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The School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) seeks an Executive Director of the Degree Completion Program, with an associated and underlying faculty appointment in the social sciences, humanities, or arts, depending on qualifications.

Situated academically in SSHA, UC Merced’s Degree Completion Program is a new office focused on providing comprehensive support to local re-entry students to join major degree programs, via transfer pathways. The development and establishment of this program is an exciting opportunity to encourage local students to return to college and renew employment opportunities, both locally and globally. For more information about this UC initiative, please see https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/degreenoncompletion and also our program’s website at https://degreecompletion.ucmerced.edu/.

A successful candidate would have significant experience in academic program administration, a strong record of professional activity in education, experience with student success and/or transfer initiatives, a tangible commitment to diversity and equity, and experience with student‐centered academic planning. As this is a faculty administrative appointment, expectations will be to hold qualifications for a Senate faculty appointment at the level of Associate or Full Teaching Professor. The payroll titles are Lecturer with Security of Employment or Senior Lecturer with Security of Employment. This position has all the rights and responsibilities of membership in the Academic Senate; “Security of Employment” is directly analogous to tenure. A faculty appointment case will need to be assembled and submitted for review through the normal academic personnel process.

Primary activities for program administration include:
• Strategic academic planning and sustainability plans for degree completion program’s operations, in partnership with the SSHA Dean and Provost offices
• UCM and UC student data summary, analysis and reporting related to re-entry students and degree completion program
• Academic programming development, in partnership with the SSHA Dean's office and Academic Senate
• Academic policies summary and analysis, as a basis for outreach and dialogue with various campus and external audiences
• Collaboration with SSHA Academic Advising, Admissions, Registrar, and UC Merced’s Extension program
• Advocacy of historically underrepresented and returning students to faculty and administrative audiences, as well as the general public, as part of routine and comprehensive communications planning

Candidates with a history of and commitment to mentoring students from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

UC Merced is a Hispanic‐Serving Institution with a high proportion of first‐in‐family undergraduate students. We welcome candidates who understand the barriers facing people historically and currently underrepresented in higher education, who have experience teaching and mentoring students from a wide range of backgrounds, and who are committed to building an equitable and diverse scholarly environment.

The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2023.

To be considered, candidates must have a terminal degree (EdD or PhD) in the social sciences, humanities, or arts by the position start date; at least two years of comprehensive relevant administrative experience; at least three years of effective and related teaching experience; and one writing sample.

Applications must be submitted online. An initial review of the completed applications will take place on November 18, 2022; applicants are encouraged to complete their applications prior to this date. Interested applicants are required to submit 1) a cover letter; 2) curriculum vitae; 3) one writing sample; 4) a statement of teaching; 5) a statement of research; 6) a contributions to diversity statement; 7) statement of administrative philosophy and, 8) a list of references with contact information including mailing address, phone number and e-mail address.

Applicants for the Associate/Full Teaching Professor level should include a list of three references with their applications; letters of reference are not required at this time. Once the search committee has determined the short list of candidates, the search committee chair will request letters of recommendation at that time.

The contributions to diversity statement should describe your past experience, activities and future plans to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, in alignment with UC Merced’s mission to reflect the diversity of California and to meet the educational needs and interests of its diverse population. Some faculty candidates may not have substantial past activities. If that is the case, we recommend focusing on future plans in your statement. A more developed and substantial plan is expected for senior candidates. For additional information on what should be included on your Diversity Statement, please visit http://facultyexcellence.ucsd.edu/c2d/index.html#Are-there-any-guidelines-for-wr.

Salary is commensurate with education, experience, and UC academic salary scales.

For additional information, please contact Anne Zanzucchi at azanzucchi@ucmerced.edu.

Applicants will be notified when the final candidate has been selected.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/SARS-CoV-2_Covid-19. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of Full Vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, and/or Religious Objection) or Deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. For new University of California employees, the applicable deadline is eight weeks after their first date of employment. (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.)

The University of California is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and invites applications from all qualified applicants, including women, minorities, veterans, and individual with disabilities, who will enrich the teaching, research and public service missions of the university. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, see: UC Nondiscrimination & Affirmative Action Policy (https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/DiscHarassAffirmAction).

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system’s 10 campuses. With over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students (https://www.ucmerced.edu/fast-facts), UC Merced provides outstanding educational opportunities to highly qualified students from the heart of California, the nation, and abroad. The campus has special connections to nearby Yosemite National Park; is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design; and supports the economic development of Central California. The Merced 2020 Project doubled the physical capacity of the campus, and enhanced academic distinction, student success, and research excellence (https://merced2020.ucmerced.edu/).

UC Merced is a smoke & tobacco free campus (https://smokefree.ucmerced.edu/).

The University of California is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and invites applications from all qualified applicants, including women, minorities, veterans, and individual with disabilities, who will enrich the teaching, research and public service missions of the university. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, see: UC Nondiscrimination & Affirmative Action Policy (https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/DiscHarassAffirmAction).

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system’s 10 campuses. With over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students (https://www.ucmerced.edu/fast-facts), UC Merced provides outstanding educational opportunities to highly qualified students from the heart of California, the nation, and abroad. The campus has special connections to nearby Yosemite National Park; is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design; and supports the economic development of Central California. The Merced 2020 Project doubled the physical capacity of the campus, and enhanced academic distinction, student success, and research excellence (https://merced2020.ucmerced.edu/).

UC Merced is a smoke & tobacco free campus (https://smokefree.ucmerced.edu/).