Dean for the School of Health Professions

Dean for the School of Health Professions

Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, in partnership with the executive search firm Scott Healy & Associates, seeks a visionary leader to serve as its Dean for the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions. As it expands and increases the stature of its health professions programming, Concordia College seeks a future-oriented leader to oversee operational aspects of the School and support students, faculty, and staff, while achieving a bold vision for the health professions at Concordia. Guided by our Diversity Statement and our strategic plan goal of “ Excellence through Diversity ” we are especially interested in applicants who will contribute to the development of a diverse campus community and who have experience working effectively with diversified populations. Successful candidates will aspire to be part of a community that affirms an abundance of identities, experiences, and perspectives to imagine, examine, and implement possibilities for individual and communal thriving.

Reporting to the Provost, the Dean has primary responsibility for shaping and operationalizing the vision of the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions. The Dean is also responsible for excellence in the School’s academic programs, supporting faculty and staff hiring and development, and contributing to efforts that facilitate student success.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is energized to grow and develop a newly launched School of Health Professions at a mission-driven college. With ambitious goals for growth and diversifying students, faculty, and staff, the Dean will contribute to program development at the graduate, undergraduate, and continuing studies level, including launching new programming; assisting with recruiting and marketing, enrollment growth and fundraising; and infusing diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the work. The Dean will build strong relationships with the external community, especially with clinical partners, regional health systems, donors, and alumni. The School is currently developing plans for the Heimarck Center, to house laboratories, classrooms, and offices for the School, and the Dean will contribute to the final stages of design and move in.

Responsibilities within the School:
  • Provide committed leadership to all academic programs within the School and work with colleagues to develop and achieve a vision for the School.
  • Contribute to new program development that will grow the School and enhance its reputation.
  • Ensure a regular cycle of program planning, review, and assessment, including external accreditation and program approval.
  • Supervise and evaluate the work of Chairs/Program Directors and other staff.
  • Work with Chairs/Program Directors to submit course schedules to the registrar and prepare budgets that are consistent with student needs and college goals.
  • Participate in hiring new full-time faculty and part-time/adjunct instructors necessary to meet curricular offerings.
  • Stay current with trends, opportunities, and threats related to the School.
  • Support college-wide programming and other college priorities as related to the School.
  • Contribute to enrollment goal setting and recruitment of students.
  • Partner with Advancement on fundraising for the school.
  • Represent the School and its programs to appropriate external bodies and gatherings.


Responsibilities in working with the Provost and other School Deans:
  • Work with the Provost, other Deans, and academic affairs administrators to support the long-term objectives for the College’s academic programs, advance the mission of the College, and contribute to achievement of the College’s strategic plan.
  • Work collaboratively with the Provost and other School Deans on budget development, management, and decision making, including decisions about staffing needs and goals.
  • Work with Chairs/Program Directors, the Associate Provost, and the Center for Student Success on matters of student success and retention within the School.
  • Accept responsibility as Academic Affairs representative on committees.


Minimum Qualifications:
  • Terminal degree in a discipline related to programs housed in the School of Health Professions.
  • Teaching, research/scholarship/creative activity, and professional accomplishments to qualify for appointment at the rank of professor with tenure.
  • Higher education experience, including understanding of academic program development and budget oversight.
  • Demonstrated ability to work successfully with individuals of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
  • Evidence of successful administrative decision making (including data driven decision making) in a collaborative environment.
  • Experience with execution of vision, ideally which has led to program growth and development.
  • Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills.


Preferred Qualifications:
  • Doctorate in a discipline related to programs housed in the School of Health Professions.
  • Experience with online learning and distance education.
  • Demonstrated leadership in accreditation processes.
  • Evidence of successful relationship building with community partners.


Concordia College and the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions:

A liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America with approximately 2000 undergraduates and 70 graduate/post-baccalaureate students, Concordia College launched the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions in the 2020-2021 academic year. Grounded in the liberal arts tradition, Concordia has had a long history of professional education in a liberal arts context. With a mission to educate students to influence the affairs of the world, Concordia’s strategic plan focuses on preparing students to become accomplished professionals, courageous citizens, and transformational leaders. We seek a Dean to provide support for the College’s plan and to implement the vision of the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions, which focuses on educating students for interprofessional, interdisciplinary and team-based learning, in a liberal arts context, to help contribute to the growing need for health professionals.

The Sanford Heimarck School offers a variety of academic majors, including: Nursing, Nutrition and Dietetics, Exercise Science, Clinical Laboratory Science, Social Work, and Health Care Leadership. Programs offer a diverse set of career paths in health and wellness professions from leadership to direct client or patient care, in healthcare and medical fields, as well as education, community wellness, and social services. Our program leaders work closely with health care providers in Fargo-Moorhead and the surrounding region to secure clinical supervision and internship sites. In addition to independent clinics and senior living homes, Fargo is home to three major health systems: Sanford Health Systems, Essentia Health, and the Veteran’s Administration. Patients come from all over the Midwest for world-class healthcare expertise and compassionate care.

Concordia College has an outstanding tradition and reputation for excellence in preparing students for careers in health professions, with the first health professions program – health care leadership – developed in the 1960s. In addition to undergraduate accredited programs in nursing, social work, long-term care administration, and nutrition and dietetics, the College is seeking certification of its health care leadership program and accreditation of its exercise science program. The School offers an accelerated nursing program, a combined Dietetic Internship/Master of Science in Nutrition, and a recently launched pre-medical post-baccalaureate program. Student outcomes in health professional programs are exceptional, with strong pass rates for accredited programs far exceeding national averages (most recent pass rates are: Nursing: 97.44%, Nutrition and Dietetics: 100%, and Long-Term Care Administration: 100%).

The director of pre-health professions also reports to the Dean of the School and works closely with students seeking admissions to health professions programming, such as medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, dentistry, etc. Through a committed network of advisors, the College provides support for pre-health professions students, most of whom major in the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Health Professions. The personalized mentoring and advising leads to high rates of success at health professions acceptances (e.g., a 10-year average of 88% acceptance into medical school).

The Greater Fargo/Moorhead Metro Area:

The College is located in the Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN area, a growing metropolitan area of 235,000 residents with increasing diversity. Consistently ranked among the nation’s most livable cities, the Fargo/Moorhead area is home to a vibrant medical community including several not-for-profit hospitals, a Veteran’s Administration hospital, and a broad array of community agencies. The metro area features three distinct cities. Fargo, on the eastern edge of North Dakota, is the state’s largest city at just under 120,000 residents. Fargo has a vibrant downtown and shopping district that draws people from around the region. West Fargo, with a population of nearly 35,000, is one of the ND’s fastest growing communities with a number of new housing developments. Moorhead, in MN just across the Red River, is a community of over 42,000 residents that has a small town feel with the amenities of a large community.

Applications:

All correspondence relating to the position of Dean of the School of Health Professions at Concordia College should be directed in confidence to the College’s executive recruitment consultant:

Danan Tsan, Assistant Vice President

Scott Healy & Associates

danan@scotthealy.com

The full and complete application should contain the following information:

1) A cover letter outlining your experience and interest in this position;

2) A complete CV outlining your career in higher education, and if relevant, in professional roles;

3) The names of five professional references including their relationship to you, their position, email, and direct phone numbers. References will not be contacted without written permission.

Applications submitted by November 15, 2021 will receive priority consideration. This search will remain open until the position is filled.

Concordia College will not discriminate against or harass any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, creed, sex, religion, national origin, age, veteran’s status, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, public assistance status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, or any other legally protected status.