Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty

WARTBURG COLLEGE

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty

WARTBURG COLLEGE, a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Waverly, Iowa, seeks an experienced academic leader to serve as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty. Reporting to the President of the College, the VPAA and Dean provides judicious guidance to the institution’s academic and service programs and embraces and clearly articulates the mission and vision of the College.

For complete information, see the Search Profile at https://myersmcrae.com/skins/userfiles/files/Wartburg.pdf

The Opportunity

Founded in 1852, Wartburg College is nationally recognized for its community engagement and academic excellence. As an ELCA institution of higher learning, Wartburg College is an ecumenical, open, and affirming community that honors its intellectual Christian heritage, while welcoming and reflecting a variety of traditions within its student body, faculty, and staff.

Dedicated to challenging and nurturing students for lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning, the College is characterized by vigorous academic expectations and community engagement within an environment of strong personal support. Vocation lives at the heart of a Wartburg education, and our students are uniquely equipped to explore how their passions intersect with the needs of the community and world. The College’s highly engaged alumni number more than 24,000.

The residential campus is home to about 1,500 students from more than 35 U.S. states and about 60 countries representing more than 20 Christian denominations and several world religions. Wartburg encourages and values respectful conversations with people of diverse backgrounds and with differing spiritual perspectives.

Wartburg distinguishes its educational approach through the Lutheran theological pattern of rejecting dualistic thinking in favor of holding apparently contradictory things together in a creative tension. These dynamic interactions can be expressed as:

• A dedication to the liberal arts and a concern for usefulness and careers;
• A rigorous academic program and an emphasis on “living your learning;”
• A commitment to leadership and a tradition of service to others;
• A spirit of inquiry and exploration and a foundation of faith and values;
• A vigorous global outreach and strong Midwestern roots;
• A focus on the future and appreciation of the past.

With more than 85 full-time and 70 part-time faculty, Wartburg offers degrees in over 50 majors, the most popular of which are biology, business administration, elementary education, music therapy, engineering, and psychology, all of which are rooted in the liberal arts tradition. Graduate programs include a Master of Arts in music therapy and a post-baccalaureate certificate in leadership. In 2018, the College partnered with Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, to offer an integrated BA/MDiv degree program.

The College’s 4-4-1 academic calendar includes a May Term that provides unique opportunities for off-campus study, internships, and field experiences. The one-term Wartburg West program in Denver, Colo., combines a pre-professional internship with academic coursework. A similar program is offered in Des Moines, Iowa. Each year, during the College’s breaks, students lead service trips that not only help the communities and people they visit, but also inspire students to transform their thinking and create a lifelong commitment to service and the public good.

The College offers 18 music ensembles, open to all majors, including two auditioned choirs and a wind ensemble that each tour internationally on a rotating three-year schedule. Students may participate in more than 80 student organizations, including honor societies and academic organizations, as well as more focused groups in spiritual life, the performing arts, service, and recreation.

Wartburg competes in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) and is a member of the NCAA Division III. The College’s 24 athletic teams have 26 straight years of individual or team national championships and more than 100 conference titles.

Recognition of Excellence

• One of five colleges to receive the Washington Center’s inaugural Higher Education Civic Engagement Award for service-learning and community engagement.
• Nationally classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its commitment to community outreach and service-learning through 2025.
• Named eight consecutive times to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, three times “with distinction,” in recognition of volunteer efforts by Wartburg students.
• Included in 2019 Washington Monthly’s best liberal arts colleges ranking for its contribution to the public good through social mobility, research, and service.
• Awarded a MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship for the Wartburg “Community Builders” program.
• Ranked 17th in the nation for short-term study abroad in the 2018 Open Doors Report, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
• Ranked in the top 15 in the nation’s best “Hidden Gems for Women in STEM” by College Raptor in 2019.
• Ranked in the top 25 computer science schools in the nation by Best Value Schools in 2020.
• Ranked in top 5 percent for best value and for biology and education programs by com in 2019-20.
• Ranked in the top 20 music therapy bachelor programs in the U.S. by org in 2019.
• Included among the first-tier Best National Liberal Arts Colleges as ranked by S. News and World Report.
• Recognized in the 2018 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education U.S. College Ranking that puts student success and learning at the forefront.

The Position

The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty provides leadership for the academic program of the College in the effort to offer the highest quality of instruction fulfilling the mission of the institution.

Candidates must have an earned doctorate and a minimum of five years of progressive leadership and academic experience.

Characteristics and Priorities for the VPAA and Dean

• Firmly committed to the mission and eager to advocate for the College, the faculty, and the students
• Honest and trustworthy, possessing personal and professional integrity
• Committed to shared governance with due respect for faculty authority and responsibility
• Disposed to collaborate, listen, and consider multiple viewpoints while being decisive
• Committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and furthermore eager to enhance diversity among faculty and staff
• Experienced with curriculum design and implementation
• Comfortable with experiential learning, including engaged pedagogies, such as service-learning, student-faculty research, community-based and laboratory-based research, and public scholarship
• Able to reimagine teaching and learning at a residential liberal arts college while incorporating appropriate instructional technology
• Attentive to faculty and staff professional development
• Experienced in program assessments of learning outcomes
• Familiar with higher education financial processes and systems

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• As the administrative officer responsible for academic programs, hires, supervises, directs, and evaluates the Assistant Dean of the Faculty; the Director of the Library; the Director of Assessment, Accreditation & Planning; the Instructional Designer; the Registrar; the Director of Study Away; the Director of Wartburg West; the directors of the Institute for Leadership Education, the Slife Social Work Institute, the German Institute, the Center for Integrative & Interdisciplinary Studies, and Undergraduate Research; the academic Department Chairs; the Program Coordinators; and the administrative assistant for academic affairs.
• Leads the faculty in the development of educational policies of the College, including but not limited to, graduation requirements, monitoring the academic progress of students, monitoring the functions of academic departments, monitoring the delivery of instruction, and introducing curriculum revisions.
• Liaises with the various accrediting associations, including the Higher Learning Commission, ensuring that Wartburg College complies with necessary requirements.
• Leads the process to hire faculty who offer promise for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service as well as represent an excellent fit with the mission of the College, recommending such appointments to the President.
• Leads processes whereby faculty are evaluated and given direction for professional development and through which they may apply for and secure promotion and tenure.
• Maintains the Faculty Handbook and recommends policies affecting the general welfare of the academic program and the faculty to the President and Board of Regents.
• Identifies opportunities in the external environment to develop new academic programs that offer promise to advance the institution.
• Recommends faculty for promotion and tenure.
• Plans opportunities for faculty development.
• Serves and chairs College committees and advisory groups as assigned.
• Provides information to the Cabinet concerning educational goals and issues.
• Collaborates with Cabinet members to build budgets, to recommend College policies and procedures, and to foster a climate of collaboration among academic affairs and other units of the College.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Waverly, Iowa

The city of Waverly is an award-winning Iowa Main Street community of 10,000 residents. Located in northeast Iowa on the banks of the Cedar River, the city offers excellent public and private pre-K–12 education options, a wide array of outdoor activities, and an excellent system of parks and golf courses.

A vibrant, progressive community, the city is a well-educated, physically active community that invites diversity and seeks to be challenged by a culture of intellectual inquiry and committed social action. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, a metropolitan area of 170,000 residents and among the most diverse in Iowa, is less than 20 minutes away, providing easy access to an airport, shopping centers, and entertainment venues.

Application and Nomination Process

Confidential inquiries are welcomed, and nominations are invited.

Application packet must include:  a) A letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and qualifications of the position, b) Current curriculum vitae, and c) At least five references with full contact information including e-mails  (References will not be contacted without consent from applicants.)

Additional information will be requested upon receipt of application.

Submit application packet to Wartburg-VPAA@myersmcrae.com (preferably as PDFs) by October
14, 2020, for best consideration.

Submit nominations to Wartburg-VPAA-nominate@myersmcrae.com with complete contact and email information for the individual being nominated.

Kenny Daugherty, President, of Myers McRae Executive Search is conducting this search. David
Gring, Ph.D., Senior Consultant, is assisting.

Wartburg College does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, genetics, sex, creed, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability in employment, programs, or benefits.

Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting

515 Mulberry Street, Suite 200, Macon, Georgia 31201

(478) 330-6222  myersmcrae.com