Director of First Assistant Professor of Liberal Arts

Location:

Lakewood, CO or Remote | Must reside in AZ, CA, CO, FL, NY, VA, or TX

Target Salary: $65,000 - $75,000 per year

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) seeks a forward-thinking administrator and educator to serve as Director of the First-Year Experience (FYE), with a teaching load. Reporting to the Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies, this administrative role provides strategic leadership for a comprehensive curricular and co-curricular roadmap for all first-year students. Rooted in RMCAD’s "Students Come First" mission, the Director will bridge the gap between academic departments and the student’s transition into a professional art and design community.

You will be responsible for creating a "sense of belonging" while ensuring students hit critical milestones in their first 8-week terms and beyond.

• The First-Year
  
  Roadmap:
  
  Develop and execute a comprehensive "roadmap" for the undergraduate journey, identifying critical milestones from orientation through the transition to the second year.
• Peer Mentoring & Cohorts:
  Launch and manage a robust peer-mentoring program (e.g., peer-led workshops or "masterclasses") designed to help faculty and students navigate RMCAD’s first year.
• Retention and Assessment:
  Track and measure success metrics (persistence, engagement, and learning outcomes). Use data to identify "at-risk" students and implement early-intervention strategies.
• Cross-Departmental
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Partner with Admissions, Advising, and Marketing to ensure coherent messaging during the recruitment-to-enrollment transition.
• Collaborate with Career Services to integrate career-readiness and professional development into the first-year curriculum.
• Work with Student Affairs to integrate Orientation and co-curricular activities with credit-bearing coursework.

• Instruction:
  Teaching load as assigned.
• Core Curriculum Integration:
  Collaborate with department chairs and faculty to ensure First Year courses support the "Core" needs of art and design students.
• Instructional Mentorship:
  Provide peer-to-peer coaching and support to part-time faculty, ensuring consistency in teaching quality and student engagement across all FYE sections.
• Scholarship:
  Maintain an active research agenda or professional practice, ideally focused on student success, pedagogy, Liberal Arts, higher education, or other relevant scholarship.

• Administrative Oversight:
  Manage the FYE budget, schedule first-year seminar sections, and coordinate program-related events (e.g., first-year exhibitions or academic symposia).
• Research and Innovation:
  Introduce students to undergraduate research and professional practice opportunities, and interdisciplinary "incubators" that prepare them for advanced studio work.

• Graduate Degree: MA, MS, or PhD in a Liberal Arts discipline, Higher Education Leadership, or a related field.
• Leadership
  
  Experience:
  
  2+ years of experience in academic leadership, curriculum coordination, or student success programming.
• Teaching
  
  Experience:
  
  2+ years of postsecondary teaching with a proven track record of engaging first-year students and online teaching.
• Collaboration:
  
  Demonstrated ability to work across "silos" (Faculty, Student Affairs, and Enrollment Management).

• Terminal Degree:
  PhD or MFA in a relevant academic field.
• Retention Expertise:
  Experience using data analytics to improve student persistence and success.
• Creative Fluency: A deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by art and design students.
• Technical Proficiency:
  Experience with a LMS and AI-driven tools as pedagogical aids.

• Student-Centered Philosophy: A commitment to facilitating a "sense of belonging" for a diverse student body.
• Communication:
  Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire curiosity and motivation in new learners.
• Autonomy:
  Ability to take initiative on complex, multi-departmental projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.