Dean of Arts & Letters

General Summary

Join Us at Lake-Sumter State College
Located in the heart of Florida, Lake-Sumter State College provides students with the opportunity to pursue their goals and join Florida’s dynamic workforce. We embrace our mission as a community college to increase access and opportunity for all learners in the communities we serve.

Under the leadership of our President, Dr. Heather Bigard, we are embarking on a bold journey to transform the ways in which we connect and educate our students, while we continue to embrace our rich history of high-quality education and personalized student support services. We currently serve over 6,500 students each year and plan to grow to over 10,000 in the next several years.

The rapid growth in the Orlando metropolitan area, particularly in our service area of Lake and Sumter Counties, is driving growth, innovation, and workforce demand in an array of industries offering high-skill, high-wage positions. By rapidly adapting and responding to this demand, Lake-Sumter State College will continue to be the premier workforce engine driving training and education opportunities in these counties.

This is an exciting time at Lake-Sumter State College! When you join our team, you’ll have the opportunity to connect and collaborate with incredible faculty and staff who are focused on making a real difference in the lives of students in our community. Together, we will create a significant impact to meet the needs of today’s students and prepare for future generations.

Live the Central Florida Lifestyle
Real Florida. Real Close. Central Florida offers the best of both worlds – scenic beauty, including over 1,100 lakes and countless parks and trails, and connections to the Orlando area, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country. Whether you’re looking for adventure at one of Central Florida’s 12 theme parks, shopping, lakes and beaches, nature trails and parks, and a plethora of arts and culture, you’ll find it within reach in Central Florida. Lake-Sumter State College and its employees are proud to be part of this community and all it offers. Join us, and we’ll introduce you to all our area has to offer!

Reporting to the Vice President for Academic Affairs ( VPAA ), the Dean of Arts and Letters is responsible for leading faculty and sustaining a student-centered academic culture that promotes collaboration, innovation, excellence, and integrity in teaching, and sustaining a collegial, respectful, and high-performing work environment for all employees.

This position works in concert with the VPAA to recommend faculty appointment, professional development, academic student support, and evaluation in adherence to college policy and procedures. The Academic Dean provides leadership to personnel and management of procedures and processes in assigned areas. The Dean will coordinate activities and work with supervisors to resolve faculty and student issues and will collaborate with personnel from across the college and community in support of the College mission. The Dean of Arts & Letters provides administrative oversight to to all general studies discipline areas that align with Arts and Letters (English, Speech, Arts, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, etc.) and any directly related support services, and serves as a leader, mentor, and role model to personnel and management of procedures and processes in assigned areas.

The Dean of Arts and Letters is responsible for demonstrating LSSC's core value of Service Excellence: Respect, Competence, Responsiveness, and Collaboration in all interactions.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Ensures fiscal responsibility in the development and management of the schedule of classes and resource management in assigned budgets; monitor spending and approve expenditures according to established policies and procedures
• Collaborates with secondary school partners to coordinate course offerings and other partnership initiatives
• Collaborates with College partners in support of initiatives such as articulation agreements
• Directs and manages course schedules and teaching assignments following the College’s policies and procedures
• Supports faculty excellence in instruction to ensure student success
• Collaborates with instructional leaders throughout the College on initiatives and operations
• Tracks and analyzes student performance, enrollments, and learning outcomes to make informed decisions regarding the status of academic programs and resource management (e.g., personnel and classroom resources)

• Collaborate and plan with other School/Division deans as well as areas across the College to support student enrollment and retention
• Lead and coordinate assignment division faculty and staff participation in mandatory departmental activities (e.g., program reviews, curricular refinement and development, and assessment activities, program accreditation), complete and manage analyses of division programs and staffing needs
• Work collaboratively with faculty to ensure academic quality while focusing on student retention and completion.
• Collaborate with faculty and community partners on program development, curriculum development, and articulation agreements .
• Collaborate with faculty and other administrators in development of an efficient class schedule that meets student needs.
• Ensure that student learning outcomes assessment plans are being followed with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Responsible for meaningful program and service review of assigned areas focusing on continuous improvement.
• Work with leaders of assigned areas on annual budget construction and management.
• Supervise recruitment and evaluation of all personnel in assigned areas. Supervise assigned staff.

• Oversee curriculum and evaluate department, program and faculty performance
• Advance Teaching Excellence in all modalities
• Monitor student retention and outcome data and collaborate with relevant offices to support student success
• Direct and oversee School operations including budget planning, management and analysis, and faculty load and contracts
• Promote enrollment growth through new program development
• Collaborate on faculty and staff development initiatives.
• Serve on College committees as assigned
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

EDUCATION :

Master's degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a discipline within Arts & Letters (English, literature, speech, psychology, political science, sociology, humanities, etc.), or related field required; Doctoral degree preferred.

EXPERIENCE :

Minimum Five (5) years of experience in a college environment that includes a minimum of four (4) years of college-level teaching and leadership experience in a post-secondary setting.

Preferred: Experience with the Florida College System and SACSCOC or other regional accreditation agency policies and procedures.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required

• E x ceptional peop l e skills with the ability to co mmun i cate effectively with peop l e from a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds .
• Demonstrated
  • quantitative, organ iza tional, and technical skills adequate to help des i gn, monitor, and i nterpret ass es sm e nt results .
  • commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and to the spirit of shared governance; demonstrated experience working with other deans, administrators, and diverse stakeholders to establish and achieve goals and support institutional strategic direction
  • experience developing Fam i liarity with student l earning outcomes assessment and how this process relates to program and i n s titution accreditati on .

• Proficient with academic policy and procedure development and managing a budget
• Advanced knowledge in academic assessment
• Proven ability to successfully

• think critically to effectively solve and communicate problems in a fast-paced environment where the demands for work are varied and unpredictable in scope and volume
• analyze data and provide sound recommendations based on policy, procedure, practice and existing regulations
• delegate work appropriately to faculty and staff to meet College and campus deliverables
• use computer applications and enterprise systems, including proficiency with word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software and programs specific to on-line learning.
• work independently and take initiative

• Skilled in excellent customer service and interpersonal skills with diverse populations
• An understanding of and commitment to the open access policy and philosophy of the comprehensive community college

ABILITIES/GENERAL

• Promote a common purpose consistent with stated College goals and demonstrate a commitment to students and the learning environment.
• Possess the knowledge of general written standards and procedures utilized, and have the ability to read, interpret, and follow procedural and policy manual related to the job tasks
• Demonstrate the ability to respond to supervision, guidance and direction in a positive, receptive manner and in accordance with stated policies.
• Provide quality customer service by creating a welcoming and supportive environment.
• Present a professional image in word, action and attire.
• Demonstrate professionalism in dealing with a diverse population while understanding and respecting each other’s view of the world, personalities and working styles
• Conduct oneself in a manner consistent with the College’s standards of ethical conduct.
• Apply effective techniques to create working relationships with others to achieve common goals; successfully communicates and collaborates with others to achieve goals.
• Demonstrate skills necessary to look at situations and processes critically to make recommendations for improvement.
• Strong service orientation, and ability to effectively work as member, or leader, of a team by cooperating with others, offering to help others when needed and considering larger organizational goals rather than individual concerns. Includes the ability to build &/or support a constructive team spirit where members are committed to the goals and objectives of the organization.
• Plan, organize and successfully multitask to meet multiple deadlines and frequently new work tasks within required timeframes. Proven flexibility to successfully work on diversified projects at a fast and accurate pace.
• Effectively manage change and adaptability
• Adheres to all workplace safety rules, safety laws, regulations, standards and practices
• Ability to work various hours including nights, early morning and weekends
• Ability to travel amongst various campuses and attend College events, or off campus, as required.