Description

The Department of Social Work at the University of Vermont invites nominations and applications for the position of Department Chair at the rank of full professor or an associate eligible for promotion to full professor. This is an opportunity to work with a vibrant faculty, including several new early career faculty, in building and expanding the profile of our community of scholars.  We seek an energetic leader motivated by contributing to the shared project that is relational, profound, and generative transformative social work.  The Department has an established reputation and accreditation in transformative social work perspectives and there are opportunities to expand and develop this approach. We are seeking applicants who wish to provide collaborative leadership to our socially progressive department and intellectually diverse community. The Social Work Department provides social work education at Bachelors (BSW) and Masters (MSW) levels, with planned growth in graduate programs and the potential to develop a new doctoral program to accompany recent strategic hires of national and international faculty. The university goals and support for increased research productivity, extramural funding, and internationalization are evident through focused resource support. The Department of Social Work enjoys strong links with the professional community and field-based education.

The University
Established in 1791, the University of Vermont is consistently ranked as one of the top public universities in the United States. Our academic programs combine faculty-student relationships most often found in a small liberal arts college with the resources of a major research institution. UVM’s tradition of equity and social justice extends not only to faculty, staff, and students, but also is reflected in a commitment to environmentally sound and sustainable practices.

The College
The Department of Social Work is situated within the College of Education and Social Services (CESS). The College’s mission is to “educate and prepare outstanding professionals in social work, education, and human services; engage in scholarship of high quality; and provide exemplary professional service to Vermont, the nation, and the world. We do this to contribute to a more humane and just society, free from oppression, that maximizes human potential and the quality of life for all individuals, families, and communities.”

The Department
The Department of Social Work’s accredited BSW and MSW programs prepare social work professionals for direct practice, policy, and administrative positions in diverse contexts. Our curricula emphasize a critical, reflective orientation that positions social workers as collaborative agents of change. Our distinctiveness is particularly reflected in our nationally recognized MSW program that features a specialized practice curriculum in transformative social work. Department members strive to create a working environment which embeds a transformative approach into relationships with colleagues, students, and members of the professional community.

The Community
UVM is located in Burlington, Vermont, which is rated as one of the best small cities in the country. The greater Burlington area has an increasingly diverse population of about 125,000 and enjoys a panoramic setting on the shores of Lake Champlain, between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. The surrounding area provides an environment rich in cultural, civic, and recreational activities. Vermont has a deep history of social activism and political participation. It offers many opportunities for collaborative partnerships in community and state-wide human service and social change organizations in multiple fields of practice, including state agencies.

Specific Responsibilities
The Chair is responsible to the CESS Dean for effective and strategic leadership, responsible stewardship of resources, organization and management, quality assurance of programs, and coordination of the work of the department in a unionized environment. This includes specific responsibilities defined by university policy, (e.g., making faculty workload assignments; assisting with the hiring of full and part-time faculty; recommending faculty appointments and reappointments; mentoring and conducting annual performance reviews of faculty; ensuring the development of and adherence to program and departmental policies and procedures; preparing and administering budgets; and assessing effectiveness of departmental instruction and advising) and collaboration with the CESS leadership team on implementation of college and university-wide goals. The Chair facilitates cross-program communication and collaboration, implements the CESS Strategic and Inclusive Excellence Plans with faculty and staff, and directs and coordinates department-wide data collection for accreditation and annual reporting. In addition to performing leadership and administrative duties, the Chair is expected to work with the CESS leadership team, manage faculty, teach one course per year, and maintain a scholarly research agenda.  The FTE position is technically described as a 62.5% Chair role and 37.5% Faculty Role (to be comprised of scholarship, teaching, advising, service).

Qualifications:

Required 

• PhD in Social Work or a closely related discipline
• MSW Masters in Social Work (for teaching in second year practice courses per accreditation requirements)
• Progressive programmatic-leadership experience at an institution of higher education
• Evidence of commitment to principles of diversity, equity, justice, inclusion, and belonging in research, teaching, and service.
• Evidence of knowledge and commitment to principles of transformative social work
• Consistent and sustained record of publication (e.g., 2 or more peer reviewed publications per year on average across time)
• Experience with extramural funding
• Evidence of excellence in teaching and/or advising
• Significant service contributions to the profession at national and/or international levels

Desirable

• Scholarly record commensurate with the rank of Full Professor
• Significant funding for scholarship or training
• Noteworthy experience or evidence of collaborative leadership
• Evidence of research, teaching, and service in transformative social work
• Successful competitive research funding (NIH, NSF or similar)
• Prior Department Chair or Department Head experience or position with a similar level of leadership responsibility
• Strategic systems orientation
• A PhD in social work
• Evidence of national and international recognition and collaborations
• Track record of service contributions at the international level
• Track record of community outreach experience
• Experience with accreditation processes
• Experience with supporting faculty through rank progression and RPT

Application Process

Review of applications will begin October 30th, 2024, and continue until the position is filled. For more detailed information about us, visit our web pages at the Department of Social Work the College of Education and Social Services’ website, www.uvm.edu/cess; and the University of Vermont’s website, www.uvm.edu.

The University of Vermont is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and inclusive excellence of the academic community through their teaching, service and research, scholarship, or creative arts. We are an educationally purposeful community seeking to prepare students to be accountable leaders in a diverse and changing world. Members of the University of Vermont community embrace and advance the values of Our Common Ground: Respect, Integrity, Innovation, Openness, Justice and Responsibility. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to the ideals of accessibility, inclusiveness, and academic excellence as reflected in the tenets of Our Common Ground.

Anticipated starting date is July 2025. Please apply online at www.uvmjobs.com. Include 1) a cover letter specifically addressing how your qualifications meet position requirements and preferences for the position; 2) a current curriculum vitae; 3) a separate statement on how your research, teaching, and service reflect Our Common Ground Values; and 4) the names and email addresses of three references that can be contacted for letters of support before a candidate is advanced to on-campus interviews in the search process. The successful candidate will also be expected to provide evidence of excellence in teaching for the rank and tenure and appointment process. For all applicants, employment is subject to a successful background check. For more information about the position, please contact the Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Kimberly Vannest, at Kimberly.Vannest@uvm.edu or Julia Stein at Julia.Stein@uvm.edu

The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category legally protected by federal or state law.