THSSON Dean Position Description

Job Responsibilities

Nursing Student working in a simulation lab.

The Dean serves to build upon the strengths of the school's academic programs, curate robust student-centric experiences, expand research and scholarly achievements, and engage the internal and external university community. Through visionary, inclusive, and entrepreneurial leadership, the dean will work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and administration to:

  • Promote excellent teaching and student success
  • Provide creative, collaborative leadership consistent with the mission of the university
  • Supervise and develop innovative academic programming within the school with emphasis on experiential learning
  • Expand research, scholarship, and external funding
  • Implement effective and efficient growth, policy, personnel, accreditation, continuous improvement, fiscal, and strategic processes and leadership
  • Serve as an advocate for students, faculty, and staff
  • Represent the school to a variety of external constituents

 

Qualifications

Group photo of nursing students with professor.

The Dean will be a strategic leader who fosters a sense of place and cultivates world-class, student-centered academic programs and external partnerships. Within the context of the opportunities and challenges of 21st century higher education, the Dean will demonstrate:

  • The ability to foster academic excellence
  • Strong written and interpersonal skills
  • An ability to successfully cultivate an environment of teamwork through integrity and building trust through shared governance
  • Experience in working with external partners, including local and regional healthcare provers and businesses

The Dean must possess a progressive record of incrasing academic leadership and a distinguished record of teaching, scholarly achievement, and professional accomplishments sufficient to qualify for appointment at the rank of professor in Nursing. Successful administrative experience in supervision of tenure-track and tenured faculty is required.

Finalists for the position will successfully perform in an on-campus interview that includes a public presentation. An earned doctorate is required.

 

Highly Preferred Experiences

Nursing student sitting on the floor working on her laptop.
  • Experience in delivering career-focused, professional, higher-education programs
  • Successful history of strategic planning, resource stewardship, and assessment
  • Experience working with external partners to coordinate academic programs and meet workforce needs
  • Experience with program accreditation
  • Technology integration into the educational experience and online learning
  • Demonstated commitment to supporting equity
  • Successfully serving traditional and nontraditional students
  • Enrollment management, retention, and growth
  • Record of success in generating grant and contract funding

 

The Dean will be a leader to help meet statewide need, working with the University System of Georgia colleagues at the System Office and partners at other USG institutions. Demand for qualified nurses is expected to grow significantly (+55%), and there is a need to meet underserved rural areas across the state. Across the USG, there is a gap between available student capacity and realized, qualified student placement. UWG will be a strong leader to meet this need with creativity and collaboration, and the THSSON Dean will lead expansion of service, enrollment, student success (including proactive analysis), and partnerships to address this need.

 

The School

Main Campus Nursing Building exterior.

The Tanner Health System School of Nursing (THSSON) at the University of West Georgia exemplifies academic excellence in a caring environment by providing quality undergraduate and graduate education to meet current and evolving health care needs within the global community. Well-connected to external partners in the region, the THSSON provides world-class classroom and lab/simulation experiences for students on the Carrollton and Newnan campuses and online.

The school is home to 34 faculty, 25 part-time faculty and 15 staff and serves over 400 undergraduate and over 100 graduate students. Organized into three main areas, with associate/assistant deans leading in graduate education, undergraduate education, and experiential learning, the school is focused on advancing its statewide and national reputation for being the best partner for healthcare systems.

The Tanner Health System School of Nursing offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Pre-Licensure), an RN-BSN (RN to Bachelor's) program, a Master of Science in Nursing, and a Doctorate in Nursing Education. These programs support face to face (BSN) and fully online (BSNC and graduate) students, preparing the clinicians, leaders, researchers, and educators to meet the health care needs of society for years to come.

The school is focused on the following career-preparedness goals:

  1. Maintain high quality undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.
  2. Maintain faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service to the university, the community, and the profession.
  3. Maintain a personal learning environment characterized by caring, holism, critical thinking, and professional commitment.

The Bachelor of Science inNursing Program at the University of West Georgia is accredited by the Georgia Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The Master of Science in Nursing Program at the University of West Georgia is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.