Website James Madison University
Job Details
Working Title: Associate Dean for Academic Engagement, JMU Libraries
Position Type: Instructional Faculty – Full Time
Position Status: Full Time
College/Division: JMU Libraries
Department: 100113 – Libraries
Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience
Posting Date: 04/22/2020
Beginning Review Date: 05/23/2020
Open Until Filled: Yes
About
Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.
Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.
Who We Are
Established in 1908, James Madison University is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs to more than 20,000 students. JMU is regarded as one of the finest regional universities in the nation and has been continuously cited in U.S. News and World Report, Changing Times and Money Magazine as an outstanding public university. Located in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. Known for its livability, diversity, local food, arts and natural surroundings, this Virginia Main Street community is a great place to live and work.
About the JMU Libraries
As a blended library and educational technology organization, JMU Libraries is an essential and deeply valued part of our university, reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President of JMU and undergoing transformation and renewal under the leadership of a new Dean. At Madison, the Libraries includes campus educational technology, digital scholarship, and online learning services alongside foundational library collections, resources and spaces, scholarly communications and data/information literacy services, and collaborative teaching and research support. Collegial relationships with faculty and administrators across the institution run deep. Our team comprises approximately 150 staff and faculty, including tenured/tenure-track librarians and instructional designers, classified and wage staff, and administrative and professional faculty from a number of fields. Approximately 100 undergraduate and graduate student workers join the Libraries in a variety of roles.
The Libraries particularly welcomes applicants who can enhance the diversity and excellence of our campus community, and who can demonstrate their leadership in building equitable and inclusive environments for teaching, research, and service. We are committed to cultivating a welcoming place for everyone, encouraging dialogue and celebrating diverse life experiences and perspectives. As an organization, JMU Libraries aspires to a collegial and collaborative culture that values openness, trust, effective communication, and multiple perspectives. We encourage experimentation and creativity in pursuit of meaningful solutions that build on our position as core academic infrastructure for our campus community.
Description
About This Role
JMU Libraries invites applications from dynamic, collaborative, pragmatic, and service-minded leaders to fill the crucial position of Associate Dean for Academic Engagement. The successful candidate will serve as a member of the senior leadership team reporting to the Dean of Libraries and work closely with other Associate and Assistant Deans. In this role, the AD for Academic Engagement will provide vision and leadership both for the Libraries’ core public services and departmental liaison librarian programs, and for a variety of specialized spaces and offerings. This division of the Libraries includes the following areas: Research and Educational Services, Public Services, Special Collections, the Music Library, and an Educational Technology and Media Center (representing an exciting, newly strengthened collaboration with the College of Education). Depending on the strengths and interests of the successful candidate, JMU’s Scholarly Communications and Digital Scholarship efforts may also be located in this portfolio. As a member of our Dean’s Council and the Libraries senior leadership team, the Associate Dean will participate in the overall vision, direction, and strategy of the JMU Libraries. This is a tenure-eligible instructional faculty position at JMU. The ideal candidate will come in at the rank of Associate Professor or above.
Desired Leadership Approach
JMU Libraries leaders value staff at all levels and with all kinds of lived experience, and work to strengthen equitable and positive relationships across employment classifications. We seek a relationship builder with an appreciation of teaching, research, and learning and deep professional knowledge spanning the departments that come together in Academic Engagement. Our new AD should be a silo-buster, and someone who will take a user-oriented and whole-systems approach, supportive of creative strategies to build organizational excellence and create new partnerships within and beyond the Libraries. The successful candidate will demonstrate integrity and an ethic of care, grounding their leadership in listening, representation and co-creation, reciprocity and respect. Our successful candidate will also be able to demonstrate experience in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and articulate a compelling leadership philosophy in these areas.
JMU Libraries welcomes candidates who can contribute to the rich mix of skills, voices, life and work experiences, cultures, and perspectives found in our university community (https://www.jmu.edu/academic-affairs/diversity/index.shtml). Our mission is to engage with JMU’s diverse communities in their creation and search for knowledge, by providing academic resources, physical and virtual spaces, and educational and research services. Please visit the Libraries’ website (https://www.lib.jmu.edu/guiding-statements/) to review our statements on aspirational culture, diversity, and other core values.
Job Responsibilities
• Provide user-centered leadership for Libraries departments and services related to academic engagement, including approximately 40-45 faculty and staff (with 5-6 direct reports) and the majority of our approximately 100 undergraduate and graduate student employees
• Work with colleagues and campus partners to ensure the JMU Libraries proactively supports student and faculty teaching, learning, research, and creative endeavors
• Provide leadership in library instruction and support, and foster collaborative and innovative programming across the JMU Libraries on discipline-specific research methods and modes of discovery, and on broadly-shared topics like data and information literacy
• Represent the JMU Libraries and core values of librarianship in campus conversations about enhanced support for teaching, research, and scholarship, in ways that lead to more diverse and equitable futures for higher education
• Engage in relevant service and scholarly and professional development activities
Qualifications
Required
• Demonstrated understanding of and engagement with the central role of libraries (including special libraries and services) in the current higher education context, and the ability to offer a compelling vision for their role in the future
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting and/or enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations and in the profession
• Significant supervisory experience and progressive responsibility in developing library services and programs
• Strong ability to listen carefully and communicate effectively with diverse audiences
• A graduate degree in library science or another relevant field
Preferred
• Demonstrated knowledge of and/or experience with theories, practices, and platforms relevant to library instruction and support
• Demonstrated knowledge of and/or experience with special collections and archives, particularly in terms of digital strategy and necessary partnerships with technical services and IT infrastructure and support
• Demonstrated knowledge of and/or experience with best practices to promote and support digital scholarship and scholarly communications
Additional Information
Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.
E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.
James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.
We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.
Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.
If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.
JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.
Apply
To apply, visit http://joblink.jmu.edu/postings/7518
or go to JobLink.jmu.edu and reference posting number F1475. Candidates will complete the application and attach a CV and cover letter. The cover letter must address your qualifications, motivation for applying, a leadership philosophy, and your experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.