Assistant Dean, Field Education

Boston College

  • Chestnut Hill, MA
  • $102,150-127,700 per year
  • Permanent
  • Part-time
  • 1 day ago
Boston College IntroductionFounded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,484 full-time undergraduates and 5,250 graduate and professional students. Ranked 35 among national universities, Boston College has 888 full-time and 1,281 FTE faculty, 2,711 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.5 billion.Job DescriptionFull-Time Equivalent Hiring Range: $102,150 to $127,700; salary commensurate with relevant experience.Reporting to the Associate Dean of Academic Planning and MSW Program Director, the Assistant Dean for Field Education (ADFE) oversees the overall operation, development, and direction of the Field Education Program. The ADFE leads in policy implementation, recruiting domestic and global agencies, student placement, and managing field operations. The position supervises field staff, faculty advisors, and dotted-line reports connected to specialized initiatives. The ADFE also represents the School regionally and nationally, contributes to research and scholarship in field practice, and ensures compliance with accreditation standards. The Assistant Dean supervises one Field Education Assistant, four Assistant Directors of Field Education, and about 50 Field Education Faculty Advisors. The role also has dotted-line oversight of the Assistant Director of Latinx Leadership Initiative and the Assistant Director of Global Field Education.Essential FunctionsDomestic Agency Recruitment and Relationships (15%)
Build and maintain partnerships with social service agencies, alumni, and other key stakeholders.
Develop advisory boards and feedback processes to inform field operations.
Cultivate partnerships that support innovative models of social work practice.
Plan and coordinate annual recruitment of field placement agencies.
Develop marketing strategies and guide recruitment activities.
Manage all paperwork and database systems for tracking agency recruitment.
Monitor and report progress throughout the recruitment cycle.
Mediate conflicts between agencies, students, and field educators.Placement Matching Process (15%)
  • Manage and oversee student placement processes, including orientation, placement meetings, and database systems.
  • Chair placement meetings and monitor staff follow-through.
  • Review online field applications and assign to Assistant Directors.
  • Oversee staff progress on assignments, provide weekly one-on-one supervision.
  • Chair biweekly placement meetings to share openings, review student needs, identify collaboration efforts.
  • Coordinate with MSW Admissions and Student Services to confirm class sizes and number of enrolled students.
  • Implement systems that allow greater student input into placement selection.
  • Develop policies to strengthen fairness, transparency, and efficiency in the placement process.
  • Develop and implement changes in the field placement process to increase student input in assignment selection.
  • Assess and improve placement systems to ensure efficiency, equity, and responsiveness to student needs.
  • Monitor the effectiveness of these innovations and adjust processes accordingly.
  • Manage Apex as it identifies students for Field, setting types, Field Year, assigning advisors, resetting schedules.
  • Develop reports on placement status throughout academic year for SSW administration.
  • Conduct surveys on student feedback on agency experience, connections with advisor and service by AD for matching
  • Oversee Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI processing).
  • Pilot innovative practices and explore international field placements in collaboration with global practice faculty.
Placement Management Student Support and Problem Resolution (15%)
  • Oversee placement management systems to respond to student concerns or conflicts.
  • Organize agency recruitment for student replacements when needed.
  • Collect and review advisor and placement reports.
  • Chair placement management meetings and approve final decisions on replacements.
  • Set expectations for student performance in MSW Student Guide and Field Education Canvas materials.
  • Consult students around requirements, concerns, learning needs, social-emotional adjustment to program.
  • Work with Assistant Directors and advisors on student concerns or challenges.
  • Conduct Practicum Status Review Process for concerns with students or agencies.
  • Provide document of serious concerns to administration.
  • Document serious concerns and refer to the Academic Standards Review Committee (ASRC) for disposition.
  • Support students and staffs throughout ASRC process.
Field Materials, Orientations and Training Programs (15%)
  • Design educational content and training programs for field supervisors, staff, and students.
  • Editor of Field Educational materials - Guide, syllabi for courses, seminars, orientations, workshops, and marketing materials, e.g. website and print.
  • Conduct regular assessment and revision of written educational materials.
  • Assess and revise policy and procedures, forms, surveys, etc.
  • Develop materials for distribution to agency contacts, students, faculty in various media- mailings, web, emails, newsletter.
  • Design and present info sessions on matching process and expectations in human services sector as part of matching process.
  • Design and present Field Orientations for Students, including PowerPoint and handouts, at least 3 times per year, for Fall, Spring and Summer starts.
  • Design and present Field Supervisors' Orientation in late Summer.
  • Revise and update Seminar in Field Instruction for agency supervisors, such as development of syllabus, readings, exercises, audio-visual materials, etc.
  • Teach at least one section of the Seminar in Field Instruction per academic year.
  • Assist in coordination of annual Appreciation Breakfast - presentation and selection of panel.
Competency Assessment Portfolio Efforts (10%)
  • Monitor CAP assignments in required course syllabi to make sure they correspond with the assignments
  • Organize materials for students to understand CAP requirements.
  • Organize process and materials for advisors for their process of the CAP.
  • Support Program Assistant in gathering of CAP evaluation tool from advisors as well as Student Performance Evaluations for compilation with Reaffirmation processes.
  • Integrate agency-based practice knowledge into the curriculum and promote research on field education.
Apex Database (10%)
  • Serve as point person for BC IT in on-going management of Field Application and Agency Database.
  • Consult with IT as Slate is introduced to provide improved communication with agencies and to allow online Student * Performance Evaluations. Long term plan is to transition out of Apex into Slate.
  • Maintain on-going communication with Field team on Apex updates, troubleshooting, and general usage.
  • Training staff to use Apex in Placement Assignment process.
Employee Supervision and Training (10%)
  • Supervise Field Education Staff (direct supervisor of four Assistant Directors of Field Education and one Field Education Assistant; dotted-line supervisor of Assistant Director of Latinx Leadership Initiative and the Assistant Director of Global Field Education).
- Oversee hiring, onboarding, and professional development of field staff.
- Conduct regular administrative staff meetings.
- Provide supervision and feedback.
- Conduct annual performance evaluations.
  • Supervise 50 Part Time Faculty Field Advisors.
- Oversee hiring and onboarding.
- Work within budget to set and assign workload.
- Train advisors on roles and expectations.
- Train advisors on use of Apex and Canvas.
- Provide support and consultation to advisors, as needed.
- Monitor performance of advisors with respect to communication and availability with students and agencies.
- Gather end of the year evaluations of advisors by students and tabulate individual and department feedback.Administrative Responsibilities and Committees (10%)
  • Contribute to scholarship and national dialogues on innovations in field education.
  • Collaborate with Academic and Student Services on shared policy and procedure development.
  • Support student enrollment goals by working with Admissions through field agency connections.
  • Research, implement, and assess best practices in field education and administration.
  • Seek grants to support field education research, training, and innovation.
  • Create collaborative educational opportunities with other Boston College graduate schools and community organizations.
  • Maintain connections with teaching faculty to insure integration of course with field activities.
  • Oversee ongoing coordination with Advising Center, Admissions, Student Experience team, and Marketing.
  • Participate in faculty, Field of Practice meetings and others as needed to integrate classroom with practicum
  • Participate in SSW committees as approved by the Dean, such as Academic Standards Review Committee and Academic Planning Committee (APC).
  • Represent the School on boards, committees, and professional associations.
  • Represent the School in national and regional field education initiatives, such as the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Participate in New England Consortium of Graduate Social Work Field Education Directors, serve as Treasurer.
RequirementsRequired
  • MSW from a CSWE-accredited program.
  • Minimum of 10 years of post-MSW professional social work practice.
  • Experience in social work education, including supervision and leadership in field education or academic administration.
  • Knowledge of CSWE accreditation standards and social work education requirements.
  • Demonstrated leadership and mentoring skills, with strong interpersonal communication and organizational abilities.
  • Ability to manage complex student, staff, and agency relationships.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and placement data management systems.
Preferred
  • Doctorate in social work or related field.
  • Experience with curriculum development and accreditation processes.
  • Record of scholarship or professional contributions in the field of education, pedagogy, or social work practice.
  • Success in securing external funding for program development or research.
  • Demonstrated ability to build innovative partnerships with agencies and communities.
Closing StatementBoston College offers a broad and competitive range of benefits depending on your job classification eligibility:
  • Tuition remission for Employees
  • Tuition remission for Spouses and Children who meet eligibility requirements
  • Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
  • Low-Cost Life Insurance
  • Eligibility for both University-Funded 401k and Employer-Sponsored 403b Retirement Plans
  • Paid Holidays Annually
  • Generous Sick and Vacation Pay
  • Additional benefits can be found on
Boston College conducts pre-employment background checks as part of the hiring process.Boston College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected category, including disability and protected veteran status. Boston College's Notice of Nondiscrimination can be viewed at .

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