Dean for Faculty Diversity and Development Macalester College invites applications and nominations for a Dean for Faculty Diversity and Development. In alignment with Strategic Plan 2014, the Dean will play a key role in increasing the diversity of the Macalester faculty, staff, and student body, with a particular emphasis on increasing the presence and retention of traditionally underrepresented populations among the faculty. INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW Since its founding in 1874, Macalester has provided students with the inspiration, insight, and experience to become successful and ethical leaders. Located in St. Paul, Minnesota, Macalester currently enrolls 2,172 students who come from 47 U.S. states, D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico. Fourteen percent of Macalester students are international students. Macalester is committed to being a preeminent liberal arts college known for its high standards of scholarship and its special emphases on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. Macalester has a long history of providing a transformative learning experience through intense and integrated intellectual and civic engagement. Macalester students are a diverse and deeply engaged group, both intellectually and socially. Twenty percent are U.S. students of color. Sixty five percent of entering students graduated in the top 10% of their high school class and 73 first year students (Fall 2015) are National Merit Scholars and Semifinalists, National Achievement scholars, semifinalists, and outstanding participants, or National Hispanic Scholars. The college provides financial aid to 77 percent of its students with a commitment to meeting the full financial need of its admitted students. Macalester students can choose from a wide range of classes, which are typically small in size. The average class size is 17 with a faculty student ratio of 10:1. Preparing students for engaged citizenship and effective civic leadership is a critical part of Macalester s mission. Ninety four percent of students volunteer in the Twin Cities before they graduate, and in any given year, half of the student body is engaged in community service through a community based course, applied research, off campus 1
work study, community service, or civic leadership program. The majority of Macalester students believe that promoting racial understanding is an essential or very important objective. Approximately 60% of Macalester 2015 graduates studied abroad for academic credit in approximately 48 60 countries. On campus, students participate in 115 clubs and organizations, nine men s and ten women s Division III athletic teams, and six club sports. The power of a Macalester education is clear from the achievements of alumni. In the past 10 years graduates were Fulbright Hays award recipients, National Science Foundation Fellows, Watson Fellows, Rhodes Scholars, Goldwater Scholars, Truman Scholars, and Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows, a program which every year prepares 10 outstanding Macalester students of color for careers in academia. Sixty one percent of Macalester alumni pursue advanced degrees within six years of graduation. Alumni of Macalester, which include former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Vice President and Senator Walter Mondale, embody the college s academic excellence, commitment to social justice, and service to the world. Ranked by US News at number six in the nation for best undergraduate teaching, 93 of Macalester s 180 full time faculty members hold a doctorate or the highest degree in their field. Twenty two per cent are U.S. citizens of color and three per cent are international. The college has a longstanding tradition of supporting interdisciplinary studies and teamteaching and the Macalester faculty publishes over 400 scholarly works per year. Macalester received $3.45 million in government and foundation grants in the past year. Macalester s 16 th president Brian Rosenberg, PhD, a vocal and oft quoted champion of the liberal arts college in the United States, notes that, "The liberal arts model rests on a belief in the transformative power of ideas, the necessity of collaborative action for the common good, and the importance of individual self determination." Macalester is proud of its longstanding commitment to multiculturalism and social justice and to creating a safe environment for all people regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, age, or ability. For over 46 years, multiculturalism has been a core value along with internationalism and service to community. Macalester fosters spiritual growth amongst a campus community of many religions and provides a wide variety of religious offerings. The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students recognized Macalester College as one of the 100 Best Campuses for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender students. The selection was based on institutional policies, commitment and support, academic life, housing, student life, counseling and health services, campus safety, recruitment, and retention. This commitment to multiculturalism is integrated into the curriculum, with graduation requirements in multiculturalism and internationalism, as well as in quantitative skills, writing, and foreign language proficiency (in addition to general distribution requirements). Macalester s Dean for Faculty Diversity and Development will oversee 2
curriculum development, faculty development, and campus wide activities to expand the college s mission of multiculturalism. Staff positions supporting multiculturalism include the Dean of Multicultural Life, the Title IX Coordinator and Director of Equity, the Director of the Lealtad Suzuki Center, and personnel in Admissions, the Macalester Academic Excellence Center (MAX), Center for Spiritual Life, and Campus Programs. LOCATION Macalester is centrally located in a residential neighbor of the Twin Cities of Minnesota, the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country with more than 3.5 million residents. Just minutes from both downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, Macalester is a short drive away from the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport which services non stop flights to destinations across the country and around the world. The Twin Cities offer a remarkable quality of life, replete with outstanding restaurants, theaters, sports, and other cultural attractions. The Atlantic recently cited Minneapolis St. Paul for its exceptional urban planning and affordability. The Green Guide ranks Minnesota 4th in the nation as a sustainable state. The Twin Cities community has long been noted for its tremendous spirit of civic cooperation. Private corporations and foundations often join with government and community organizations to improve and expand the resources available to the community. There are over 58 professional and community live performance theaters, including the Guthrie Theatre (the largest regional playhouse in the country), the Penumbra Theatre (one of the country s oldest African American theater companies). Included in the area s 30 museums are Mia (Minneapolis Institute of Art) and the Walker Institute, along with many other arts organizations that reflect the area s ethnic diversity that include its nationally acclaimed music scene, restaurants, movie theaters, and botanical and zoological gardens. The Twin Cities has earned commendation as one of America s most bike friendly cities; the seven county metropolitan area boasts one of the most extensive regional parks and trail systems in the country. The metro area hosts several professional sports teams including the Minnesota Twins baseball team, the Vikings football team, the Timberwolves and Lynx basketball teams, the Minnesota Wild hockey team, and the Minnesota United FC soccer team. Home to more than 20 colleges and universities, the Twin Cities rank 4th as a college destination; only Boston/Cambridge, D.C. and the San Francisco Bay area rank higher. Macalester s staff and faculty interact regularly with colleagues across these Twin Cities institutions, including the University of Minnesota, Hamline University, the University of St. Thomas, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, St. Catherine University, and 3
Augsburg College, as well as with St. Olaf College and Carleton College, just south of the Twin Cities. National surveys consistently pick Minnesota as an ideal place to raise a family, offering excellent schools, health care, and employment opportunities. Minnesota's educational system is a national model. The state's public school open enrollment program allows students to enroll in schools outside their district. Minneapolis/Saint Paul was ranked: as the fourth best city for families by Parenting Magazine based on great schools, affordable homes, low crime rates, plenty of jobs, and lots of parkland; eleventh in Forbes magazine s list of the Top 20 Cities for Working Mothers; the fourth best market in the country for quality hospital care, according to HealthGrades survey; and among the top in many Best lists including Inc. Magazine s Best Places to Start and Grow a Company, Money Magazine s Best Places to Live and author Sandra Gurvis 30 Great Cities to Start Out In. Minneapolis is the third most literate city in the nation, behind only Washington, D.C. and Seattle, according to an annual study by Central Connecticut State University. The Twin Cities have a sizeable and growing African American community, the country s largest urban population of Native Americans, a thriving Asian American community (including the country s fastest growing, and largest urban, Hmong population), a vibrant immigrant community from Somalia, and a significant Chicano/Latino population. STRATEGIC PLAN In January 2015, Macalester s board of trustees formally adopted the priorities of Strategic Plan 2014 to advance and fully support the college's commitment to its Mission and Statement of Purpose and Belief throughout the coming decade and beyond. Additional validation of the Strategic Plan comes from The Mellon Foundation, which recently awarded President Rosenberg $250,000 to support initiatives arising from the strategic plan. At its core, the Strategic Plan is designed to position Macalester on a sustainable path and as a leader in liberal arts education, enabling the college to continue its core work of providing a talented and diverse group of students with a liberal arts education that is outstanding in quality, distinctive in character, and demonstrably preparatory to vocational success. 4
DEAN FOR FACULTY DIVERSITY AND DEVELOPMENT This position reports to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. The primary goal is to enhance diversity within the faculty and across the curriculum. SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY The Dean for Faculty Diversity and Development will have academic and administrative responsibilities. Sitting at the nexus of affirmative action policies, curricular innovation, and faculty development initiatives in matters of diversity and multiculturalism, the Dean will work collaboratively and in partnership with the Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship, the Director for the Jan Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching, the Dean of Multicultural Life, and the Title IX Coordinator/Director of Equity. It is Macalester s intention that these separate and distinct positions will interact seamlessly to ensure comprehensive, multifaceted, and appropriate support for all aspects of diversity and multiculturalism for all members of the Macalester community. Specifically, the Dean will: teach one to two courses per year; manage Affirmative Action support for all faculty hiring, including and beginning with position approvals, crafting job descriptions, working with search committees to develop inclusive and diverse candidate pools, providing training and awareness in candidate interviews, and providing support during orientation and onboarding; manage institutional grants relating to issues of diversity; direct one administrative support position; support faculty in improving classroom climate and inclusivity; assist faculty with diversifying their course content, specifically providing support for Macalester s U.S. Identities & Differences requirement and other aspects of multicultural curriculum development; mentor faculty of color and faculty from other underrepresented groups throughout their career at Macalester; collaborate with the Dean of Multicultural Life (in Student Affairs) to develop and sustain diversity initiatives that make Macalester more welcoming to all members of the community in all aspects of their lives at the College; collaborate with the Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship (in Academic Affairs) to identify and build upon points of intersection between internationalism and multiculturalism at Macalester; collaborate with the Director of the Jan Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching (in Academic Affairs) on projects related to faculty development around issues of multicultural climate; and collaborate with the Title IX Coordinator/Director of Equity (in the President s office) to ensure fairness and compliance in matters of Affirmative Action. 5
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Macalester College is proud of its longstanding commitment to diversity and of the recognition it has received for its support of this initiative. Several prestigious national foundations have provided Macalester with important grants to support its work in diversity and it will be the responsibility of the Dean for Faculty Diversity and Development to administer them in cooperation with the relevant campus partners. The grants include the following. Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Macalester was awarded a $100,000, two year planning grant in support of efforts to better embrace and support diversity throughout the campus culture called "Eclectic Identity: Diversity at Macalester College." Specifically, this grant aims to: 1) improve the student experience in the classroom and on campus by providing faculty development opportunities related to diversity, and 2) investigate and pilot a bridge program to ease the transition of students of diverse backgrounds to life at Macalester. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation granted Macalester $373,000 to support the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF) over three years. The MMUF program encourages minority students to pursue PhDs in an effort to enhance diversity in the faculty ranks. In addition, Macalester College typically sponsors two Consortium for Faculty Diversity (CFD) post doctoral fellows each year. The Dean will be responsible for hiring, placing, and mentoring the CFD post docs. In accordance with the strategic plan, Macalester strives to increase not only the presence of diverse faculty among its ranks, but to create an environment that is more welcoming, supportive, and conducive to all faculty and student success in the classroom, in labs and studios, and across the entire Macalester campus community. It will be the charge of the Dean for Faculty Diversity and Development specifically to develop programs and initiatives to address the core value of multiculturalism from the faculty perspective. Currently, diversity of the Macalester full time faculty can be represented as such: 23% of faculty at the assistant level are people of color; 28% of faculty at the associate level are of color; at full professor, 19% are people of color; and among senior lecturers, 25% are people of color. Macalester recognizes that past efforts are not enough to increase the diversity of its faculty and seeks in its next Dean an individual of understanding, passion, creativity, and accomplishment in improving the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty and in supporting academic initiatives in diversity and multiculturalism. 6
DESIRED QUALIFICATION AND CHARACTERISTICS Ideal candidates will hold the terminal degree and have a record of scholarship, teaching and service that would merit an appointment as Professor in a department at Macalester. While teaching is an expectation for the Dean of Faculty Diversity and Development, the disciplinary home for that teaching is deliberately left open. However, there is particular interest in candidates whose scholarship focuses on issues of diversity and who are dedicated to excellence in teaching and research and creative activity within a liberal arts college community. Candidates must demonstrate success in diversity programs in a higher education environment, in areas that may include, but are not limited to, faculty development, integration of diversity issues into curriculum, or other classroom experience. The ideal candidate will possess the following characteristics: a deep understanding of faculty culture; passion and commitment to diversity and social justice with an understanding of how to advance a culture that is welcoming and inclusive; the ability to inspire trust, create relationships across all sectors of the institution, cultivate a sense of community and shared vision, and lead multi unit work groups to address complex campus issues; administrative management experience in higher education, including responsibility for programs and budgets; past experience with and/or appreciation for small, residential liberal arts colleges; a high degree of accessibility and openness to students, and commitment to participating fully in the life of the campus community; exceptional interpersonal and communication skills; and unquestionable integrity and a high level of energy. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This position is anticipated to begin July 1, 2016. For best consideration, please send all nominations, inquiries, and expressions of interest in confidence and electronically no later than January 8, 2016 to: Susan VanGilder, Principal Veronica Fitzgerald, Consulting Associate Storbeck/Pimentel and Associates, LP MacalesterDeanDivDev@storbeckpimentel.com For more information, please visit the Macalester College web site at www.macalester.edu 7
Macalester is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic staff committed to working in a multicultural environment and strongly encourages applications from everyone who would add richness to our community, including people of color, individuals with disabilities and women. 8