Associate Director of Academic Affairs, First Year Planning - University of Pennsylvania

University Overview


The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.




Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.




The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.








Posted Job Title

Associate Director of Academic Affairs, First Year Planning





Job Profile Title

Associate Director D, Academic Affairs, Academic Administration





Job Description Summary

The Associate Director of Academic Affairs, First Year Planning assists the Associate Dean of the College – Director of Academic Affairs in supporting SAS Faculty with first-year experiences, including seminars, co-curricular, and curricular activities. Collaborates with academic departments and faculty committees to review and shape policies for first-year students' engagement with the faculty and curriculum. The position also plays a key role in creating new projects to enhance education, equity, and inclusion for first-year students. The Associate Director develops and manages technologies for the first-year curriculum and gathers data for assessment as well as serves as a senior staff member of the Dean of the College. This is a three-year term appointment.





Job Description


The College of Arts and Sciences offers a liberal arts education to roughly 6,500 undergraduates with about 1,200 instructional staff that include tenure-track faculty, lecturers, postdocs, and graduate students across roughly 60 majors offered by departments and programs. The College’s Academic Affairs team supports faculty governance over all these programs, helping faculty to develop policies and communicating those to the academic advisors of the school as they help students navigate the curriculum. The Academic Affairs team convenes faculty committees for governance, coordinating majors/minors, working to respond pedagogically to the changes in the student body and faculty areas of interests. The team brings academic departments/programs together for the shared undergraduate enterprise while respecting and learning from the individual differences of the people and ideas of that department/program. We connect the challenges and opportunities/innovations that we hear from students, advisors, faculty and staff to the undergraduate educational enterprise- this can be classes, climate, course administration, curriculum, research, internships, and co-curricular experiences. Academic Affairs focuses on the developmental needs of undergraduates over time, with new initiatives for programming and curriculum being developed now for first year students while continuing to identify other stakeholders and structures to meet the needs of second, third, and fourth year students.




Responsibilities:


The Associate Director/Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs assists the Associate Dean of the College – Director of Academic Affairs in providing support to the SAS Faculty in exercising its responsibility for the development and implementation of the first year experiences as a base for the introduction to the curriculum and academic programs of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. To this end, they work both with the academic departments and programs of the School and with various School-wide faculty committees charged with the review of first year courses, components of the curricula and co-curricular activities for first year students, and the formulation of academic policies that shape students’ engagement with the faculty, the curriculum, and the academic programs of the College in the first year. The Associate Director/Assistant Dean plays a special role in envisioning new projects for enhancing education in the College in the first year. In addition, the Associate Director/Assistant Dean participates in developing technologies that support effective management of the first year curriculum and in collecting and analyzing data to inform the diversity, inclusion, and assessment efforts of the curriculum. The Associate Director/Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs serves as a member of the senior staff of the Dean of the College.




Qualifications:


Qualified applicants must have a Masters in an Arts and Sciences discipline (an EdD or PhD is strongly preferred), understand first year student development and faculty culture at a top research university, and have 3 to 5 years of academic administrative and/or advising experience showing growth in responsibilities commensurate with developing capabilities and effectiveness. Candidates must have superior communication skills including clear, logical, and persuasive writing in contexts ranging from simple emails to extended reports and proposals; clear, logical, and persuasive speaking in contexts ranging from one-on-one conversations with faculty and other administrators to small groups to formal committee meetings. Familiarity with or a strong willingness to learn advising and curriculum tools such as DegreeWorks, Curriculum Manager, Banner, and other data analysis tools such as Excel and Tableau is essential to this role. Open communication, proactive planning, and team coordination are necessary to support the academic planning and priorities of the College and the Dean.




This is a three-year term appointment.




*For consideration, please submit a cover letter as well as a resume in the CV section of your application. You can upload multiple documents to the "Resume/CV" section.






Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania





Department / School

School of Arts and Sciences





Pay Range

$61,046.00 - $95,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.




Affirmative Action Statement Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.




Special Requirements Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.




University Benefits

+ Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts : Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

+ Tuition : Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits . You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

+ Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

+ Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

+ Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

+ Wellness and Work-life Resources : Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

+ Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

+ University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

+ Discounts and Special Services : From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

+ Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

+ Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

+ Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.




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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay



The University of Pennsylvania's special character is reflected in the diversity of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community that draws on the strength that comes with a substantive institutional commitment to diversity along dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran status, interests, perspectives, and socioeconomic status. Grounded in equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action, Penn's robust commitment to diversity is fundamental to the University's mission of advancing knowledge, educating leaders for all sectors of society, and public service. The University of Pennsylvania prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.