Program Director and Faculty - Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

Program Director and Faculty - Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

Beloit College invites applications for a founding Program Director for its new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program. This is an opportunity to build a program from the ground up; to shape its identity, curriculum, and culture at a liberal arts institution that genuinely values faculty expertise and intellectual vision.

The founding director will have significant latitude to develop a program that is both rigorously CACREP-compliant and distinctively Beloit. We are seeking someone who understands that counselor education at its best is not just skills training: it is the formation of professionals who are theoretically grounded, socially aware, and equipped to work with the full complexity of human experience.

The program's animating commitments include:

• Social justice as a foundational orientation, embedded throughout the curriculum and clinical training
• Attention to underserved communities and the urgent mental health workforce needs of south-central Wisconsin and the broader region, including Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison
• Interprofessional and interdisciplinary education, consistent with Beloit's institution-wide pedagogical identity
• Community-based connections and experiential learning as core program features, not afterthoughts

Beloit College is a selective liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Nationally recognized for intellectual rigor and innovation, Beloit was ranked #18 among the nation's most innovative schools by U.S. News & World Report in 2026. Its graduates are known for their capacity to think across disciplines, engage with complexity, and connect knowledge to real-world impact.

The School of Health Sciences, established in 2023, reflects Beloit's commitment to preparing health professionals who are not only clinically excellent but broadly educated and community-minded. Interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential learning, and community-based practice are foundational to everything we do. This new MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program will be the School's first graduate-level offering, a significant milestone and a serious institutional commitment.

Role and Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of the CACREP accreditation process, including curriculum development, self-study preparation, and ongoing compliance
• Develop and implement program policies, student assessment systems, key performance indicators, and a comprehensive program evaluation plan consistent with 2024 CACREP standards
• Establish and cultivate clinical placement partnerships across the region to ensure sufficient practicum and internship opportunities for students
• Pursue state program approval in coordination with institutional leadership
• Support and influence student recruitment and admissions into the program, especially for the first and second cohorts
• Participate actively in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding 2–3 additional core and affiliate counselor education faculty members
• Provide ongoing leadership, mentorship, and evaluation for program faculty
• Coordinate advising, student assessment, retention, and gatekeeping processes consistent with ethical and professional standards
• Develop the student handbook, fieldwork handbook, and other program infrastructure from the ground up
• Work collaboratively with program faculty and staff to build and sustain relationships with community partners, fieldwork site supervisors, and advisory committee members
• Collaborate with faculty across the School of Health Sciences and the broader College to advance interdisciplinary programming
• Represent the program in professional counseling organizations and within the institution
• Teach graduate courses in areas of professional expertise as needed by the program

Required Qualifications

• Candidates must meet CACREP core counselor education faculty requirements per 2024 Standard 1.Y. Specifically, the successful candidate must have one of the following:
• An earned doctoral degree in counselor education, preferably from a CACREP-accredited program; or
• A related doctoral degree and full-time faculty employment in a counselor education…