Department Head of Psychology

Position: Department Head of Psychology 116200
Department Head of Psychology 116200

Job no: 493496
Work type: Faculty
Location: Stillwater
Categories: Faculty/Instructor

Campus

OSU-Stillwater

Contact Name & Email

Dr. Howard Sanborn, howard.sanborn

Work Schedule

TBD

Appointment Length

11 months

Priority Application Date

While applications will be accepted until a successful candidate has been hired, interested parties are encouraged to submit their materials by April 10, 2026, to ensure full consideration.

Special Instructions to Applicants

To apply , please submit the following materials:
1. Cover letter outlining qualifications and describing vision for department.
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. Contact information for three professional references.

Candidates should address how they promote opportunities for all students in their statements. Screening of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries about this position may be directed to Howard Sanborn, howard.sanborn.

About this Position

Department Head of Psychology

The Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University seeks internal applications for the position of Department Head. The position is an 11-month appointment at the rank of advanced Associate or Full Professor with tenure to begin July 1, 2026, for a three-year term.

Responsibilities:

We seek a dynamic and experienced administrator with a clear strategic vision to advance excellence in the educational, research, and outreach mission of the department. The successful candidate will have a proven record of accomplishment in academic leadership, administration, research, and teaching. We seek an individual with a demonstrated ability to maintain a vigorous, externally funded research program who excels in teaching and mentoring at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Key Duties and

Responsibilities include:

• Responsible for overseeing all aspects of the department's mission and for articulating a strategic vision for the department that aligns with the college and university mission as a preeminent land-grant R1 institution.
• Provide strategic leadership for the department, including resource allocation, maintaining competitive and innovative academic programs, and successfully facilitating faculty recruitment, retention, and development.
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the department, including fiscal management, oversight of faculty and staff professional development, and support of the research enterprise.
• Conduct annual performance reviews and manage the processes for tenure, promotion, and sabbatical leave recommendations.
• Promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, focusing on improving educational outcomes, student success, graduate funding opportunities, and workforce readiness.
• Facilitate research, scholarship, and competitive grant funding initiatives by department faculty and students.
• Enhance the department's visibility and reputation through effective communication with key stakeholders, including college- and university-level administrators, unit faculty, staff, students, alums, and donors.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary will be commensurate with education, experience, qualifications and contingent on available funding. Benefits include comprehensive medical plans. Information on benefits can be found at (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..html

About the Department of Psychology

The Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University is committed to research, teaching, and outreach. The Department of Psychology has 23 tenured/tenure-track and 12 career-track full-time faculty and offers PhDs in both clinical and experimental psychology. The Clinical Program, continuously APA-accredited since 1971 and PCSAS-accredited since 2018, is based on a clinical science model of training, and has subspecialties in Adult Psychopathology, Child Clinical, Health, and Pediatric Psychology.

The Experimental Program has concentrations in Developmental, Comparative-Neurobiological, Cognitive, and Social-Personality Psychology.

The Department oversees and supports a large student body of approximately 65 doctoral students and 1200 undergraduate majors. OSU's Department of Psychology values interdisciplinary collaboration. Several current faculty maintain active research and training collaborations at both the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and the OSU Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, offering opportunities for access to medical specialty populations and professional collaborations.

Notably, OSU Stillwater, OSU Center for Health Sciences, and OSU Tulsa partnered to host the interdisciplinary OSU Brain Initiative () in Tulsa, OK, where the most advanced MRI system in the state is located at OSU Biomedical Imaging Center at the Hardesty Center for Clinical Research and Neuroscience (). The OSU Center for Health Sciences is also home to the NIGMS-funded Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Adversity (CIRCA) (), which supports…