Director of Research in the A. L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research

Director of Research in the A. L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research and (open rank) Professor

Kennesaw State University is now accepting applications for a senior leadership position in the A. L. Burruss Institute. This position will also hold faculty rank, which will be determined at the time of hire and commensurate with experience. The position’s home department can be in any one of the following three Colleges (the Bagwell College of Education, the Radow College of Humanities and Social Science, or the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services); or it can be a joint appointment spanning Colleges if appropriate.

The mission of the A. L. Burruss Institute, which is housed organizationally within the University’s Office of the Vice President for Research, is to “enhance the ability of governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations to make informed decisions for the public good by providing relevant data, technical resources and skill development.” The successful candidate will have a 25-50% administrative appointment to the A. L. Burruss Institute to serve as its Director of Research and will report, in that capacity, to the Vice President for Research. This is a nine-month academic position with summer support negotiable.

The Director of Research will provide strategic leadership and management over the Institute’s research agenda and service delivery strategy and is charged with increasing the visibility and profile of the Institute. Consequently, the incumbent will have a central leadership role in positioning KSU as a hub of program evaluation both statewide and nationally.

Responsibilities of this position include:

• Setting research priorities for the Institute;
• Collaborating with Institute faculty and staff to grow, conceptualize, and implement a variety of projects in support of the Institute’s mission, with a particular emphasis on evaluation research;
• Discovering, conducting and managing interdisciplinary research projects and services;
• Growing current, and diversifying, revenue streams in support of the Institute’s mission;
• Bridging different substantive areas across campus in support of KSU’s goal to be a top- tier R2 University producing research with relevance that creates and refines knowledge that is aligned to real-world applications;
• Increasing the visibility of the Institute both internally and externally.

In addition, this newly created position will support an increase in campus-wide research productivity with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and research.

The successful candidate is also expected to teach courses at both graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as develop new courses, in their area(s) of expertise. Service to the department, college and/or institution will be required, while service to the professional community will be strongly encouraged.

Candidates must have an earned terminal degree or its foreign equivalent in either education, public health, social and behavioral science, public or nonprofit management or policy, or a related field; and experience teaching courses in, or related to, their field of expertise.

For tenure consideration, the successful candidate must hold tenure and/or possess experience and achievements sufficient to qualify for tenure.

Substantial experience in program evaluation, as well as strong academic and research credentials directly related to qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods are essential for this position.

Expertise and experience in program evaluation, survey research, and study design is a preferred qualification for this position. While the candidate may focus primarily on one or several approaches to research methodology (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, community-based participatory research, field experiments, survey research/interviewing/focus groups, and large dataset analyses), they are expected to be conversant across a broad range of methods and approaches. We are particularly interested in candidates who have research expertise in the practice of evaluation in diverse contexts such as education, public health, social and behavioral interventions, government policies, healthcare settings, and/or community programming.

Qualified candidates will have demonstrated competence in research, evaluation, grant writing, and scholarship. Candidates should have a track record of securing extramural grants and/or contracts, with relevant experience working on funded projects, and evidence of a commitment to collaboration with faculty and students.

For more than 50 years, Kennesaw State University has been known for its entrepreneurial spirit and sense of community. Offering campuses in Marietta and Kennesaw, the university is located just north of Atlanta and combines a suburban setting with access to one of the country’s most dynamic cities. As Georgia’s third-largest university, Kennesaw State offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degrees, including a growing number of doctoral programs.

Designated by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia as a comprehensive university, Kennesaw State is committed to becoming a world-class academic institution positioned to broaden its academic and research missions and expand its scope on a local, regional and national level.

For a full description of this position, application deadlines, and application procedures, visit https://facultyaffairs.kennesaw.edu/faculty_openings.php.

Kennesaw State University, a member of the University System of Georgia, is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and/or veteran status. Georgia is an Open Records state.