Director, Honors Program

The Director, Honors Program provides institutional leadership for the administration, ongoing development, and expansion of a multidisciplinary program, offering enhanced curricular and co-curricular opportunities to high achieving students with the goal of elevating UHD's reputation for student achievement, thereby increasing the recruitment and retention of academically talented undergraduates.

• Administers the university's Honors Program, planning and overseeing Honors academic and co-curricular programming, and collaborating with faculty, college, and departmental partners to develop, schedule, and implement academic programming; prepares annual program assessment; maintains documentation related to Honors credits earned and completion of program requirements.
• Leads the faculty Honors Council; collaborates with upper administration to elevate program visibility and strengthen connections to academic units; collaborates with Enrollment Management to designate and schedule Honors courses.
• Manages the program's budget; serves as steward of the Distinguished Merit Scholarship and Hamman Foundation Scholarship.
• Maintains institutional membership in the National Collegiate Honors Council; represents the Honors Program on university level committees and on the university college leadership team.
• Mentors and advises all Honors students; develops, implements, and oversees academic interventions, including semester progress reports, personalized academic plans, and end-of-term student reflections.
• Develops and implements all co-curricular programming, including one-to-one peer mentoring, new student orientation, weekly student Think Tanks, annual student awards, semester retreats, guest speakers, cultural enrichment events, and senior showcase.
• Manages and maintains the Honors space within S-405, including the Honors Lounge; develops and communicates student expectations; maintains and enforces Honors community standards; supports students post-graduation, including graduate school planning and providing assistance with the applications process and letters of recommendation; maintains the Honors alumni group.
• Collaborates with admissions to identify prospective Honors students; conducts one-on-one meetings with prospective applicants; reviews applications and conducts applicant interviews; participates in outreach events hosted by other departments, such as admissions, orientation, and advising; collaborates with college level partners and upper administration to increase the Honors options for high achieving students; collaborates with community college partners to facilitate the admissions process for transfer Honors students.
• Collaborates with the marketing department to improve quality of marketing materials and web content; develops and curates content for website and social media; designs and develops Honors branded materials; solicits and curates student news updates for inclusion in marketing materials and social media; develops program updates for stakeholders inside and outside of the university, including newsletters; cultivates community relationships to support the program and its students.
• Teaches two courses per year, including the development, organization, and implementation of study abroad courses for students in the Honors Program.

• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Direct Reports:

• Supervises student workers

Delegation of Work:

• Regularly assigns work to subordinate(s)

Supervision Given:

• Supervises the work of student employees.

Required Education:

• Doctorate degree

Required Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years of related job experience, including experience with academic and co-curricular programming and a successful track record of working with and advising gifted and high achieving young adults (16-20 year olds).

License/Certification:

• None required

• None

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of multidisciplinary programming; knowledge of how the university's administrative processes, inclusive of both academic and student affairs;
• knowledge of the challenges faced by high achieving or gifted students, and the related trends, issues, and accepted practices.

Skills:

• Strong student or classroom management skills;
• Good teaching skills; strong analytical and problem solving skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Abilities:

• Ability to innovate; ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in a diverse community.

Primary Work Location:

• Works in an office environment.

Physical Demands:

• Work is performed in a typical interior work environment which does not subject the employee to any unpleasant elements; individual has discretion in relation to walking, standing etc., and has minimal exposure to physical risks.

Commitment to Excellence - UHD

• Demonstrates a commitment to competently perform his/her job duties and responsibilities within established time frames.
• Continuously strives to improve work performance.
• Accepts responsibility for his/her commitments to the university.
• Contributes to the success of the university by consistently providing quality results in the performance of his/her job duties and responsibilities.

Respect and Cooperation

• Treats others with courtesy, respect, and dignity in the workplace.
• Promotes cooperation through open and honest communications and consideration of others ideas, thoughts, and opinions.

Integrity

• Demonstrates high ethical standards of conduct in the performance of his/her job duties and responsibilities.
• Accepts responsibility for his/her actions.
• Respects and complies with department and university policies, procedures, and work rules.

Dependability

• Takes responsibility to accomplish job assignments within reasonable deadlines.
• Willing to accept new projects and/or commitments.
• Does due diligence to complete projects within specified timeframes and/or fulfill commitments.
• Arrives to work on time prepared and ready to contribute.

Flexibility

• Willingly adjusts to changing work assignments or conditions.
• Open to changes in operational procedures, technology, and/or organizational structure.
• Views changes as opportunities for learning and professional development.
• Displays a positive attitude to encourage others.
• Promptly responds to changes in work priorities and/or unexpected circumstances or situations.

Proficiency

• Possesses required job skills and knowledge.
• Demonstrates the ability to apply those skills and knowledge to competently perform his/her job duties and assignments.

Customer Relations Management

• Ensures customer's needs and expectations are addressed within his/her department or section. (Customers can be students, external constituents, employees, or university guests.)
• Mentors and guides department/section staff by sharing knowledge and best practices to appropriately respond to customer's requests.
• Monitors staff interactions with customers for professional conduct, consistent application of university policies and procedures, and follow up of outstanding requests.
• Assumes responsibility for addressing complex or unusual requests.

Decision Making

• Demonstrates the ability to make informed decisions in a timely manner.
• Assimilates and/or secures relevant information to assess the risks and benefits of alternatives.
• Considers impact of decision in the long and short term.

Organizational Management

• Manages department or section planning and assessment consistent with the university's goals and objectives and executive management's directives.
• Develops and oversees administration of the department/section budget to ensure effective utilization of financial resources and appropriate disbursement of funds.
• Fosters a cooperative and productive work environment that advances department/section operations and initiatives through motivation, encouragement, and professional development of staff.
• Develops department/section procedures and work rules for compliance with government regulations and university policies; participates in the development and revision of applicable university policies.
• Competently represents the department/section through interactions with the university community and/or external constituents.

Supervision

• Supervises the work of staff employees.
• Sets clear goals and expectations within reasonable timeframes.
• Motivates staff through constructive feedback, challenging assignments, and recognition of achievements.
• Provides mentorship and guidance by sharing expertise and best practices.
• Supports staff by providing essential resources, professional development opportunities, and open communication.
• Promptly addresses performance issues with appropriate measures and discretion.

Building External Relationships

• Demonstrates the ability to build rapport and develop relationships with external constituents.
• Displays a genuine interest in constituents' ideas and concerns, and pursues mutual interests and aspirations between the university and external constituents.
• Builds trust and forms alliances through shared respect and cooperation.

Computer/Automated System Proficiency

• Proficient in the use of university applications or automated systems to perform job duties.
• Complies with related policies, procedures, and work rules to maintain system security and data integrity.