Dear Colleagues,
The campus seeks a new Faculty Director for Berkeley Discovery. On behalf of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (EVCP) and myself, I write to invite you to submit nominations (including self nominations) for this position (see the end of this email for details on nominating/applying).
Berkeley Discovery is a campus-wide effort to reinvision undergraduate education at Berkeley. The campus’s strategic plan boldly states that “Discovery will be the foundation of the Berkeley experience and the heart of our campus identity.” Through the initiative’s two flagship components, the Berkeley Discovery Departmental Innovation Awards Program and the Discovery Hub, we are working toward a future in which all students will have the opportunity to connect with others and with the campus, to discover and create, to engage beyond the campus, and to reflect on their experience. Through the Hub’s wayfinding support, students will learn the where, why, and how of building a Discovery journey. Berkeley’s alumni will be “students for life,” returning to their educational home throughout their lifetimes to reflect, re-tool, and then discover and engage in new ways.
Berkeley Connect will also become part of the Discovery portfolio. Berkeley Connect is a fellowship program in which graduate students mentor undergraduates in their academic disciplines. This program currently operates in 13 departments and five colleges, serving over 2000 students a year. It provides support and growth for graduate students while enhancing undergraduates’ sense of being part of our intellectual community. The faculty director is charged with advancing and developing the curricular and co-curricular components of Discovery and Connect, as well as fostering partnerships and implementing new approaches to improve undergraduate students’ Discovery journeys at Berkeley. The Discovery initiative will ensure that Berkeley is as well known for its student experience as for its academic excellence. We encourage you to visit discovery.berkeley.edu and berkeleyconnect.berkeley.edu to read more about these programs’ progress to date.
The Faculty Director Position
The Faculty Director of Berkeley Discovery is responsible for administrative leadership, for internal and external relations, partnership building, and for fundraising. The faculty director leads a team of five staff members, two of whom are direct reports. The faculty director will report to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE) with a dotted line to the EVCP. The faculty director will work in close partnership with the Executive Advisory Committee for Berkeley Discovery and the Center for Teaching and Learning as well as other units within the Division of Undergraduate Education and the greater Discovery ecosystem (e.g., Berkeley Changemaker, Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarships, the Public Service Center, the Library, etc.).
We invite nominations of tenured Berkeley faculty who have a demonstrated commitment to innovative teaching and learning, as well as to improving the undergraduate student experience. The ideal candidate should have a well-established research and teaching reputation, leadership experience, administrative abilities, and the capacity and willingness to raise funds from philanthropic sources and competitive grant programs. This appointment is for an initial two-year term with the possibility of renewal. It provides teaching relief and additional compensation. The anticipated start date is January 1, 2023.
Desirable Candidate Qualifications
- Leadership qualities to provide a forward-looking vision;
- Demonstrated commitment to undergraduate students and innovative, engaging teaching methods;
- Collaborative spirit and willingness to engage deeply with stakeholders as varied as students, staff, faculty, administrators and major donors;
- The willingness and competence to sustain and expand financial resources, including active participation in fundraising, in collaboration with the Student Experience and Diversity (SED) team, University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR), the VPUE, the EVCP, and the Chancellor; and
- Commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion while fostering a positive climate of collaboration and respect of staff, as articulated in the Berkeley Principles of Community.
Appointment and Compensation
- This appointment is at-will and made at the sole discretion of the EVCP, VPUE, and Chancellor.
- An initial appointment will be made for two years, renewable at the discretion of the VPUE.
- This is a 50% FTE position and central campus funding will be provided for course relief to the home department(s) of the faculty member selected for this position.
- The campus will provide an administrative stipend.
Nomination Process
Nominations (including self-nominations) should be submitted by Monday, October 3, 2022 to vpue@berkeley.edu with “Berkeley Discovery Faculty Director” in the subject line. Nominators should outline the nominee’s qualifications for the role in a statement of no more than 500 words and provide a current CV. Nominators have the option to provide supplemental professional material created by the nominee.
All nominations will be reviewed by the Executive Advisory Committee for Berkeley Discovery. Candidates will be evaluated through an interview process that includes participation from a variety of stakeholders. I will recommend two to three candidates to the EVCP and Chancellor for final selection.
Your support in sharing this communication with your colleagues is greatly appreciated.
Best wishes,
Oliver M. O’Reilly
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
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