Director of Engineering Programs

Founding Director Of Engineering Programs

Briar Cliff University invites applications for the inaugural position of Founding Director of Engineering Programs — a full-time, 12-month faculty-administrator reporting directly to the Provost.

This is a rare opportunity for an entrepreneurial academic or practitioner-educator to build something meaningful from the ground up. The Founding Director will establish the academic, operational, and relational infrastructure of BCU's engineering program at a moment of genuine institutional momentum. The right candidate is someone who is energized — not intimidated — by a blank canvas: someone who can manage the complexity of a dual-degree partnership, earn the trust of regional employers, recruit and mentor students, and lay the groundwork for a program that grows in depth and regional relevance year over year.

BCU is not looking for a program manager. It is looking for a founder.

Briar Cliff University has launched an innovative dual-degree engineering program in partnership with the University of North Dakota (UND) College of Engineering & Mines, one of the nation's leading engineering colleges and a top-five nationally ranked online university. Through this partnership — facilitated by the Lower Cost Models for Independent Colleges Consortium (LCMC) — BCU students earn two bachelor's degrees simultaneously: a B.S. in Mathematics or a natural science from BCU, and an ABET-accredited B.S. in Engineering from UND.

Students may pursue engineering degrees in mechanical, civil, electrical, or chemical engineering. The program is completed in five years: the first two years focus on foundational mathematics, science, and general education coursework at BCU; UND engineering coursework (taken online) is integrated beginning in year two and increases in the final years. Engineering students remain fully enrolled at BCU throughout the program, pay tuition to BCU, and are eligible for BCU financial aid and NAIA athletics.

BCU is actively developing its own introductory engineering course offerings, delivered at BCU and accepted by UND in transfer, deepening students' academic experience and reducing tuition exported to UND. The program has the strong backing of regional corporate partners and community stakeholders who see BCU as a critical source of locally educated engineering talent for the Siouxland region. As enrollment and industry partnerships grow, the engineering faculty and curriculum will expand accordingly.

• Serve as BCU's primary liaison to the University of North Dakota College of Engineering & Mines and to RIZE Education/LCMC, the consortium manager for the dual-degree partnership.
• Oversee articulation agreements between BCU and UND, ensuring transfer credit evaluations, degree plans, and course equivalencies remain current and aligned with both institutions' requirements.
• Coordinate with the BCU Registrar, Financial Aid, and Business Office to ensure accurate enrollment reporting, tuition billing, and financial aid eligibility for program students.
• Develop and maintain program-specific policies, handbooks, and academic calendars that reflect the dual-institution nature of students' coursework.
• Prepare regular reports for the Provost on program enrollment, student academic progress, retention, graduation outcomes, and partnership health.
• Collaborate with BCU's math and natural science faculty, whose courses serve as prerequisites and co-requirements for the engineering degrees.

• Teach one – two courses per semester in foundational engineering at BCU, which may include Engineering Statics, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Introduction to Circuits, Engineering Graphics/CAD, and Introduction to Engineering; course assignments will reflect the significant administrative and program-building demands of the role.
• Work with UND faculty to identify additional courses suitable for development at BCU, building a multi-year curriculum roadmap that progressively grows BCU's instructional footprint.
• Design courses using current pedagogical best…