Director, UNE North: The Center for North Atlantic Studies
Full Time
Portland, ME
Posted
Job description
The University of New England seeks an innovative and highly collaborative leader to direct UNE North, the Center for North Atlantic Studies. UNE North is a signature interdisciplinary center at the University of New England that convenes faculty, professional staff, and students to partner with stakeholders from across the global North to address critical social, environmental, healthcare, and economic challenges. The Center connects UNE’s academic, scientific, and health care expertise with a robust network of academic, business, government, and non-governmental organizations to address issues related to the North Atlantic and the Arctic regions. Through creative and collaborative programming, UNE North supports students across the University’s colleges and disciplines to engage with the most crucial challenges of the day. UNE North helps students realize “Innovation for a Healthier Planet” in their studies and their future careers.
Centered in Portland, Maine, where the deep-water harbor is the gateway for U.S. engagement in the global North, UNE North recognizes the demographic, geographic, climatic, and cultural similarities Maine shares with the North Atlantic and Nordic states. For example, like many countries in the global North, Maine is a largely rural state with an aging population that is concentrated around a single geographical center. Access to quality healthcare, particularly in rural areas, is a persistent challenge. Climate change is disrupting traditional fishing and agricultural economies. A deep and admirable culture of environmental stewardship often clashes with industrial development efforts, even when the latter are envisioned with a sustainability focus. Indigenous communities struggle to take advantage of economic and educational opportunities while preserving traditional ways of life. Large numbers of tourists provide welcome revenue but also stress natural systems. In addressing these and other issues, we have much to learn from, and much to share with, our neighbors across the global North.
Grounded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, UNE North is a leader in promoting sustainable development in Maine, New England, and throughout the North Atlantic and Arctic region. The Center is also focused on exploring innovative and scalable approaches to expand access to high quality healthcare, particularly in underserved rural communities, through tools such as telehealth and digital medicine and using pedagogical models such as team-based, collaborative interprofessional education. The Center collaborates with the University’s academic colleges to
envision new academic programs, cultivate new research partnerships, and advance new study abroad opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and online students.
The new director will collaborate with constituencies across the University on these and related activities.
With roots dating back to 1831, UNE is the largest private university in Maine. One of the fastest growing private universities in the Northeast, UNE has established itself as a leading comprehensive university with particular strengths in the health sciences with vibrant academic programs offered both onsite and online to nearly 14,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. UNE is guided by core values of student-centeredness; diversity, inclusion, and connection; relentless inquiry; interdisciplinary collaboration; learning everywhere; progressive change; and stewardship of our planet.
UNE’s more than 70 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and online degree programs are offered through five colleges – College of Arts and Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, Westbrook College of Health Professions, College of Osteopathic Medicine, and College of Professional Studies – Online. UNE is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine – the coastal campus of Biddeford and the vibrant professional campus in Portland, a city of great charm and historic significance – in addition to the study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco. The University of New England is regionally accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education. (For more information about UNE, see Appendix A.)
UNE values a broad and diverse workforce and is committed to offering a rich living, learning, and working environment. UNE is a founding member of the Diversity Hiring Coalition, a consortium of Maine employers committed to increasing the diversity of their workforces and striving to make Maine a more welcoming place for all people.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship, the Director of UNE North will oversee the University’s various initiatives related to the North Atlantic Region.
- Working closely with the president, provost, and deans to expand existing partnerships, and to develop new ones, with external domestic and foreign stakeholders
- Developing a strategic plan for the Center that dovetails with the larger University strategic plan
- Serving as the face of the University with international organizations focused on the North Atlantic, including the University of the Arctic, the Arctic Circle Assembly, the New England Arctic Network, and the United Nations
- Working with the Office of Global Affairs and the academic colleges to expand study abroad experiences among students, and research partnerships among faculty, with partners across the Global North
- Collaborating with the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Office of Institutional Advancement to secure grants and gifts to support the Center’s mission
- Developing student internships and other experiential learning activities with local, regional, and global partners
- Planning and hosting local, regional, and global events, and offering public presentations, related to the Center’s mission
- interfacing frequently with the Provost and President to discuss strategy and initiatives.
- Recruiting a robust external Advisory Board to assist with Center activities
- Involvement in teaching on topics related to the Center
- Supervisory oversight of Administrative Assistant in addition to conducting performance evaluations for unit support staff and students as applicable
Considering UNE’s student-centric mission, involving students in all aspects of the Center’s functions must be prioritized.
Qualifications
The Director of UNE North will be joining a university that has significant strengths and offers many attractive features. For example, UNE has:
- A compelling mission and niche in the higher education market with a distinctive and unique focus on innovation for a healthier planet that encompasses both health care and environmental stewardship;
- Excellent financial management leading to sound fiscal stability;
- Internationally recognized research and scholarship in a range of fields, such as the biomedical sciences, marine sciences, neurosciences and sensory function, global affairs, social sciences, and humanities, together with strong regional brand awareness in preprofessional healthcare programs;
- Beautiful, well-maintained campuses;
- A sense of place and community to serve others locally while providing global impact, making UNE a private university with a public mission;
- The benefit of location in a state that is welcoming to immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers and is considered among the safest states in the nation;
- An unwavering student-centered philosophy and approach;
- Talented, highly motivated, and collaborative faculty, students, administration and professional staff, working together to achieve common university goals and engaged in creating a welcoming community;
- Strong student outcomes, including high board pass rates, excellent post-graduation employment rates, and unusually low rates of default on student loans;
- An innovative culture where positive change and opportunity are embraced with a New England sprit of ingenuity and pragmatism; and
- A successful current strategic plan that has set the stage for continued, dynamic growth with potential to be nationally recognized as a leading independent university.
Required Qualifications and Experience
- Doctoral degree (preferred) or master’s degree (required) and appropriate expertise in an academic discipline aligned with the mission of the Center
- Demonstrated knowledge of issues and challenges facing the Arctic and North Atlantic region
- Collaborative interdisciplinary team building and management skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including public relations
- Teaching experience
- Experience securing grant and philanthropic support
EEO Statement Summary
Consistent with federal and state law and University policy, the University of New England is committed to the fundamental concept of equal opportunity for all of the members of the University community. The University prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination in employment, the provision of academic services or in any other area of University life based on race, color, sex, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, ethnicity, genetic information, HIV status, or status as a veteran. Prohibited bias factors will not be permitted to have an adverse influence upon decisions regarding students, employees, applicants for admission, applicants for employment, contractors, volunteers or participants in and/or users of institutional programs, services, and activities.
COVID Vaccination Statement (PLEASE NOTE)
In order to protect the health and safety of the UNE community, UNE requires all students enrolled in classes on our campuses and all on-campus employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to the start of employment. The University allows for religious and medical exemptions to the policy. If you believe you are eligible for a medical or religious exemption to the vaccine policy you may seek the exemption through Human Resources after receiving this conditional offer of employment. Please note that no person to whom the policy applies will be finally employed or permitted to work if they are not fully vaccinated unless they request an exemption and are granted one.
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