Job Description
General Description
Delaware County Community College invites applications for the position of Dean, Educational Support Services. The Dean oversees all academic support services provided through the Learning Commons, a student-centered environment where students access a range of academic resources and opportunities for collaborative learning. Academic/Educational support provided in the Learning Commons includes Library Services and Tutoring.
The Learning Commons offers a wide variety of technology for student use, including computer workstations, portable and assistive technologies. At the branch campuses, Learning Commons staff also proctor exams, provide IT support, issue student IDs and stickers. Students may take advantage of quiet and collaborative study spaces with whiteboards and computer display screens, or attend a variety of academic workshops, seminars, and webinars. Faculty also rely on the Learning Commons for library collections, archives, reference assistance, research workshops, and course-specific collaborations with faculty librarians related to information literacy, assignments, and resource acquisition. Most of these services are available to students at the branch campuses and the goal is to expand services in these locations to ensure equitable access.
The Dean reports to the Vice President of Academic Affairs. This individual is responsible for the academic, administrative, personnel, and fiscal operations of the Educational Support Services area, consistent with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, college policies, and procedures.
As a member of the Dean’s Council, the Dean participates in developing goals for the Educational Support Services areas and disseminating those goals to the all staff and the College community at large. Broad responsibilities include strategic planning and advocacy; setting and communicating a vision for the Learning Commons and its services to internal and external constituents; collaborative leadership for instructional (information literacy, research and academic skills workshops, tutoring, and library support) and student service initiatives; development and assessment of Educational Support programs; budget and personnel management; establishing, communicating, and ensuring the administration of Learning Commons policies, processes and procedures; evaluation and mentoring of personnel; community relations; quality assurance; and cooperation with all divisions and areas of the College. The Dean is responsible for assuring equitable distributions of educational support services across all branch campuses, including the newest college campus, the New Southeast Center. In addition, the Dean is expected to work collaboratively and be committed to academic excellence, diversity, accessibility, and student-centered service delivery.
Essential Functions
Support Services
· Provide administrative oversight for the day-to-day operations of the Learning Commons, Library Services, and Tutoring on all campuses and online.
· Collaborate with the branch campus directors to ensure sufficient space, services, and technology resources to meet the needs of students at each location.
· Work with each site manager to develop and maintain plans that provide learning support access to all students in a variety of modalities.
Faculty Librarians
· Supervise all full-time and part-time faculty librarians.
· Mentor and support tenured and tenure-track faculty librarians through the evaluation, tenure-track, and post-tenure process, ensuring that all requirements are met in a timely fashion according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
· Work with faculty librarians to maintain best practices for Library Services in the Learning Commons environment.
Academic and Student Services Leadership
· Communicate the Learning Commons mission and vision to the College at large.
· Ensure a shared vision of service and educational support among Learning Commons faculty, administrators, and staff.
· Facilitate communication and collaboration among Learning Commons sites and staff.
· Work with all academic divisions to ensure the course, research, and educational support needs of students and faculty are met.
· Collaborate with the Office of Information Technology to ensure students’ technological needs are being met via OIT systems.
Administrative
· Maintain a plan for fiscal efficiency for the unit and prepare and monitor the budget in a manner consistent with the plan.
· Supervise, hire, onboard, support and evaluate all staff (faculty, supervisors, support).
· Serve as the College’s representative to community agencies and other institutions with regard to educational support services and best practices for the Learning Commons.
· Continually analyze the needs of all of the College’s academic constituencies in order to make appropriate changes in the provision of educational support services.
· Routinely gather, review, and report data to evaluate the impact of educational support services on student retention and success and the effectiveness of policies and practices.
· In collaboration with Public Relations and Learning Commons staff, develop and implement marketing and outreach efforts to students, faculty, student affairs, administrators, and the entire community regarding the College’s educational support services.
Experience, Education, and Licensure:
· Master’s Degree in Library Science or Library and Information Science from an ALA accredited university required; additional doctorate in an appropriate discipline preferred.
· Demonstrated professional experience managing an integrated library system with five (5) years supervisory experience and five (5) years progressively responsible library experience.
· Experience with budgeting and collaborating with Finance/Accounting departments. Preferably familiarity with academic library budgeting.
· Experience supervising library faculty and staff.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
· Knowledge of current trends and new developments in technical services, library systems, and digital library initiatives.
· Working knowledge of current and emerging acquisitions and serials control best practices.
· Proficient in Microsoft Office, Student Information Systems such as Banner, and library-related management software such as Sirsi.
· Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
· Experience in monitoring and assessing the performance of self, staff, and programs to make improvements.
· Demonstrated commitment to student-centered service in a library/learning commons environment.
· Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; demonstrated ability to work effectively with a culturally diverse workforce, including those with different levels of academic preparation and varying physical and learning abilities, and socioeconomic levels.
DCCC is an equal opportunity employer!
Additional Info & Requirements
Pennsylvania Act 153 Clearances
Applicants are required to either present to human resources current and valid PA Act 153 clearances or be able to obtain them expediently.
Complete applications must have: -
· A cover letter stating your interest in this position
· An up-to-date copy of your resume/CV
· An unofficial copy of all relevant transcripts
· The phone number and email address of three references (Please include your current/most recent Supervisor)
The Community
Delaware County Community College, founded in 1967, is an accredited, associate degree-granting institution of higher education serving Delaware and Chester counties. It is the seventh largest post-secondary institution in undergraduate enrollment in the Greater Philadelphia region, serving nearly 27,000 credit and non-credit students annually with a comprehensive array of programs, including computer-based and distance-learning classes. The College’s mission is to facilitate learning by providing quality educational programs and services that are student-focused, accessible, comprehensive, and flexible to meet the educational needs of the diverse communities it serves. Its competency-based curriculum certifies DCCC graduates as possessing the skills, attitudes, and values needed to perform competently in their area of study.