Director, McNair Scholars Program

Job Summary

Central Washington University is recruiting a Director, McNair Scholars Program to join our Douglas Honors College team in Ellensburg, Washington. This role is an important member of our team as they enhance the vision for the University. The role is a 0.9375 FTE (37.5 hours/week) campus-based position, which means you get to see the lives you are impacting. We're offering a salary, depending on experience, from $64,974 - $84,467 annually (based on 1.0 FTE;

will be adjusted for a reduced FTE of 0.9375) plus the awesome CWU benefits.

Who we are:

We are a team of individuals committed to Changing Students' Lives. No matter what job, each of us plays a part in supporting and empowering our students to fulfill their dreams.

Working in higher education provides career growth and career choice. Think of a university campus like a mini city, operating across 380 acres. You'll find diverse academics, libraries, athletics and sporting events, full service and quick serve dining, conferences and events from small to large, recreation centers, housing, health services, police and public safety for the campus population of ~8,300 students.

Central Washington University has been named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Top Producing Institution for the  academic year. In addition, for seven out of eight years, CWU was a recipient of the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Rent Cafe has also named CWU #13 of the Top 20 Best College Towns in the U.S. in 2025.

Come join us on our journey to encourage, inspire, and create spaces where all identities thrive on campus.

Tour our campus in Ellensburg here.

What we offer:

Our investment in you begins the day you join our team, a healthy and successful future for you is important to us. We offer medical, dental, life and disability insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, tuition assistance for you and your dependents, discounts across town, an employee assistance program for individualized counseling, and a wellness incentive program. Learn more:
Benefits, Perks, and Leave and Total Rewards Calculator.

The Role:

The Director of McNair Scholars Program provides leadership for CWU's Ronald

E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program. This includes planning, implementing, and evaluating the program designed to increase the number of participants in accordance with the goals, objectives and compliance requirements from the Department of Education. They are responsible for implementing the federally funded project in alignment with approved objectives and Department of Education requirements. The position manages core program functions, including staffing oversight, marketing and recruitment, annual programming, and participant advising to ensure required and permissible services are delivered to eligible students.

The Director manages McNair's fiscal functions and program data systems and prepares documentation and outcome data for inclusion in the annual budget and the Annual Performance Report (APR). Working under the DHC Director's oversight as Principal Investigator, the role ensures that all materials are accurate, complete, and ready for final review and approval before submission.

All employees are expected to uphold and contribute to CWU's vision, mission, and values, fostering a culture of student success and institutional excellence.

Job Duties

Program Leadership and Administration

* Administer, implement and evaluate program goals and objectives in accordance with federal goals and objectives to enable scholars to apply and be admitted to graduate programs successfully.

* Recruit and select students in conjunction with the Advisory Committee.

* Work with the faculty coordinator and other university administrators to supervise tracking of scholars' academic progress, develop curriculum, and implement McNair academic courses with existing university programs and services.

* Develop and implement scholarly activities that include acting as a liaison with graduate schools and coordinating travel to graduate schools and professional conferences.

* Represent the McNair Program to the university community and in required conferences as stipulated in the grant, typically one national conference per year.

* Supervise the maintenance of all program files and records (following federal regulations), computer operations (including McNair Scholar and scholarship database), student computers, and student resource library.

* Communicate with federal program officials regarding grant negotiations, program changes, reports, and site visits.

* Manage McNair public relations, including a website, scholarly journal, newsletter, brochures, flyers, and other promotional material.

* Coordinate communication with the McNair Advisory Committee.

* Recruit and train faculty as research and teaching mentors for McNair Scholars.

* Prepare annual and final performance reports as required by the U.S. Department of Education.

Budget…