Director of Accreditation, Compliance and Assessment - Saint Mary's University

Saint Mary's University is looking for a Director of Accreditation, Compliance, and Assessment who is eager to contribute to its Lasallian Catholic mission of awakening, nurturing, and empowering learners to ethical lives of service and leadership. We invite individuals to help transform lives through education, inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition’s quest to understand the human experience through faith and reason and its embrace of all who are dedicated to learning from one another through authentic conversations in search of the truth. We are especially interested in and give preference to candidates who demonstrate a vision to create and nurture initiatives that will advance our mission within the scope of their duties and who will foster a culture of dialogue that, with respect for all people, supports the search for meaning and purpose in pursuit of excellence.

The Director coordinates and manages the following:  institutional accreditation efforts and the university’s ongoing relationship with its regional accreditor; academic compliance initiatives at the state, regional, and federal levels; assessment of student learning efforts; and academic program review. The Director serves as the institution’s primary contact to its regional accreditor and several other state and regional agencies. This position is responsible for managing academic program assessment and academic program review processes, in consultation with academic administration and faculty committees, and collaborating on general education and co-curricular program assessment. The Director also oversees the online course evaluation process, in collaboration with educational technology staff.   

Accreditation and Compliance:

• Serve as the institution's subject matter expert with respect to accreditation and compliance policies, standards and good practice.
• Serve as the institution’s Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Higher Learning Commission; coordinate the reaccreditation process; complete all screening forms, final submissions/reports, annual updates, new program requests, location and change requests, as required. 
• Serve as the institution’s primary academic compliance contact to the Office of Higher Education, assuring compliance with all state regulations related to academics; complete the annual registration process and any ongoing reporting/approval submissions.
• Assure compliance with distance education Minnesota and multi-state approval requirements of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) for online programs, and consistency in documentation and Department of Education off-campus location registration.
• Review contractual and consortial relationship agreements as related to compliance and accreditation requirements and good practice.
• Develop annual timelines for and monitor timeliness of required reporting processes, both internal and external.
• Cooperate in specialty accreditation program submissions and reporting requirements.
• Work with program staff on issues of professional licensure requirements / disclosure notifications to students. 
• Maintain accreditation and compliance related documentation, including related university website pages; review related marketing materials for accuracy.

Assessment:

• Serve as the institution's subject matter expert with respect to assessment of student learning and program review processes, policies, standards and good practice.
• Develop and consistently communicate an approach to assessment of student learning and academic program review that is implementable across the institution.
• Collaborate with faculty and department chairs/program directors to develop and implement assessment plans with measurable student learning outcomes, and data collection and analysis processes that provide actionable data to be utilized for improvement of student learning and teaching.
• Collaborate with the Office for Character, Virtue, and Ethics on developing and implementing assessment of character and virtue education across the university. 
• Develop and facilitate professional development (workshops, trainings, materials, tutorials) in areas related to curricular and co-curricular assessment to support faculty and staff efforts.
• Manage agreed upon processes and cycles of assessment activities and academic program review.
• Serve on the assessment committees, working collaboratively with committees following handbook processes and procedures.
• Primary data steward for documentation of assessment and program review evidence required for both internal improvement efforts and Higher Learning Commission accreditation efforts.
• Collaborate with Office of Institutional Effectiveness on the selection and cycle of surveys and data for academic and co-curricular assessment.  
• Lead and collaborate in the ongoing effort to utilize digital technologies and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, and report assessment and program review data.
• Provide data analysis and written reports for internal academic improvement efforts and for use in accreditation, working closely with Accreditation and Compliance, Curriculum and Instruction, Institutional Effectiveness, and Faculty Development colleagues, as appropriate.

Other:

• Manage course evaluation process, collaborating with Education Technology in using Qualtrics, the university’s course evaluation and survey system.
• Manage assigned budgets.
• Serve on committees, as assigned. 
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Essential Skills and Functions:

• Collaborative leadership approach that seeks input from stakeholders and leads a cooperative effort in concert with identified goals. 
• Ability to provide effective facilitation and training, and to work effectively and professionally across disciplines, departments, and with diverse groups.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage several projects simultaneously, prioritize and complete projects within a timely manner.
• Proficiency in research or evaluation design, methodology, and reporting using both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear and concise reports with accurate data and keen attention to detail.
• Ability to exercise discretion and confidentiality in regards to sensitive information.
• Travel between the Minneapolis and Winona campuses is regularly required.

• Master's degree required; preferred disciplines of higher education, education, teaching/instruction, or social science. Doctoral degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of increasingly responsible experience in institutional accreditation (preferably with Higher Learning Commission) and higher education compliance. 
• Understanding of good practice in assessment of student learning in higher education and experience applying that knowledge to program and institution level assessment initiatives.
• Experience in collecting quantitative and qualitative data. 
• Higher education teaching experience is preferred.
• Understanding of good practice in academic program review in higher education. 
• Experience with digital learning and assessment management systems, including designing and using complex learning and assessment feedback processes in digital environments. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of sources, uses, and types of data applicable to institutions of higher education.
• May consider other acceptable equivalent combinations of training and experience.

Apply online at https://www.smumn.edu/about/offices-services/human-resources/employment-opportunities/  and please include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota believes inclusion and human dignity contributes to a robust academic and work environment and is critical to achieving the University's mission in an increasingly diverse society. Individuals with expertise and diverse skills from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The successful candidate must support, respect, and advance the mission of Saint Mary's University as a Lasallian Catholic institution.

Saint Mary’s offers a comprehensive benefit package including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, flexible spending, retirement pension plan, and both undergraduate and graduate tuition remission plans.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.