Director, Honors Program

The Director, Honors Program provides institutional leadership for the administration, ongoing development, and expansion of a multidisciplinary University Honors Program that offers enhanced curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students with the goal of supporting UHD's priorities for student achievement and increasing the recruitment and retention of academically talented undergraduates. Working in partnership with faculty, the Honors Council, admissions, and other key areas of the institution, the Director oversees Honors scheduling, curricular strategies, and student progress. Director serves as the primary spokesperson for the program in relations with diverse constituencies internal and external.

• Collaborates with departments and colleges in connecting Honors students with the broader UHD community of academic structures .
• Communicates with internal and external communities about Honors Program activities, achievements, and opportunities.
• Works with the Admissions Office and partner organizations on the recruitment and admission of students into the Honors Program.
• Coordinates co-curricular and extracurricular experiences that will nurture the talents and academic well-being of high achieving students such as showcases for graduating seniors, pre-semester retreats, etc.
• Orients and advises Honors students, monitoring their adherence to basic requirements and their progress toward graduation, arranging for interventions as needed.
• Develops and implements plans to assess the effectiveness of the Honors Program; submits assessment reports as per institutional policy.
• Prepares and manages Honors budget, monitoring and approving expenditures.
• Works with the Office of Advancement and External Relations on fundraising initiatives.
• Fosters membership and participation in local, regional, and national Honors organizations, including the National Collegiate Honors Council.
• Oversees development and maintenance of Honors Program web site.
• Oversees student workers to support the office.
• Works with Faculty Honors Council to identify opportunities for program expansion, ensure representation from all colleges, identify program priorities and goals, approve all course proposals and curricular changes, and promote the Honors Program among the faculty.
• Teaches at least one course in fall and one in spring.

• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Direct Reports:

• Supervises student workers

Delegation of Work:

• Regularly assigns work to subordinate(s)

Supervision Given:

• Supervises the work of student employees.

Required Education:

• Terminal degree
• Credentials that satisfy requirements for appointment with tenure at the rank of associate or full professor at UHD

Required Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years of related job experience
• A record of engaging undergraduate students in innovative and enriching educational experiences and research
• Experience in collaborating with university administration, chairs, faculty, and staff on a range of issues

License/Certification:

• None required

• Experience leading an honors program for an institution of higher education.
• Experience in fundraising and/or grant development.
• Experience building community-based partnerships and programming.
• Experience with academic programming focused on a range of practices, curricular models, administrative structures, and national and state trends in honors education at the university level.

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of multidisciplinary programming; knowledge of how the university's administrative processes, inclusive of both academic and student affairs;
• knowledge of the challenges faced by high achieving or gifted students, and the related trends, issues, and accepted practices.

Skills:

• Effective management and communication skills.
• Effective strategic planning skills and in university promotion.
• Strong student or classroom management skills;
• Good teaching skills; strong analytical and problem solving skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Abilities:

• Ability to innovate; ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in a diverse community.

Primary Work Location:

• Works in an office environment.

Physical Demands:

• Work is performed in a typical interior work environment which does not subject the employee to any unpleasant elements; individual has discretion in relation to walking, standing etc., and has minimal exposure to physical risks.

Commitment to Excellence - UHD

• Demonstrates a commitment to competently perform his/her job duties and responsibilities within established time frames.
• Continuously strives to improve work performance.
• Accepts responsibility for his/her commitments to the university.
• Contributes to the success of the university by consistently providing quality results in the performance of his/her job duties and responsibilities.

Respect and Cooperation

• Treats others with courtesy, respect, and dignity in the workplace.
• Promotes cooperation through open and honest communications and consideration of others ideas, thoughts, and opinions.

Integrity

• Demonstrates high ethical standards of conduct in the performance of his/her job duties and responsibilities.
• Accepts responsibility for his/her actions.
• Respects and complies with department and university policies, procedures, and work rules.

Dependability

• Takes responsibility to accomplish job assignments within reasonable deadlines.
• Willing to accept new projects and/or commitments.
• Does due diligence to complete projects within specified timeframes and/or fulfill commitments.
• Arrives to work on time prepared and ready to contribute.

Flexibility

• Willingly adjusts to changing work assignments or conditions.
• Open to changes in operational procedures, technology, and/or organizational structure.
• Views changes as opportunities for learning and professional development.
• Displays a positive attitude to encourage others.
• Promptly responds to changes in work priorities and/or unexpected circumstances or situations.

Proficiency

• Possesses required job skills and knowledge.
• Demonstrates the ability to apply those skills and knowledge to competently perform his/her job duties and assignments.

Customer Relations Management

• Ensures customer's needs and expectations are addressed within his/her department or section. (Customers can be students, external constituents, employees, or university guests.)
• Mentors and guides department/section staff by sharing knowledge and best practices to appropriately respond to customer's requests.
• Monitors staff interactions with customers for professional conduct, consistent application of university policies and procedures, and follow up of outstanding requests.
• Assumes responsibility for addressing complex or unusual requests.

Decision Making

• Demonstrates the ability to make informed decisions in a timely manner.
• Assimilates and/or secures relevant information to assess the risks and benefits of alternatives.
• Considers impact of decision in the long and short term.

Organizational Management

• Manages department or section planning and assessment consistent with the university's goals and objectives and executive management's directives.
• Develops and oversees administration of the department/section budget to ensure effective utilization of financial resources and appropriate disbursement of funds.
• Fosters a cooperative and productive work environment that advances department/section operations and initiatives through motivation, encouragement, and professional development of staff.
• Develops department/section procedures and work rules for compliance with government regulations and university policies; participates in the development and revision of applicable university policies.
• Competently represents the department/section through interactions with the university community and/or external constituents.

Supervision

• Supervises the work of staff employees.
• Sets clear goals and expectations within reasonable timeframes.
• Motivates staff through constructive feedback, challenging assignments, and recognition of achievements.
• Provides mentorship and guidance by sharing expertise and best practices.
• Supports staff by providing essential resources, professional development opportunities, and open communication.
• Promptly addresses performance issues with appropriate measures and discretion.

Building External Relationships

• Demonstrates the ability to build rapport and develop relationships with external constituents.
• Displays a genuine interest in constituents' ideas and concerns, and pursues mutual interests and aspirations between the university and external constituents.
• Builds trust and forms alliances through shared respect and cooperation.

Computer/Automated System Proficiency

• Proficient in the use of university applications or automated systems to perform job duties.
• Complies with related policies, procedures, and work rules to maintain system security and data integrity.

Student Success Indirect Support

• Contributes to student success by assisting students with anything that supports their student experience, whether directly or indirectly.
• Helps students navigate their way through the different offices, programs, and services at the university and/or connects students with the appropriate party(ies).
• Connects students with services or resources that can help them with career exploration, goal selection, and ongoing academic assistance.
• Helps students build peer support networks.
• Encourages student participation in out-of-class activities.
• Provides encouragement and guidance to foster student success.
• Treats students with respect
• Maintains the learning environment to ensure quality and/or sound pedagogy.