Position Available: Chair of the Department of Special Education, Foundations, and Research, East Carolina University, College of Education

Chair of the Department of Special Education, Foundations, and
Research, East Carolina University, College of Education

East Carolina University invites applications for the position of
Chair of the Department of Special Education, Foundations, and
Research in the College of Education. We seek a nationally recognized
scholar with demonstrated excellence in teaching and research and
success in securing external research funding. The successful
candidates must have an earned Doctoral degree from an accredited
University in Special Education, Educational Foundations, Research, or
a closely related discipline. The successful candidate must also have
an appreciation for and experience in multidisciplinary environments,
a commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education,
familiarity with assessment criteria of accrediting agencies, and
budgetary experience.

The Chair will teach in her/his area of specialization, maintain an
active research program, and direct grants and other externally-funded
initiatives.  The Chair position is a 12-month administrative
appointment with responsibilities for overseeing three distinct
programs: 1) the Special Education program: leading to the Bachelor of
Science in Special Education (Adapted and General Curriculum Tracks),
the Master of Education in Special Education (in four concentration
areas), and three certificate programs (Autism, Assistive Technology,
and Deaf Blind); 2) the Foundations program for the College of
Education; and 3) the Research program for the College of Education.
The Chair also oversees the Irene Howell Assistive Technology Center.
The Department of Special Education, Foundations, and Research
currently has 21 full-time tenure, tenure-track, and teaching faculty,
2 full-time non-teaching professionals, a fluctuating number of part
time instructional faculty and clinical supervisors, and 1.5
administrative support specialists. A key role of the Chair is to
support and mentor faculty scholarship and efforts to secure external
funding.

The Chair reports to the Dean of the College of Education (COE) and
serves on the COE Leadership Team, representing the Department across
the College and University as well as with key local, state, and
national stakeholders. The Chair leads strategic planning and
evaluation for continuous improvement for the department and each
program, aligned with the mission and policies of the College and the
University; establishes Department priorities and use of resources
through shared governance with faculty; takes an active role in hiring
all faculty and administrative staff; sets faculty workloads, course
schedules, and service assignments; and annually facilitates
individual goal-setting and conducts faculty evaluations. All
applicants should currently hold the rank of Professor or, if applying
as an Associate Professor, should meet the qualifications for
promotion to Professor at East Carolina University. Qualifications
would include a record of research, external funding, teaching, and
service appropriate for a tenured appointment at the rank of
Professor. Preference will be given to candidates with previous chair
or other higher education leadership and administrative experience.
Expertise in critical perspectives in social, cultural, and
psychological foundations of education; education of students with
special needs; and/or research design and methodology is also
preferred.

Candidates must submit the following documents online at
https://ecu.peopleadmin.com /applicants/jsp/shared/Welcome_css.jsp :
(1) a letter of application describing academic background, specific
skills, and experiences relevant to the position, (2) a written
statement describing research productivity and agenda, (3) at least
two examples of scholarly works, and (4) a current vitae.  Candidates
must also submit:  (1) a copy of all transcripts and (2) three current
letters of reference to: Alana M. Zambone, Ph.D., Search Chair, 102
Speight Building, College of Education, East Carolina University,
Greenville, NC 27858.  Finalists will be required to present on a
topic related to leadership, issues in education, and/or the results
of a research study.  In addition, they will have the opportunity to
work with the Associate Dean for Research to submit a proposal for
research start-up funds from East Carolina University.  Screening
begins January 4th, 2016, and continues until the position is filled.