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As one of the nation’s top schools of social work, Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, and evidence-based practice to solve the most pressing societal problems of the 21st century. Our university community welcomes differences, encourages open-minded exploration, and upholds freedom of expression. BUSSW views the racial, cultural, and social diversity of our faculty, staff, and students as essential to the excellence and distinction of our MSW and PhD programs. Thus, we are seeking and value candidates for this faculty and administrative leadership position who represent a variety of social identities, including those who have been underrepresented in higher education, who possess skills that spark innovation, and who, through their scholarship, teaching, service, and professional experience, bring expertise that will contribute to a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable community.

The Online MSW program (OLP) is BUSSW’s largest program and enrolls nearly 500 students living and working throughout the United States. The Assistant Dean for Online Education & Innovation will hold a non-tenure track appointment at the Clinical Associate Professor rank. This leader will play a pivotal role in ensuring cutting-edge and student-centered curriculum development, digital innovation, and inclusive approaches to teaching in our Online MSW program. The Assistant Dean also oversees and manages the administration of Online MSW program operations within a complex institutional and community context and collaborates with instructional design teams and a large and dynamic team of online instructors and facilitators. A central focus of our school is our commitment to anti-oppressive practice pedagogy to combat racism and other forms of oppression based on social identities such as gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, military service, pregnancy status, and physical and/or behavioral health through community and/or organizational practice as well as policy advocacy.

We invite applicants with a strong record of justice-based practice, robust scholarship, online course development and teaching, and administrative leadership in digital technologies and inclusive pedagogy in online social work education to join our leadership team. As a member of the BUSSW leadership team, the Assistant Dean provides vision, leadership, and oversight for the BUSSW Online Program including their implementation and growth. They collaboratively develop comprehensive and strategic approaches to digital education by analyzing national trends in innovative technology, social work training, non-traditional graduate education trends; evaluating effective online and non-traditional education practices; implementing and engaging in continuous enhancement of the BUSSW Online MSW program; and providing cutting-edge training and support for OLP faculty and instructors. This role includes daily administrative management for the Online program through ongoing program development, training, mentoring, consultation, and evaluation of the MSW program and digital education. The Assistant Dean collaborates with other units and university teams to develop and direct the OLP, manages budgetary activities for the OLP, develops annual budget and income projections, monitors expenditures, and oversees and negotiates affiliation agreements with host sites across the US.

Key responsibilities for the Assistant Dean of Online Education and Innovation include leadership and management of operations to:

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Develop and implement a strategic vision for online education in the MSW program that fosters program growth and differentiation, excellence, innovation, and inclusivity, while overseeing daily departmental operations of the online MSW program.

• Work effectively with administrators, leaders, and SSW faculty and staff engaged with the OLP (e.g., OLP advisors and practicum teams), BU Virtual, University administration, other schools of social work, the Council on Social Work Education, and other professional and educational organizations on issues related to online and part-time graduate social work education.

• Build capacity to incorporate emerging technologies such as generative AI, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, cloud computing, and data analytics to teaching and learning.

• Leverage online learning and other educational platforms to support and augment current teaching practices and learning needs of MSW students.

• Motivate faculty, staff, advisers, and students to embrace innovation and apply the use of new and emerging tools to teaching, learning, research, and other educational components of the MSW program.

• Ensure digital initiatives address equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

• Expand and enhance our online SSW programs in ways that drive reach, relevance, and a superior experience for our students.

• Participate in faculty governance, specifically in relevant School committees that develop and monitor curricula, teaching, and course development for the OLP MSW.

• Collaborate with faculty to expand and diversify OLP curriculum, specializations, teaching practices and innovation in digital pedagogy, including online practicum education.

• Conduct an ongoing critical analysis of national and regional trends in online social work education, incorporating findings into program development, enhancement, and expansion.

• Collaborate with BUSSW’s social work leadership to coordinate online student recruitment efforts and career development programs.

• Provide leadership and training for instructors of record, online facilitators, and staff that support the OLP.

*At BUSSW, the “Clinical” faculty title can include social work practitioners in major fields of clinical practice (individuals, families, and groups) and macro practice (groups, organizations, and communities).

Required Skills

Required Skills and Experience

• Master of Social Work (MSW) degree; PhD in social work or related field

• LICSW or equivalent preferred/Macro experience equivalent.

• 8+ years of post-master’s experience in administrative leadership with specific experience in online education, digital learning, and digital innovations.

• MSW teaching experience in online and brick-and-mortar coursework.

• Demonstrative success in supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in online teaching, student support, and instruction.

• Evidence of excellent teaching, facilitation, and training skills in areas relevant to the MSW curriculum and online programming and social work curriculum development.

• Evidence of management and leadership experience in social work education, including demonstrated leadership in supporting an inclusive, positive team culture and successful experience collaborating with faculty, staff, advisors, and practicum teams.

• Evidence of scholarship/expertise in anti-oppressive practice, pedagogy, and/or professional substantive areas (e.g., journal articles, chapters, monographs, books, newsletter articles, commentary, editorials, professional conference presentations, op-eds, invited talks, training, workshops, and social media).

Application process: Applicants should submit: 1) a cover letter which includes a description of practice, leadership, and administrative experience as well as experience in online course development and implementation for large scale degree programs and any scholarly work; 2) a resume; and 3) the names and contact information for three references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Questions about the position can be directed to the SSW Search Committee/Dean’s Office: (swsearch@bu.edu).

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

Required Experience