Manager for Academic Affairs

State of Indiana•Indianapolis, IN

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager of Academic Affairs directly assists the Commission’s Senior Associate Commissioner and Chief Academic Officer (CAO) in fulfilling statutory responsibilities to approve new academic degree programs in the public postsecondary sector, to review and monitor established public academic programs, and to maintain key information about all programs in all sectors through the Commission for Higher Education Data Submission System (CHEDSS). The role will also complete targeted research projects, the results of which will often be presented to senior staff, the Academic Affairs and Quality Committee (AA&Q), and/or the full Commission. The Manager is a direct report to the Senior Associate Commissioner and CAO and is vital to ensure the organized, timely processing of the above workflow.

Requirements

Ability to work collaboratively in a team setting and display initiative in helping other staff as needed in achieving the goals of the agency
Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with external stakeholders, especially the academic affairs staff of state educational institutions, including anticipation of stakeholder needs and responsive customer service
A working knowledge of postsecondary education public policy and academic programs, including accreditation standards and CIP Codes
Ability to research, interpret, and summarize program and policy information in a manner that provides actionable insights to advance the Commission’s priorities and mission
Excellent listening, written, and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex and specialized program and policy information to a wide spectrum of audiences in a courteous and effective manner
Ability to represent both the CAO and Commission in academic affairs settings
Ability to set priorities and manage one's time
A strong working knowledge of Adobe PDF and Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and, most especially, Excel, which can be used to track workflow, inventory processes, and produce finished tables and graphs for presentations and published reports
Able to perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation

Nice To Haves

experience working with or within higher education is highly desirable

Responsibilities

Maintaining the accuracy of the Commission’s Academic Program Inventory (API) for the public, private non-profit, and private for-profit postsecondary sectors
Managing all Routine Staff Actions for public institutions’ API entries, as well as preparing and sending approval letters to postsecondary institutions
Processing new academic program proposal submissions from public institutions, including coordinating “degree calls” with faculty and written feedback and questions after careful review of application proposals
Supporting the CAO in planning for monthly AA&Q Committee meetings, including preparing, circulating, and posting key agenda documents and other materials, including staff recommendations, memoranda, and action items
Contributing to the review and improvement monitoring processes of academic programs at public institutions, including the implementation and usage of identified viability measures and metrics
Establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with state educational institutions’ academic affairs leadership and staff
Assisting the Academic Affairs Team in conveying key information to key audiences, including the AA&Q Committee, institutional Academic Officers, and, potentially, the full Commission
Undertaking short-term, applied research projects to support major responsibilities of the Academic Affairs Team, which includes researching higher education policy, making data runs using the CHEDSS extraction tools, and assembling data from external sources
Liaising with counterpart state agencies, regional/specialty accreditors, and other authoritative organizations to remain current with best practices and to articulate Commission policies and operations
Updating and distributing policy guidance documents and various institutional submission forms, including program approval and review packets, as well as maintaining the Academic Affairs Team’s ‘Degree Programs’ Commission webpage
Supporting the Academic Affairs Team’s work with vendors to continuously improve the functionality of the CHEDSS interface on behalf of institutional users, such as providing input for developer tickets and general troubleshooting of new and updated features, and attending bi-weekly sprint meetings
Assisting with the monitoring of contracts and the Academic Affairs Team’s budget, as needed
Assisting all members of the Academic Affairs Team in communicating policies and other useful information to key constituencies, especially postsecondary institutions

Benefits

Three (3) medical plan options (including RX coverage) as well as vision and dental plans
Wellness Rewards Program: Complete wellness activities to earn gift card rewards
Health savings account, which includes bi-weekly state contribution
Deferred compensation 457(b) account (similar to 401(k) plan) with employer match
Two (2) fully-funded pension plan options
A robust, comprehensive program of leave policies covering a variety of employee needs, including but not limited to: 150 hours of paid New Parent Leave and up to eight weeks of paid Childbirth Recovery Leave for eligible mothers
Up to 15 hours of paid community service leave
Combined 180 hours of paid vacation, personal, and sick leave time off
12 paid holidays, 14 on election years
Education Reimbursement Program
Group life insurance
Referral Bonus program
Employee assistance program that allows for covered behavioral health visits
Qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Free Parking for most positions
Free LinkedIn Learning access