Director, Torreyson Library

Position Summary

The University of Central Arkansas seeks a Director of Torreyson Library. The successful applicant will be an inspiring, collaborative leader committed to intellectual excellence and curiosity; student access and success; and diversity, belonging, inclusion, and equity. Our new colleague will articulate a vision for Torreyson Library’s future premised upon how these pillars of UCA’s learning community inherently are interdependent. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, but we particularly encourage persons to apply who hail from communities the Academy historically has excluded. The Director of Torreyson Library ultimately is responsible for all leadership, planning, budgeting, management, administration, and assessment of UCA’s library services, resources, and facilities.

The University

Founded in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School, the University of Central Arkansas now enrolls more than 10,000 students. While its name has changed, UCA’s commitments to a teacher-scholar faculty model, the liberal arts, and the education of all students in preparation for lives of meaningful service have not changed. Today, UCA offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs, including six doctoral programs and 33 master’s degree programs. The university’s first-time undergraduate student body consistently scores well above state and national averages on the ACT. In addition, the demographic diversity of the student body outpaces that of the state as a whole, with about one-third of UCA students being students of color. UCA’s graduation and retention rates rank quite favorably, too, when compared to other state institutions and regional-comprehensive universities writ large.

The Community

UCA is located in Conway, a rapidly growing and diversifying, as well as economically vibrant, city of nearly 70,000 people. Conway itself is located only a half-hour’s drive from the state capital, which places Conway within the Little Rock Metro Area—the largest metro in Arkansas, and that supports a close-knit community of directors of academic and public libraries. Known as the “City of Colleges,” Conway is home not only to UCA, but also two private colleges, a professional orchestra, several venues that feature live theatrical productions, and several art museums and galleries. The city boasts a number of major industries, too, in addition to outstanding K-12 public schools and several private-school options. About one-quarter of our Conway neighbors are persons of color, while almost 20 percent of Conwegians are Black or African American. Local residents enjoy easy access to myriad outdoor opportunities both nearby Conway and within city limits; the city has constructed many miles of scenic walking trails, bike paths, and parks. Nevertheless, Central Arkansas’s cost of living—to include that associated with real estate, and state and local taxation—ranks well below national averages.

Responsibilities

The Director of Torreyson Library holds a portfolio of responsibilities that includes leadership in the following areas:

1. Faculty and Staff: The Director is department chair of an eight-member faculty and is responsible for faculty development and performance review. This includes the review of tenure-and-promotion cases. In addition, a library staff of two dozen reports to the Director, who also is responsible for staff development and performance review. A dozen or more student-workers, essential to the library’s success, also report to the director at any given time.

Required Qualifications

The next Director of Torreyson Library must:

1. Hold an ALA-accredited MLS, MLIS, or similar graduate degree, as well as a second graduate degree (master’s degree or higher).

Application Processes

Please apply online at https://jobs.uca.edu .  We anticipate holding semifinalist interviews over Zoom prior to the fall semester’s conclusion. This timeline would see finalists complete campus interviews by the end of February 2022. The selected candidate must be ready to start work no later than July 1, 2022.

Completed applications must include a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information for five professional references. In addition, candidates must submit a one- to two-page statement of administrative philosophy. In these statements, candidates should explain how their leadership style and experiences will contribute meaningfully to a campus and workplace dedicated to intellectual achievement and curiosity; genuine collaboration and collegiality; and diversity, belonging, inclusion, and equity.

We welcome queries about the position. Candidates should direct questions to Dr. Jonathan Glenn, Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Professor of English, at jona@uca.edu.

The University of Central Arkansas is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution dedicated to attracting and supporting a diverse student, faculty and staff population through enhanced multicultural learning environments and opportunities. In keeping with its nondiscrimination policy in employment, admissions and other functions and programs, the university considers employees and students on the basis of individual merit and will not discriminate against a person on the basis of gender, race or color, ethnicity, religion, spiritual beliefs, national origin, age, familial status, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, disability, political beliefs, intellectual perspective, genetic information, military status, or other factors irrelevant to participation in its programs.