Assistant Director of Clinical Experiences

Bemidji State University (BSU) invites applicants to join our Professional Education team as the Assistant Director of Clinical Experiences. BSU’s vision is to educate people to lead inspired lives. To accomplish BSU’s vision, the University prioritizes creating a culture in which diversity is embraced and all people are safe, welcome, and validated. BSU also prioritizes increasing engagement with Indigenous communities to become a destination university.

BSU is located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota and occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. BSU balances rigorous academia with the opportunity to enjoy a fun, robust, outdoor culture. The proximity to the lake and the surrounding north woods allows easy access to an assortment of recreation. Major campus facilities are connected by all-season underground passages for safe and warm travel during the cold, winter months. 

Enrolling more than 5,000 students, BSU offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. BSU’s Shared Fundamental Values include civic engagement and leadership, international and multicultural understanding, belief in the power of the liberal arts, and environmental stewardship.

The Assistant Director of Clinical Experiences assists the Director in placing and managing roughly 600 high complexity student teacher and field experience assignments each year. The Assistant Director maintains a working knowledge of policies and procedures of the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB), Rule and Licensure Requirements, Minnesota Statutes, Association for Advancing Quality Education Preparation (AAQEP) Accreditation Requirements, and policies and procedures of the Professional Education Department of Clinical Experiences. This position coordinates the Clinical Office functions to smoothly assign roughly 600 student placements per year in and around Bemidji as well as in the Minneapolis area and other states. The Assistant Director appropriately collects and conveys pertinent information with approximately 150 partner schools, mostly in Minnesota, but also with other states across the country.

Responsibilities of the Assistant Director of Clinical Experiences include:

• Assisting Professional Education students in the process of becoming licensed teachers, which requires:
  • Comprehensive knowledge of PELSB requirements and state statutes to determine and verify teacher candidate eligibility.
  • Advanced knowledge to coordinate and oversee the successful administration and reporting of the Pearson education Teacher Preparation Assessment (edTPA) with the Department Directors.
  • Ability to negotiate, build, and maintain relationships with Hosting School Districts, Cooperating Teachers, and University Supervisors.
  • Ability to provide work direction to the Office Support Assistants and student workers assigned to the Professional Education Clinical Office.
• Representing the Department. Attending staff meetings and coordinating efforts with the other Professional Education staff members to ensure Clinical Office practices dovetail with Department operations. Attending Professional Education department meetings and additional committee meetings, as assigned. Overseeing maintenance of minutes for Content Coordinators (CC) Meeting and Field Experience Committee (FEC). Keeping records for both committees and assisting with agenda writing. Collecting signed CC Agreements each fall and delivering to the Department Chair, Dean, and Academic Affairs.
• Administering the Educators Abroad MOA. Developing and maintaining the set of forms and the document flow to ensure candidates understand how to apply for student teaching abroad. Assisting candidates with navigating the process and ensuring all forms are delivered according to the submission schedule.
• Representing BSU and maintaining contact and communicating with other state universities in the Common Market Program and other universities in- and out-of-state in the placement of student teachers. Sending final evaluations (from cooperating teachers and university supervisors) for Common Market students to their home Common Market Universities.

• Bachelor’s degree plus four (4) years of additional experience in professional education, or a combination education and/or related professional education experience.
• Experience serving as a liaison between students, faculty, PELSB, administrators, university supervisors, and teachers.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Master’s degree.
• Advanced knowledge of complex policies, principles, practices and data applicable to managing multiple governing agencies rule, statutes, policies, and guidance.
• Experience using management software system and programs.
• Knowledge of Minnesota K-12 schools.

Apply online: https://bemidjistate.peopleadmin.com/

A complete application will include the following attachments:

• Cover letter, which addresses the required qualifications and your specific interest in working at Bemidji State University.
• Resume / Curriculum Vitae.

Inquiries about the position:

Renae Spangler, Director of Clinical Experience

Email: Renae.Spangler@bemidjistate.edu

If you have general questions about this posting or submitting an application, contact Teresa Hanson at teresa.hanson@bemidjistate.edu.

UNIVERSITY / COMMUNITY

WHY BEMIDJI:

Bemidji State University is nestled among the pines along the shores of Lake Bemidji, just blocks from a thriving downtown community. In this Northwoods setting, students, staff, and faculty have a variety of activities at their fingertips. Possessing all the charm and character of a college town, Bemidji remains a tight-knit community of good neighbors and engaged citizens who always come out to cheer for the Bemidji State Beavers. While the city of Bemidji — named after the Ojibwe Chief Shaynowishkung (nicknamed Bemidji) — is home to a diverse population of more than 15,000 people, it serves a regional population of more than 100,000.

Located between three American Indian reservations – Leech Lake, Red Lake and White Earth, students at Bemidji State University have the opportunity to experience a dynamic local culture and history. Bemidji also sits at the center of the legends of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. The famous statues of Paul and Babe greet students as they drive in from the south along Lake Bemidji.

Though quaint and historic, the city offers the urban conveniences upon which college students rely. Bemidji State is conveniently located minutes away from affordable restaurants, cozy coffee shops, grocery stores, city parks and more. Small, locally owned shops and art sculptures line the streets of downtown Bemidji, while national chains can be found in and around the Bemidji area, including an uptown selection of department stores and restaurants.

The thriving downtown community presents ample opportunities for engagement off-campus. Among other things, there are fine-dining restaurants, cafes, and a natural foods co-op in downtown Bemidji. The historic Paul Bunyan Playhouse has a calendar of classic shows; restaurants and lounges offer weekly live music performances; the First Friday Art Walk provides a tour of new monthly art exhibits; and annual events such as the Loop the Lake Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Blue Ox Marathon, Bemidji Winterfest, and The Minnesota Finlandia bring the community together.

For those who love the outdoors, there are wooded, multi-use trail systems within minutes of campus and community parks with walking trails, playgrounds and a skate park. Lake Bemidji State Park and its miles of navigable trails is located directly across the lake from BSU, and the Buena Vista Ski Area — just 12 miles north of campus — offers downhill skiing and BSU-sponsored student transportation in the winter months. Further, the Mississippi River Headwaters is a mere 45 minutes from Bemidji.

For further information, visit our website at: http://www.bemidjistate.edu

Review a "special report on how this former lumber town has rebuilt itself as a high-speed, regional center of enterprise" at Bemidji 2.0