Associate Dean of Health and Wellness

Primary Function: As a senior member of the Division of Student Life, the Associate Dean of Health and Wellness provides strategic direction, and operational management, for a comprehensive portfolio that includes the University Wellness Center (University Health Service, Counseling and Psychological Services, and Wellness Promotion and Outreach) and Sewanee FitWell (campus fitness center).Reporting to the Associate Provost for Student Life, Dean of Students, the Associate Dean will provide collaborative leadership for the division’s mission to foster a healthy and flourishing campus community where all students thrive and succeed. The Associate Dean will be responsible for collaboratively developing and implementing educational programs and initiatives into the life of the Sewanee community by identifying and creating mechanisms for integration at both co-curricular and curricular levels, and will help develop and implement a comprehensive campus community wellness initiative grounded in both primary and secondary preventative approaches that will enhance the well being of students and the campus community at large. In collaboration with the Dean of Students, the Associate Dean assesses and evaluates all wellness operations, policies, and programs to ensure mission compliance, student and community impact, and organizational effectiveness.

Typical Duties & Responsibilities: 

• In collaboration with the Associate Provost for Student Life, Dean of Students, provide leadership and functional responsibility for the strategic planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of a multifaceted campus-wide wellness education program and evaluate key performance measures for students’ physical, emotional, psychological, and overall well-being.

• Utilizing knowledge derived from expertise, training, and the empirical literature rooted in the disciplines of psychology, medicine, and public health, guide and oversee campus-wide harm reduction and wellness programming designed to enhance student success. Such programming may include existing and effective models, but it would be expected that the Associate Dean would create new and innovative curricula that enhances not just the well-being of Sewanee students, but serves as a model for other institutions.

• In collaboration with the Dean of Students, and Division of Student Life, develop and sustain collaborative partnerships across the Institution to advance the work of the Wellness Commons. With the Dean of Students, co-chair a task force on Student Wellness that was launched with the support of a SAMHSA, Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant, and includes membership from a diverse cross-section of the campus community. With the Dean of Students, serve as a liaison for external partnerships with JED Campus and Steve Fund. Oversee the completion of Sewanee’s involvement in the Equity in Mental Health Framework Pilot Project in collaboration with the Steven Fund.

• Serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) of a newly funded Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women Grant to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus (SDDVS). The grant was received October 1, 2020 and will conclude on October 1, 2023. As PI provide oversight for all grant-related activities and provide supervision to the Project Director for the SDDVS grant.

• Identify and establish strategic partnerships that develop innovative collaborations between the University and community partners, and that produce research that results in internal and external funding.

• In collaboration with the Dean of Students, and Division of Student Life, provide leadership for a program of research on collegiate well-being that informs education and programming on campus, and that serves as a model for other institutions. Implement data-driven decision-making to enact positive cultural change on campus.

• Serve as an institutional and national thought leader on campus wellness with a clear understanding of how specific social inequities are a public health issue. Responsible for overseeing student public health initiatives for the campus and creating meaningful opportunities to engage directly with others who are working to positively influence student well-being and campus culture.

• Provide leadership and administrative supervision to all directors in the Wellness Commons, including clinical supervision, as needed. Provide oversight for all aspects of programming within the Wellness Commons in collaboration with Directors and Coordinators.

• In collaboration with the Director of Counseling & Psychological Services, oversee the development of a newly designed training program.

• In conjunction with the Division of Student Life leadership team, provide crisis management support for campus emergencies, and serve as a member of the division’s after-hours, on-call team, and Student Life’s Behavioral Intervention Team.

• Provide oversight for the Wellness Commons’ operating budget. Develop creative and innovative strategies to increase revenue streams in the Commons.

• Maintain relationships with the local hospital and surrounding psychiatric hospitals to support effective referrals for students. Develop MOU (memorandum of understanding) with psychiatric hospitals, as needed. Maintain relationships, and contracts, with external service providers: Anderson Billing, ProtoCall, and Point and Click EMR.

• Consult with University departments seeking organizational development and conflict resolution assistance.

• Serve on University committees and act as a liaison between the Wellness Commons and other offices/committees.

• Participate in policy review and policy setting.

• As needed, provide clinical services in CAPS.

Education: 

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D., Psy.D., Ed.D or equivalent) in psychology, counseling, social work, or related field.

Experience: 

• 7-9 years of experience as a licensed psychologist/counselor/social worker; experience at the director or executive director level.

Job Related Skills: 

• A demonstrated record of research experience within the field of psychology, well-being, health promotion, and/or mental health treatment, and a demonstrated record of successfully securing external funding.

• The successful candidate should possess outstanding communication skills, the ability to build cross-disciplinary alliances, work effectively with community partners, have significant experience developing, implementing, and evaluating community-based health promotion and disease prevention programming.

• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, recognizing the important ways that inclusivity affects the delivery of exceptional wellness services. Hire and develop culturally attuned staff and address public health issues on campus through a multicultural lens.

• Strong organizational skills, and the ability to build consensus on issues, policies, and processes are essential skills required of the individual chosen for this leadership position.

• Excellent leadership, diplomacy, and team management skills with the ability to engage others through a participative process, while serving as a key decision maker.

• Demonstrated commitment to working with a diverse and inclusive student body, faculty, staff, and other constituents.

• Strong project and program management and evaluation skills.

• Knowledge of student development theory, program development, management and leadership education, learning outcomes assessment, staff training/development, and student advisement.

Licenses/Certifications: 

• Current licensure as a psychologist, counselor, or social worker, with health service provider designation, in the state of Tennessee; or license-eligible within 6 months of relocation.

Working Environment: 

• Normal office environment, 24-hour emergency response duties, frequent evening and weekend work.

Additional Requirements Specific to this Position: 

• Must be able to wear an approved mask for prolonged periods while performing job duties and responsibilities.

EEO Statement: The University of the South is an equal opportunity educational institution that is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive campus environment.

Non-discrimination Statement: The University of the South stands firmly for the principle that its employees, students, and participants of university-sponsored programs and activities have a right to be free from discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, pregnancy and childbirth, and genetic information. As required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sex or other protected categories in the educational programs or activities which it operates. This requirement of non-discrimination extends to admission to and employment in those programs or activities. The University is committed to sustaining a community in which the dignity of every individual is respected. Key to this value are efforts to nurture an environment of civility and mutual respect and to foster a culture of reporting concerns so that the University can respond promptly and equitably whenever an incident occurs. All employees, students, and participants of university-sponsored programs and activities have the right to be free from harassment and retaliation.

Inquiries regarding the application of Title IX may be addressed to:

The University’s Title IX Coordinator, Dr. Sylvia Gray, at:
Woods Lab, 138
(931) 598-1420
Email: smgray@sewanee.edu or titleix@sewanee.edu