Faculty Specialist II - Professional Specialist - School of Social Work - Tenure Track

Faculty Specialist II
- Professional Specialist
- School of Social Work
- Tenure Track

Salary Range Pay is commensurate with qualifications and experience, combined with an excellent benefits package.

Number of Vacancies

Number of Vacancies 1

General Summary

Western Michigan University’s School of Social Work invites applications for the position of Faculty Specialist II
- Professional Specialist. This is a tenure-track, full-time, fiscal-year Faculty Specialist II appointment based on the main campus in Kalamazoo, Ml. This position will have the role and responsibility of Director of the BSW program, providing academic and administrative leadership for the BSW program and ensuring alignment with the mission and vision of the school, college, and university, the CSWE accreditation standards, and the evolving needs of students, faculty, and community partners.

This position:

• Oversees curriculum development and updates, ensuring rigor, relevance, and alignment with CSWE competencies.
• Ensures accreditation compliance, manages ongoing program assessment, and implements continuous improvement strategies.
• Leads marketing, outreach, recruitment, and student retention initiatives to strengthen program visibility and enrollment.
• Focuses on academic coordination, program leadership and collaborative support for faculty teaching within the BSW program.
• Fosters a collaborative, inclusive, and student-centered academic environment.
• Cultivates and sustains community partnerships that enhance student learning and workforce development.
• Champions a culture of academic excellence, equity, inclusion, and innovation.
• Leads the ethical and strategic integration of artificial intelligence (Al) into the BSW curriculum to prepare students for the future of social work practice.
• Offers an exciting opportunity for a visionary and collaborative leader to shape the future of undergraduate social work education at one of Michigan’s leading public universities.

Major Duties

• Provide strategic leadership for the BSW program by overseeing operations, student support structures, and program evaluation.
• Ensure full compliance with CSWE accreditation standards, including preparation of self-studies, annual reports, and coordination of site visits.
• Develop, implement, and assess strategic initiatives that promote program quality, relevance, growth, and community impact.
• Lead continuous improvement processes by managing program-level assessment and ensuring alignment with university expectations.
• Guide the design, review, and enhancement of the BSW curriculum to remain responsive to accreditation requirements and workforce needs.
• Collaborate with faculty to strengthen evidence-based, culturally responsive pedagogy across all BSW courses.
• Lead efforts to thoughtfully and ethically integrate artificial intelligence (Al) into teaching and learning to prepare students for contemporary and emerging social work practice.

Recruitment and Retention:

• Oversee student recruitment, admissions processes, academic advising structures, and retention strategies to sustain a strong and diverse student body.
• Foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment, ensuring timely and empathetic responses to student concerns.
• Champion student success through innovative initiatives that promote academic achievement, professional preparedness, and well-being.

Partnerships & Community Engagement:

• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with community agencies, educational partners, and professional organizations.
• Serve as an ambassador for the BSW program, representing it to external stakeholders and advancing collaboration.
• Develop and sustain partnerships that enrich student learning, field opportunities, and workforce development.

Other Duties:

• Teach courses in the BSW program as assigned, ensuring high-quality instruction and student engagement.
• Contribute to departmental, college, university, and professional committees, supporting institutional development and policy-making.
• Advocate for program needs with School, College, and University leadership. Perform additional responsibilities as assigned by the Director of the School of Social Work.
• Promote equity, access, inclusion, and…