Director, Community Engaged Learning

Saint Anselm College, a private, liberal arts college in the Benedictine tradition, is seeking a Director of Community Engaged Learning.  Reporting to the Director of Saint Anselm College’s Meelia Center, this position will assist in the management and oversight of Saint Anselm’s curricular and co-curricular community engagement programs. This position will oversee the planning and implementation of community engagement with a special focus on community engaged learning. This position will contribute to the training, preparation, and support of participating students, faculty, and community partners. Assist in maintaining and developing reciprocal and mutually beneficial partnerships. Provide training and on-going support to the student leadership team supporting the community engaged learning programs, which focuses on the complex community problems and issues of social justice. Plan and facilitate community engaged learning orientations, training, and reflections.  Manage the collection of data and assist with assessment and reporting for the community engagement programs.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with the Director of the Meelia Center to plan and support ongoing community engagement programs and efforts, with a special focus on community engaged learning.
• Support established community engaged learning courses by facilitating communication between the Meelia Center, faculty, and the student coordinators who support students engaging in community.
•  Support new community engaged learning courses through faculty outreach and preparation, development of new community engaged learning sites, and the preparation of facilitating student coordinators who support student engaging in community.
• Work with new and existing community partners to ensure the effective utilization of the student coordinators, community engaged learners, and volunteers.
• Work with student leaders, faculty, community partners, and the Director to ensure effective preparation of students participating in community engaged learning, including providing training on equity and inclusion.
• Assist students as they develop a community engagement plan that enhances their academic, personal, and career goals.
• Work with student leaders, faculty, community partners and the Meelia Director to ensure effective reflection of the community experiences on the academic, civic, and spiritual development of engaged students.
• Facilitate dialogues about community experiences and community issues to encourage understanding and learning of engaged students.
• Help to train and support the Meelia Center student staff in their responsibilities. These responsibilities include: the support of community engaged learning, including academic integration of course concepts into the community engaged learning opportunity, ongoing education and support of students, and partnership development.
• Help to resolve problems associated with community engaged learning placements.
• Contribute to the acknowledgement of and celebration with those engaged in the community, and those students, faculty, and community partners who support that engagement.
• Assist in the assessment and evaluation of community engagement programs and experiences.
• Contribute the development of effective systems for the management and reporting of engagement data.
• Help manage all data systems and flow of communication to recruit, place, and support the community engaged learners.
• Help train and support student leaders in the Meelia Center’s data management systems, application and placement process, and evaluation in order to support community engaged learning.
• Manage system to inform community engaged learning faculty of student progress throughout the semester.
• Manage and support communication with the community partners for the efficient evaluation of all engaged students, and work with faculty, Meelia professional staff, and student leaders to resolve any evaluation problems or concerns.
• Contribute to the development of annual budgets and reports.
• Represent the Meelia Center on various campus committees as appropriate.
• Contribute to new program development.
• Assist in the management of day-to-day operations in the office.
• Other duties as assigned.

 QUALIFICATIONS

Master’s degree in Social Work, Education, or a related field and at least 1-3 years of experience administering community engagement at the postsecondary level or equivalent community program management experiences or 3-5 years administering community engagement at the postsecondary level or equivalent community program management experiences. Must possess knowledge of community engaged learning (service-learning) principles and assessment of student learning outcomes, and experience with student leadership development and support. Requires experience with developing and maintaining partnerships with the local community agencies and non-profit organizations to support community engaged learning.  Requires strong communication skills, ability to have difficult conversations and give supportive feedback, and the ability to facilitate dialogues about challenging community topics.  A strong understanding of community issues and social justice is crucial to the role.  Strong writing, organizational, planning, administrative, and public speaking skills needed. Also requires a solid understanding of and commitment to the mission and goals of a small Catholic, liberal arts college along with the ability to interact effectively with a wide range of college administrators, faculty, staff and students, and to represent the College to a variety of outside constituencies.

Successful candidates will be able to assist the college to further its strategic goals for institution-wide diversity and inclusiveness.