Associate Director, Continuing Education

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $85,000 - $93,000

Position Summary

The Associate Director assumes a pivotal role in managing the day-to-day administration of the program portfolio under Summer Sessions and Visiting Student Programs. This role is responsible for overseeing program administration, with direct management of staff, and the execution of existing and new program initiatives. The Associate Director is a key interface with stakeholders at the School of Professional Studies as well as stakeholders across campus, including Columbia College, General Studies, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia School of the Arts, School of Journalism, Barnard College, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The Associate Director is the primary liaison with departments and partner organizations by building relationships with faculty and departmental staff that are critical to the success of the program.

Responsibilities

Program Management

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  Partner with University stakeholders and A&S Departments to develop the undergraduate and graduate course offerings for the Summer Session. Develop and maintain a dashboard to track and monitor the 300+ course offerings, providing insight into the status of each department's course nominations and faculty nominations.

  
  
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  Manage the course proposal process for Summer Session, including liaising with Departmental Representatives, Chairs, faculty, Directors of Academic Administration & Finance, and Committee on Instruction (COI).

  
  
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  Forecast for upcoming budget cycles and assist with yearly budget planning. Work to improve the Program's internal management functions and enhance an administrative infrastructure that supports smooth program operations.

  
  
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  Manage the summer faculty hiring process in collaboration with the Coordinator and SPS Faculty Affairs. Determine faculty salaries based on rank and confirm with DAAFs (Directors of Academic Administration and Finance). Address any salary negotiation requests beyond the standard scale in consultation with the Assistant Dean, ensuring fair practices.

  
  
• Oversee the nomination and hiring process for Departmental Representatives (DRs), in collaboration with the Assistant Dean and SPS Faculty Affairs. Work closely with academic departments to ensure the timely selection, onboarding, and training of DRs to support the administration of the Summer Session.

Policy Implementation and Development

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  Collaborate with the Assistant Dean to improve and develop course policies, including TA hiring, course cancellations, course nomination processes, and class scheduling.

  
  
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  Work across University partners (A&S Academic Departments, CC-GS-COI, Registrar) to enforce and communicate these policies effectively. Ensure compliance with academic standards and institutional guidelines.

  
  
• Develop and implement communications plans for academic departments, ensuring clear, consistent, and timely dissemination of program information, policies, and updates to faculty, DRs, DAAFs and other key stakeholders.
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  Support the Directors within the Summer Session and Visiting Student Programs team with marketing, recruitment, advising, student engagement, and instructional support by producing and distributing program policies such as the Departmental Representative and Faculty Handbooks; consult with faculty to interpret policies and procedures in the handling of student issues and provide instructional support.

  
  
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  Ensure compliance with academic policies of Summer Sessions' courses, such as scheduling, contact hours, course descriptions, course numbers, course requirements, course points, faculty guidelines. This includes consulting with the CC-GS-COI as needed, and providing departments and faculty guidance on such policies and enforcing them.

  
  

Program Expansion and Continuous Improvement

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  Work with senior leadership to develop and expand summer programming initiatives, including new courses, thematic focus areas, and other academic innovations.

  
  
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  Lead cross-functional committees to implement new initiatives and document progress and KPIs.

  
  
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  Provide enrollment reports and regularly assess programs and their effectiveness and produce recommendations for continuous improvements.

  
  
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  Monitor enrollments and provide recommendations to increase yield rates and decrease melt. Work with academic departments to make adjustments in course caps, waitlists, and sections.

  
  

Supervision and Management

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  Directly supervise and manage the Summer Session Coordinator role, facilitating the transition from a temporary position to a full-time equivalent (FTE). Oversee the recruitment, training and professional development of the Coordinator to ensure alignment with departmental goals.

  
  
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  Lead and mentor the program's team members, fostering a collaborative culture. Ensure that all staff members under the Summer, Certificate & Visiting Programs are cross-trained to provide support to faculty in the Summer Session.

  
  

Relationship Management

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  Increase stakeholder engagement by hosting regular meetings and/or office hours for Departmental Representatives and Directors of Academic Administration and Finance (DAAFs). Facilitate discussions on summer course curriculum, course management issues, waitlists, enrollment management, and promotional strategies.

  
  
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  Serve as the interface with SPS Faculty Affairs. Liaise with Departments, Academic Appointments, and Faculty Affairs to hire and appointment faculty and TAs.

  
  
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  Serve as the interface with the Registrar's Office, CC-GS-COI, Writing Center, Columbia undergraduate advising offices, and others.

  
  
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  Serve as the interface with SPS Student Affairs: Admissions, Student Engagement (Student Services, Student Life, and Advising) to fully support and improve services for Summer Session and Visiting students.

  
  

Performs other duties and projects as assigned or requested.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required. Advanced degree desirable.
• 4 years of related experience required.
• A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted for the applicant to be considered for the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Competencies in multiple areas of higher education management, including admissions, marketing & recruitment, student affairs, and budget reconciliation. Part of previous innovative program expansion.
• Slate (or related database application).
• Collaboration software (Zoom, Adobe Connect, Canvas).

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.