of Arts of Sciences (CAS) seeks a senior scholar and experienced administrator to serve as Executive Director (ED) of the university’s new School of Global Studies and Languages (GSL). The ED will report to the CAS Dean and will oversee operations of the School’s constituent units, which include the Department of Global Studies and four language and literature departments/programs: East Asian Languages and Literatures; German and Scandinavian; Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies; and Romance Languages. The School is also home to the Yamada Language Center, Northwest Indian Language Institute, and six area studies programs: African Studies, Asian Studies, European Studies, Judaic Studies, Latin American Studies, and Middle East and North African Studies.

The ED will have the unique opportunity to guide the new School in implementing a vision to become a top destination for students who want global careers. The distinctive features of the School will be an interdisciplinary curriculum that engages students in language learning and major world issues (e.g., climate change) from a diversity of perspectives in structured, professional pathways that seamlessly launch students from their academic pursuits into exciting and meaningful global careers. It will also integrate co-curricular experiences, such as study abroad, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities, with the curriculum and provide advising services to help match students to these experiences (e.g., creating study abroad programs that offer internships connected to a student’s curricular pathway).

The ED will also be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the School and managing resource allocations across its units. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are foundational principles of the School, and the ED should be committed to and experienced in bringing a DEI lens in all aspects of the School. The ED will be expected to be a vigorous advocate for the School and to pursue significant external funding.

The new School builds on a number of existing strengths. Our language and literature departments teach 17 different languages and related literatures in person, and we consistently rank in the top 20 of all U.S. universities in number of annual conferred language degrees. We already offer a popular Global Studies degree and rank top 20 in placement of graduates into the Peace Corps. We have a strong, research-active faculty as befitting an R1 university that is a member of the Association of American Universities, and offer 12 graduate programs across the departments and programs that comprise the new School.

The ED should be a tenured scholar whose scholarship will be directly related to one or more of the disciplines that make up the School’s extensive purview. The successful candidate must be capable of leading by example the effort to support and strengthen intersections of research and teaching between our language and literature departments and the social science disciplines, as well as have strong interpersonal skills, including demonstrated abilities in communication and collaborative interaction with diverse groups and populations.

Department or Program Summary
GSL aspires to draw students to UO by engaging them with cultures, languages, histories, and ways of life across the world. The School’s mission is to prepare graduates for their future lives and careers by providing holistic, interdisciplinary perspectives on critical issues and cultural developments that are global and historical in scope. GSL provides a career-legible, interdisciplinary curriculum, drawing on the research and pedagogic expertise of faculty in the social sciences and humanities. Customized curricular pathways allow students to acquire foundational skills in the liberal arts and to translate them into real-world abilities. The School is home to a community of students and faculty who value the common transformational experience of immersion in multiple languages and cultures. This shared value forges a collective mission, while honoring the diverse histories, cultures, and disciplines embraced by GSL.

Alongside the School’s focus on cultures and languages, GSL immerses students in humanistic and social science perspectives and methods of inquiry. Students will pursue language learning, cultural studies, and engage undergraduate professional tracks, including international law, diplomacy, human rights, global health and development, and global environmental change, all of which position them to bring humanities-informed cultural understanding to careers that have global impact. The School provides students with language and intercultural skills that align with their individual academic and career goals and that prepare them for future opportunities and in a 21st-century global context. Students study abroad, engage in experiential learning that bridges theoretical knowledge and its practical application, and participate in career-readiness activities at every step of their degree progress.

Minimum Requirements
• Ph.D. or terminal degree in an academic discipline related to the vision of the School;
• Record of scholarship, teaching, and service commensurate with the rank of Associate or Full Professor at an R1 university;
• Three years of experience in leadership and administration in higher education;
• Demonstrated experience, knowledge, skills, and/or success in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within higher education.

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience working with a diverse student body, including both international students and domestic students from diverse backgrounds;
• Record of success in curricular and instructional innovation;
• Demonstrated skills in fiscal and personnel management in higher education;
• Experience with representing a school or university to external constituents, including in the areas of development and fundraising;
• Full Professor rank at an R1 university;
• Demonstrated public or community engagement.

Candidates with an equivalent combination of experience and/or education are encouraged to apply.

About the University
The University of Oregon is one of only two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities. The UO enrolls more than 20,000 undergraduate and 3,600 graduate students representing all 50 states and nearly 100 countries. The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) is the intellectual hub of the University of Oregon, providing academic programs that support the mission of the entire institution and shape its identity as a comprehensive research university. Over the past five years, increased resources for tenure-track faculty lines, coupled with an historic wave of retirements, has allowed CAS to hire 167 tenure-track faculty (more than a third of its total research faculty), transforming its faculty ranks to build diversity, as well as research expertise in strategic areas ranging from Global Health to Black Studies to Data Science. The UO’s 295-acre campus features state-of-the art facilities in a beautiful Pacific Northwest setting within the traditional homelands of the Kalapuya people. The UO is located in Eugene, a vibrant city of 157,000, within easy driving distance of the Pacific Coast, the Cascade Mountains, and Portland.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit http://hr.uoregon.edu/careers/about-benefits.

The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply, and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at uocareers@uoregon.edu or 541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, Office of Civil Rights Compliance, or to the Office for Civil Rights. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed on the statement of non-discrimination.

In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at http://police.uoregon.edu/annual-report.


Similar searches: Administrator, Full-time, 4-year college or university, English, Oregon