Bowdoin College invites applications and nominations for the position of Director of the Joseph McKeen Center for the Common Good. Established in 2007, the Center serves as the institutional focal point for Bowdoin’s longstanding commitment to serve the common good, first articulated by President Joseph McKeen at the opening of the College in 1802 when he compelled students to exert their “talents for the public good.” The McKeen Center provides opportunities for students, faculty and staff to discover the ways in which their talents, passions and academic pursuits can benefit society through public engagement. The Director provides dynamic and effective leadership for the Center, whose programs focus on three interrelated areas:
1.) Student Leadership through Civic Engagement. The Center offers students opportunities to explore themes of community responsibility, active citizenship and informed leadership through service and community engagement at the local, national and international levels. These include programs undertaken by 30 student organizations, encompassing more than half the student body on an annual basis, and representing more than 50,000 hours of service work each year. The Center also awards 14 fellowships to students to fund publically-engaged work in local, state, national and international venues proposed by the students themselves.
2.) Civically Engaged Teaching and Research. The Center encourages and assists faculty members in connecting their teaching, research and artistic endeavors to issues of the public good and in engaging students in these pursuits.
3.) Events on Public Issues. The Center coordinates and supports public events that challenge members of the Bowdoin and surrounding communities to consider both the historical and contemporary meanings of the common good and to debate issues of broad public concern.
Bowdoin is an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational, residential, undergraduate liberal arts institution founded in 1794. It is located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of 22,000 on the Maine coast. Study at Bowdoin leads to a bachelor of arts degree in one of more than 40 departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Bowdoin enrolls approximately 1,800 students from across the country and around the world, thirty percent of whom are students of color from the United States.
Serving as a member of the Division of Student Affairs leadership team, the Director is responsible for sustaining a Center as a true point of distinction in advancing the College’s mission. The Director will: 1. Support student initiatives and leadership opportunities in community-based work; 2. Provide vision, leadership and strategic planning for service-related initiatives that connect students, faculty and staff with local, national and international communities; 3. Serve along with the Senior Faculty Fellow as a catalyst for faculty engagement with the Center and connecting civic engagement with the intellectual life of the College; 4. Promote public engagement throughout the Bowdoin community by fostering discussion of the common good in campus-wide events that address issues of broad public concern; 5. Exercise collaborative leadership among staff, faculty, students and community partners in long-range planning, program development and evaluation; and 6. Supervise a staff of four (3.26 FTE equivalent) and manage operating budgets of $230,000.
Candidates should demonstrate ability, confidence and diplomacy in creating and maintaining constructive partnerships with a variety of constituents including students, faculty, staff, donors, and civic leaders. They should provide evidence of knowledge and experience in working to expand students’ understanding of civic engagement and to develop their leadership capacities. They should show evidence of significant experience working with diverse audiences in a variety of settings and exemplary skills in communication, promotion and public relations. Experience managing a professional staff and budget to achieve organizational goals is required, as is familiarity with and commitment to the mission and values of a residential liberal arts college. A postgraduate degree is expected.
The Director will report to the Dean of Student Affairs. Salary and benefits are competitive and are commensurate with desired experience and qualifications. Starting date for the position is July 1, 2013.
Confidential review and screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Complete applications should be received no later than January 11, 2013, for full consideration. Applicants must include four separate documents: (1) resume or curriculum vitae; (2) letter of application that specifically addresses the above responsibilities and qualifications; (3) a one page written response to the question, “What is the role of community engagement at a residential liberal arts college and how, ideally, should students, faculty and staff be engaged in this enterprise?”; and (4) a listing of three references, including names, titles, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses.
To apply please visit https://careers.bowdoin.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=51649 and complete an online application for the position. We do not accept paper or emailed applications for this position. If you have any questions about this process, please call 207-725-3923 or email careers {at} bowdoin(.)edu. Bowdoin College is committed to equality and is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage inquiries from candidates who will enrich and contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our College. Bowdoin College does not discriminate based on age, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, or disability status in employment, or in our education programs.
