Pacific University achieves excellence and distinction by investing in exceptional people to think, care, create, and pursue justice in our world. We embrace discovery in a close nurturing environment that leads to genuine transformation. Our community is diverse, sustainable, and dedicated to discovery and excellence in teaching, scholarship and practice.
At Pacific University we thrive in an extraordinary environment, surrounded by the beauty of the great Pacific Northwest, with campus locations in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Eugene, and Woodburn. We humbly acknowledge and thank the original caretakers of the lands on which we live, work, teach, acquire and share knowledge.
GENERAL DISCRIPTION OF POSITION:
Pacific University, an outstanding private, comprehensive university located in the Portland metro area of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, seeks an accomplished leader to serve as Dean of its School of Graduate Psychology (SGP). SGP is one of eight schools comprising Pacific’s College of Health Professions. The next Dean of SGP will contribute to the continuing development of a robust college- and university-wide priority to develop models of interprofessional education, practice and research. That interprofessional setting, along with the School’s strong history of clinical training, science, and research, provides students with a distinctive, integrated education in health service psychology. Located on a modern campus in Hillsboro, Oregon, SGP supports American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited PhD (scientist-practitioner) and PsyD (practitioner-scholar) doctoral programs, an MPCAC-accredited Master's in Applied Psychological Science (local clinical scientist) programs, an APA-accredited doctoral internship program, and postdoctoral clinical fellowships. The SGP’s Pacific Psychology & Comprehensive Health Clinics (PCH; located in Hillsboro and Portland) provide care for the surrounding community, including marginalized and underserved populations. Those clinics, along with partner organizations, offer students uniquely integrated clinical opportunities. In addition to contributing visionary leadership to these evidence-based training programs, the Dean will also be able to pursue personal academic and scholarly interests and continue to cultivate a collaborative academic community deeply committed to diversity, equity, and multicultural inclusion.
The Dean has overall responsibility for the leadership and management of the School of Graduate Psychology and its programs, is the School’s chief academic and budget officer, and represents the School on CHP’s Deans and Directors Council and other university committees and groups. The Dean also serves as a visible, engaged representative of the School and the university to the external community. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of issues and trends concerning graduate level clinical and applied psychology education, research, and practice, as well as a working knowledge of the role of applied clinical and research psychology relative to the other health professions represented in CHP. A strong appreciation for models of practice that encourage and leverage integrated and interprofessional, team-based, and client-centered care are central to the training of all of our CHP students. Ideally, the incoming Dean will:
- have a record of successful scholarly achievement, academic leadership experience, academic program development, excellence in teaching and practice, and financial management experience;
- embrace models of broad and general graduate psychology education and training that includes preparation in health service psychology;
- be committed to curricular infusion of diversity and equity knowledge, awareness, and skills and will foster an inclusive multicultural climate;
- support the School’s endeavors to serve marginalized communities (e.g., through the in-house training clinic and community practicum sites);
- value student-centered, interprofessional, and inquiry-based learning models;
- support the faculty’s research and scholarly endeavors and provide leadership to the clinical and research aspects of the curricula and services
THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEAN:
As its chief academic officer, the Dean provides visionary intellectual and administrative leadership to the School of Graduate Psychology (the School), which includes oversight over all personnel matters. The Dean also functions as the School’s chief financial officer, with ultimate responsibility for the $15.3 million operating budget. The Dean will demonstrate the capacity to embrace the university’s historic mission of serving the underserved and, in addition, will evidence a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity. The position reports to Mary Von, Pacific’s Vice Provost (of the Hillsboro Campus) and Executive Dean of the College of Health Professions (the College or CHP).
The position requires a thorough understanding of contemporary graduate level psychology education that emphasizes applied clinical and research paradigms and trends on the national, state, and regional levels. The Dean will have the opportunity to define a more influential role for the School in the clinical psychology profession, capitalizing on the School’s strengths in applied clinical education and research. The School has ten years of history with the new PhD in Clinical Psychology, which was Pacific University’s first PhD degree. The Dean can be expected to take on a transformational focus, advancing the strategic vision of the School to become a more visible, recognized leader in the applied clinical psychology education, research, and practice communities. The role requires experience with and a commitment to visionary strategic planning, assessment, and continuous programmatic improvement. The Dean will collaborate with the faculty and other academic leaders in the College to define the future of the School, articulating emerging needs and addressing challenges that require new thinking, including potential new degree programs and delivery platforms.
One of the position’s key responsibilities is to work effectively with the School’s faculty and staff, inspiring their energy and creativity for the benefit of the entire School and fostering a collaborative, team-building atmosphere among them and with other faculty and staff across the College and the university. The Dean will work with key community representatives to form strategic partnerships that support clinical education, practice innovation, and productive scholarly and research collaborations. The Dean will weave these elements together to contribute to advancing contemporary applied clinical psychology practice and research, and to ensure that the School’s programs appropriately meet standards for accreditation by the American Psychological Association and the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council.
A successful Dean will embrace learner-centered, interprofessional, and inquiry-based education, value and support the School’s research and scholarship enterprise, foster faculty efforts to secure external grant funding, and demonstrate commitment to students and to the profession through professional service and/or voluntary activities. In addition, the Dean will understand and value leadership within a shared governance academic setting.
It is essential that the Dean serve as a visible and effective spokesperson for the School. Within CHP, the Dean must be a collegial advocate for the School and be able to work collaboratively with other CHP deans and directors on matters of mutual and general interest across the College and the university (e.g., interdisciplinary professional services, diversity concerns in health services and science, and upholding college curricular standards). The Dean also represents the School, the College, and Pacific externally through participation in appropriate civic, service, and professional organizations, and in relevant local, state, and national venues. The Dean is responsible for maintaining strong relationships within the profession and with relevant state agencies and professional associations. The Dean will also foster positive relationships with the School’s alumni and other community stakeholders, and will work in partnership with the university’s leadership to support fundraising efforts for the School’s and College’s priorities.
The Dean will possess the vision and the qualities of leadership required to advance an accomplished School, College, and university to a new level of achievement, and will join a dedicated, learner-centered, congenial academic community, eager to welcome its next colleague and leader.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Dean is responsible for:
- Leading the Executive Committee of the School and faculty in accreditation, long-range strategic planning, and curricular development, implementation, and enhancement, consistent with the mission and values of the School.
- Recruiting, supervising, managing, and retaining faculty and staff.
- Coordinating and managing the admission and recruitment of new students in cooperation with the programs’ admissions staff and the School’s Program Directors.
- Overseeing the welfare and academic progress of all students in the School.
- Preparing, managing, and implementing the School's budget.
- Representing the School in the College and University administrative structure.
- Representing the School in local, state, and national psychological associations and organizations, as well as in the general professional community.
- Providing liaison with the School of Graduate Psychology Student Association.
- Providing mentorship and guidance with respect to faculty research/scholarship and publication endeavors.
