The Associate Director embraces the Clarkson Honors philosophy, which emphasizes interdisciplinary thinking, experiential learning, research, and communication skills. The Clarkson University Honors Program is comprised of approximately 300 curious and academically engaged students. The Associate Director of Honors oversees the Capstone Project courses and certification process, advises the junior and senior cohort of Honors students, coordinates program assessment, and supports ongoing curricular and co-curricular programming in Honors.

The Associate Director plays an integral role in the University Honors Program as coordinator of the Capstone project completion sequence of courses. The Associate Director spearheads capstone project mentor outreach, engagement, and support. They also serve as the Honors advisor to junior and senior Honors students. The Associate Director provides administrative support to the Director of the Honors Program, coordinates curriculum assessment initiatives, and plays a support role on the Honors Council and in Honors recruitment and admissions. There are some weekend and evening hours required in this position to support programming.

First Consideration by 9/6/2024

Teaching
Teaches two courses per semester of the Capstone Sequence of courses (HP390: Honors Capstone Proposal Seminar and HP490: Honors Capstone Report Seminar) and oversees the Capstone process from start to finish, including shepherding the final documents and approvals for students post-HP490. Manages Easy Chair system for Capstone submissions and communications with library for final deposits.
Conducts class visits to first and second year honors courses to introduce and prepare first- and second-year students for the Capstone sequence.

Mentoring and Faculty Outreach
Serves as the primary liaison between capstone project mentors and Honors capstone students. In this role, they assist capstone project mentors in effectively mentoring undergraduate student researchers, offer additional support and workshops for faculty mentors.
Engages in outreach to departments and faculty from the Honors program in order to improve Honors communication and support of faculty participation. The Associate Director will liaise with faculty and departments to strengthen engagement in summer pre-frosh research, current Honors student summer research, and Capstone mentoring. The Associate Director may also develop mentor workshops with campus partners.
Continues to strengthen communication regarding the flexibility of the Capstone, which includes the traditional research-based capstone projects as well as non-traditional Co-op/Internship, Signature Projects, etc.
Assists in the ideation and continuous development of the Honors Capstone such as the creation of new options and opportunities, such as service capstone projects, group capstone projects, etc.
Partners with other campus representatives on undergraduate research support, including RAPS, and explores other possible collaborations.

Advising
Serves as the Honors advisor for junior and senior Honors students (approximately 75-100 students). The Honors advisor must meet with each student once per semester, and more often for particular students as needed.
Works in close concert with the Director and the Honors faculty and staff to identify and offer holistic support to any students who are struggling or facing personal or academic challenges to success.
Continue to develop their skills as a holistic advisor through workshops and professional development opportunities (eg. Mental Health First Aid, Safe Space, etc.).

Recruitment and Marketing
Represents, along with the Director and Program Staff and Faculty, the Honors Program in admission webinars, Clarkson visit days, and other student events.

Other Duties
Contributes to the development, writing, and submission of grant proposals as needed.
Attends professional development conferences to stay informed on national and international trends in honors programs/colleges. Where appropriate, organize student participation in these conferences.
Oversees Honors Program assessment. Establishes and assesses measurable student learning outcomes, program goals, and objectives; maintains reports, surveys and other records of accomplishments, appropriate student learning outcomes, and departmental needs. Develops useful longitudinal measures such as exit surveys, etc.
Compiles and analyzes data related to student participation and program evaluation; develops organizational work processes that facilitate attainment of established program goals and objectives.
Serves as an ex officio member of the Honors Council and an active member of the Honors Curriculum and Assessment Committee.
Other Duties as Assigned.

Education:
PhD in relevant discipline

Minimal Qualifications:

The Associate Director must embrace the value of knowledge and learning practices from multiple disciplines (in STEM and non-STEM fields), to emphasize collaboration and process over product, and to encourage growth mindsets in the Honors cohort. They must also be dedicated to fostering a sense of community and willing to engage in the life of the program (community events, recruitment and admissions, etc.)

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks concurrently.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with a wide range of personnel, both on and off campus.
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to relate to students and to motivate them in learning and in scholarly activity.
• Ability to work effectively in a team.
• Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy when handling sensitive and confidential issues.
• Independent thinking, decision making and problem solving ability.
• Strong project management and critical thinking skills, organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to build strong partnering relationships, with the ability to influence and move a decision forward.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Must possess a collaborative working style.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Self-direction, ability to proactively seek out opportunities and execute upon them.

The physical demands characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Health & Safety: All staff has a statutory responsibility to take reasonable care of themselves, others and the environment and to prevent harm by their acts or omissions. All staff is therefore required to adhere to the University’s Health, Safety, and Environmental Policy & Procedures.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required of personnel so classified.

Special Instructions to Applicants: An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, Clarkson actively seeks and encourages applications from minorities, women and people with disabilities.

All offers of employment are subject to the applicant successfully passing a background check (including, but not limited to, employment verification, educational and other credential verification, and criminal records