Dean of Academic Pathways and Partnerships

Berea College•Berea, KY

About The Position

The Dean of Academic Pathways and Partnerships provides institutional leadership for curricular pathways, course offerings, enrollment management, and academic supports that help students thrive. The Dean oversees students’ academic experience from enrollment through career or graduate school acceptance, working with Academic Affairs leadership, academic departments, and student-facing offices to ensure the curriculum meets student needs and supports Berea’s mission as a liberal arts college. The Dean reports to the Provost and supervises the Registrar and the Library. In collaboration with academic departments, the Dean designs and stewards degree pathways that promote timely completion while preserving the breadth of a liberal arts education. The position combines curricular vision with data-informed judgment, tracking enrollment trends, course viability, and student progression. The Dean builds campus and external partnerships connecting the curriculum to dual enrollment, experiential learning, the Work College Program, and career and graduate school outcomes. The Dean advances academic innovation while honoring shared governance and Berea’s commitment to educational access and excellence. The role leads curricular design and review; oversees curriculum approval and revision, transfer credit, independent majors, and summer courses; supports the Hutchins Library and Registrar’s Office; and collaborates with departments and institutional partners on course scheduling, enrollment forecasting, student success, and career readiness. The Dean serves as a resource and liaison for faculty, departments, faculty governance, and Academic Affairs leadership. Berea College is a liberal arts college founded in 1855, enrolling more than 1,500 students from 44 states and U.S. territories and more than 60 countries. It provides enrolled students with a fully funded degree covering tuition, housing, food, supplies, and fees without loans. All Berea students work 10–12 hours weekly in campus positions. The College is located in Berea, Kentucky.

Requirements

Terminal degree in an academic discipline.
At least 8 years of administrative or leadership experience in higher education.
At least 5 years of supervisory experience.
At least 8 years of significant collegiate-level teaching experience.
Demonstrated experience in curriculum development, program review, and/or assessment.
Strong understanding of student advising and mentorship practices in a small liberal arts college context.
Experience with data-informed decision-making related to curriculum and student success.
Academic administrative or leadership experience at the institutional level.
Direct experience engaging issues of access, equity, and inclusion in higher education.
Understanding of and ability to function within Berea College’s distributed authority structure of shared governance.
Strategic thinking and a systems-level perspective on curriculum and student success.
Knowledge of challenges, trends, and emerging developments in higher education.
Exemplary analytical and problem-solving skills.
Collaborative leadership and strong interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and students.
Commitment to Berea College’s mission of educational access and excellence.
Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Ability to navigate campus and public buildings and grounds.
Ability to travel independently by car and/or plane.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, review, and development of academic programs and degree pathways, including majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, interdisciplinary courses, stackable credentials, and microcredentials.
Use data-informed approaches to evaluate curriculum effectiveness, equity gaps, and student progression, and identify opportunities to improve curricular efficiency and interdisciplinary learning.
Oversee curriculum approval and revision processes and evaluate and improve approaches to transfer credit, independent majors, and summer courses.
Supervise the Director of Library Services and provide leadership and support for Hutchins Library.
Partner with experiential learning, the Work College Program, Internships & Career Development, and other programs to embed career-readiness competencies across curricula.
Supervise the Registrar and provide leadership and support for the Registrar’s Office and its functions.
Collaborate with academic departments to optimize course offerings and scheduling, including course rotation, consolidation, or redesign, considering enrollment, faculty workload, curricular sustainability, and institutional resources.
Partner with Institutional Research and relevant offices to monitor enrollment trends and forecast curricular needs.
Serve on and/or chair institutional committees related to curriculum, academic policy, and student success.
Partner with NEST: Student Success Central and committees focused on retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes to align curricular practices with institutional goals.
Facilitate collaboration among faculty governance bodies to promote transparency and shared ownership of curricular decisions.
Contribute to strategic planning that advances student achievement and academic innovation.
Serve as a resource and liaison among faculty, departments, faculty governance, and Academic Affairs leadership on curricular design, innovation, policy, and direction.
Foster collaboration and ensure faculty perspectives inform institutional academic priorities.