CON Director, MSN Program

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Administration & Organization

Position Descriptions

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING
Director, MSN Program	Subsection: 3.2.13
Section 3.0 - Position Descriptions	Originating Date: March 2016
Responsible Reviewing Agency: Executive Council	Revised: June 2016 Revised: November 2017 (changes) Revised: December 2020 (changes)

General Position Description

The Director of the MSN Program is the academic administrative officer responsible for all master’s degree options in the College. The Program Director provides vision and strategic leadership for master’s education in the CON, UNMC, regionally, and nationally. S/he ensures that the standards and policies of the College, the University, the State Board of Nursing, and other accrediting bodies are met and that the program achieves the highest standards for master’s education outlined by the national bodies in nursing education. S/he is responsible for facilitating the planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of master’s education in the College.

Organizational Relationships

The Director of the MSN Program reports to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. The Director collaborates with other Associate Deans, Division Assistant Deans, Specialty Coordinators, and faculty to coordinate course offerings and program improvement. S/he serves on the Professional Graduate Nursing Affairs Committee as an ex-officio member. S/he works closely with the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and other Program Directors to facilitate efficient and coordinated use of resources. The Director collaborates with the Director of Student Services, the Director of Evaluation, and the Learning Resource Center Director and other learning technologists regarding the domains of student recruitment, admissions, student scholarships/financial aid, program evaluation, and learning technologies for instruction and testing.

Responsibilities of the Position

• Participates with the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, other administrators, and faculty in strategic planning for MSN education.
• Participates with Associate Dean for Academic Programs in appointment of specialty coordinators.
• Develops a vision for MSN education that reflects needs of the state and national trends and informs areas of focus and pedagogy in delivering master’s education.
• Provides leadership for the ongoing review of the College’s strategic plan for MSN education.
• Coordinates, in collaboration with appropriate others, the systems for managing master’s course offerings, class schedules, master’s student advising, clinical teaching sites, and other MSN level experiences.
• Participates in and reviews the faculty’s recommendations for course, curricula and program changes; coordinates proposal development, and forwards proposals to the appropriate review bodies for approval.
• Participates with the Associate Dean for Academic Program in seeking and implementing training grants
• Collaborates with student services for master’s student recruitment, admissions, advising, and financial aid.
• Collaborates with the Director of Evaluation to collect and analyze data to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the master’s program and to ensure that the policies and standards of the College, the University, and accrediting bodies are met.
• Monitors application, admission, matriculation, progression, and graduation patterns of master’s students.
• Liaises between student services and MSN coordinators to provide comprehensive services to master’s students.
• Manages master’s program budgets as delegated by the Associate Dean for Academic Programs.
• Coordinates, in collaboration with appropriate others, clinical placement processes, agency contract processes, preceptor credentialing, orientation, and evaluation processes, and evaluation of clinical placements.
• Gives suggestions as appropriate to Division Assistant Deans regarding master’s course teaching assignments.
• Provides context of UNMC and national trends to assist with progression review and other policies related to student progression and graduation.
• Along with the Director of the PhD Program and the Director of the DNP Program, recommends Graduate Faculty appointments to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, the Dean of the College of Nursing, and the Dean of the Graduate College.
• Serves as a procedural consultant on any ad hoc graduate Academic Review Committee.
• Serves as Chair of the Professional Graduate Coordinating Council and funnels information to appropriate administrators and faculty.
• Serves on the College of Nursing Executive Council.
• Develops and implements a system for succession planning for CON specialties.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates a leadership development program for specialty coordinators.
• Engages in an active program of scholarship.

Appointment Requirements

• A bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing and an earned doctorate in nursing or a related field
• An RN license to practice in Nebraska
• Experience in master’s level teaching and curriculum development
• Evidence of academic scholarship
• Experience as an academic nursing leader at a regional and/or national level
• Demonstrated leadership abilities, managerial skills, creativity, ability to make timely decisions, effective collaboration skills, and the ability to be open to the ideas of others and to constructive feedback
• Eligible for rank of Associate or Full Professor, preferred.