Associate Professor of Practice and Director of Online BSW Practicum Education

Simmons University

  • USA
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 1 day ago
ABOUT SIMMONSLocated in Boston’s historic Fenway area, Simmons University has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons was founded for equality 125 years ago as one of the first higher education institutions dedicated to helping women become leaders. Today, our university continues to grow and evolve and now offers Boston’s only women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all.You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as we continue to innovate for the future. Simmons recently launched a six-school academic structure that leverages our expert faculty and longstanding expertise in professions that make our communities stronger. In addition, we continue to highlight our high-value education proposition that is delivering greater ROI to students and putting them on the fast track to career growth and success. You’ll find that people who work here truly believe in our mission of preparing students to become social justice-oriented leaders who excel in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace.As a university that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.Job SummarySimmons University School of Social Work seeks to hire a Director of Online BSW Practicum Education. This is a contract faculty position at the rank of Associate Professor of Practice in the online undergraduate social work program, BSW. Reporting to the Director of the BSW Program, this position provides leadership and management for all programmatic and administrative aspects of Practicum education and service-learning components for the BSW, a program that will admit students at three entry points in the calendar year. It is a twelve-month contract appointment renewable annually based on the School’s need and faculty performance. Responsibilities include: student advisement and mentoring, teaching BSW courses, and managing all programmatic and administrative aspects of Practicum education and service learning components, including managing the placement process for students. The Online BSW Practicum Education Director works closely with the BSW Program Director the On-ground practicum Education Director to ensure commensurability between the two platform options. We are committed to building an excellent and diverse faculty and welcome candidates whose experiences have prepared them to contribute to this commitment. This position is eligible to be hybrid or fully remote.The School of Social Work offers degrees at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral levels (BSW, MSW, DSW, PhD). Our MSW Program is offered via robust on-ground and online platforms. Areas of current SSW faculty expertise include: dynamics of diversity, family and intimate partner violence, immigration, health and health policy, health disparities, aging, behavioral health, substance abuse, suicidality, child maltreatment, social policy, and innovations in social work education.Primary ResponsibilitiesReasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
  • This position is a 12-month, full-time academic appointment.
  • Carrying a 7-course teaching load per academic year.
  • Leadership and management of all day-to-day functions of Online BSW practicum education operations, including tracking and reporting of student needs and progress.
  • Manage the Practicum experience, overseeing Practicum placements, and providing support for Practicum instructors.
  • Manage the placement process for students.
  • Oversee the assessment of student learning outcomes and satisfaction in Practicum, ensuring that student learning is assessed in accordance with CSWE EPAS.
  • Liaise with the BSW Program Director and campus-based Practicum Specialist to update syllabi, policy manuals, Practicum education policies and procedures, and all other written communication related to BSW Practicum
  • education as needed.
  • Participate in the development of program assessment tools and accreditation, assist with the oversight of ongoing assessments, and contribute to the development and writing of the accreditation self-study.
  • Teaching responsibilities are primarily in the BSW program each academic year. BSW courses include Practicum seminars and social work practice courses.
  • Advisement and mentoring responsibilities include academic advisement for a portion of the Online BSW cohort and shared oversight for undergraduate social work mentoring program.
  • Participation in BSW student co-curricular activities.
  • Liaise with internal SSW committees.
  • Attend BSW core team meetings and other operations-related meetings necessary to the creation and maintenance of the program.
  • Participate in course development and build as needed and when necessary
  • Participate in faculty searches and interviews, and provide informed hiring recommendations to the Director and the Dean.
  • Engage in program, school, and university-wide community service per the requirements of full-time faculty as established by the Faculty Policy Manual and Implementation Guidelines.
Other Duties
  • Other duties and special projects as assigned.
Qualifications
  • Master’s degree in Social Work from a CSWE-accredited program required.
  • Doctorate in Social Work is preferred.
  • BSW degree is a plus.
  • Demonstrated excellence in teaching and program leadership with a commitment to and experience in social work Practicum education, Practicum supervision, and placing social work students in Practicum settings.
  • Experience working with online education platforms and adult learners.
  • Skilled at connecting and building rapport with students and strong time management, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
  • Must be proficient with relevant technology (e.g., Google Suite, Microsoft Office, and presentation software).
  • Well organized with excellent skills in customer service and project management.
  • Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, with discretion in handling confidential information.
Required Application MaterialsInterested candidates should submit the following electronically with their application. Complete applications consist of a single PDF file containing:
  • Cover letter addressing qualifications listed above.
  • CV.
  • Two-page statement of teaching experience and philosophy.
  • A list of names and contact information for three references.
If selected for an interview, applicants may be requested to provide supporting materials, such as prior teaching evaluations.Questions regarding this position may be directed to sswdirector@simmons.edu.Instructions to Applicants: Please upload all applicable application materials (e.g. resume/cv, cover letter, writing sample, teaching philosophy, etc.) in the Application Materials box on page 2 ("My Experience") of this application. Documents can be uploaded individually or as a combined document (e.g. PDF).Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual’s community experience. As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.

Simmons University