COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY College of Natural Sciences Assistant Director CNS Learning Community Position Description The College

e of Natural Sciences (CNS) at Colorado State University announces a unique opportunity for a higher education professional interested in combining housing and academic experience in a new and evolving environment. The Assistant Director will be responsible for developing and directing the new College of Natural Sciences Learning Community (CNSLC), as well as assisting with undergraduate recruiting efforts in the College. The College has partnered with the Office of Residence Life (ORL) since 1988 in sponsoring sciencebased living opportunities, including the Ingersoll Residential College (living learning community) established in 1998. The University will open a new housing complex (Laurel Village) in fall 2014. Laurel Village will house over 600 mostly first-year students in two buildings; 400 of those students will live in a new CNS Learning Community. Learning Communities at Colorado State University are defined as cohorts of students intentionally brought together around a common purpose with integration of curricular and co-curricular elements in order to promote student learning, retention, transition, and success. Learning Communities demonstrate a clear presence of student affairs and academic affairs partnerships, have a strong academic focus, and demonstrate clear learning objectives. The College of Natural Sciences assists the Office of Admissions in recruiting high quality students to the University. CNS participates in campus visit days and mails letters and informational materials to students and their families. The College and its departments maintain web sites and social media sites for prospective and admitted students. The College is composed of 8 departments and offers 10 undergraduate majors. In fall 2012, CNS enrolled 3,540 undergraduates, including 773 new freshmen. Details are available on our website: http://www.natsci.colostate.edu. Position Description The principle responsibilities of this position are driven by the CNS Learning Community mission, which is to create a community of scholars who: 1) are successful in their academic endeavors; 2) make a successful social transition to college; 3) form strong affiliations with faculty and their peers; 4) feel connected to the campus. The successful candidate in this position will have excellent communication, organizational and administrative skills, and be able to respond effectively to multiple and changing priorities. A record of collaboration and supervisory experience is desired. This position includes working with diverse groups of students and staff and therefore a demonstrated commitment to diversity and student development is critical. This is a full-time, regular 12-month Administrative Professional appointment. The Assistant Director will be supervised by and report to a CNS Assistant Dean.

Note: some work occurs on evenings and weekends. Note: this is not a live-in position. The successful candidate will have office space in the Laurel Village and in the deans office. QUALIFICATIONS Minimum Qualifications Masters Degree by July 1, 2013 Two (2) years full-time professional experience in higher education working with undergraduate students Experience with science curriculum, personal academic background in science preferred Professional experience in residence life (preferred), academic advising, counseling, recruiting, retention or orientation Experience working with a Residential Learning Community Experience working with objective data and making data-driven decisions Record of collaboration Supervisory experience Demonstrated awareness of issues facing college students Demonstrated commitment to student academic success Ability to work independently and with a team to develop new programs Demonstrated commitment to diversity Familiarity with web design (Wordpress) and social media

Desired Qualifications

RESPONSIBILITIES IMMEDIATE PREPARE FOR THE LAUREL VILLAGE OPENING Become familiar with examples and best practices in Learning Commons at universities around the U.S. Review the Ingersoll Residential College programs currently in place and decide which ones should be retained. Meet with architects, building committee and residence life staff as required o determine staffing needs, hours, etc., and prepare the Academic Commons as a premier learning space and establish policies for use o supervise program migration to the CNSLC; build commitment for the programs among RAs and senior staff through education and training; o work with the CNS IT Coordinator on technology needs;

o work with architects, hall staff, Hall Council, Residence Life personnel, CNS personnel, CNS College Council, and students to develop a design and select furnishings; o work with RD and ARD on plans for opening the hall, welcoming residents, orientation, and Ram Welcome; Collaborate with Residence Life staff, building committee and others to ensure that the Art Gallery, Academic Commons, and student lounges are furnished and ready on move-in day Work closely with University Learning Community Coordinator and Assistant Director of Residence Life Residence Education Liaison with Housing and Dining Services: serve as liaison between the CNS Dean and Office of Residence Life (ORL); represent the College in discussions with ORL; collaborate with the Residence Director (RD) and Assistant Residence Director (ARD) on administrative duties, as appropriate; represent the College on the Residential Learning Community Advisory Board (RLCAB); meet regularly with the RD/ARD and staff to plan and coordinate community activities and programs; and schedule facilities Programming and community development: help develop, direct, market, supervise, and evaluate programs presented in the complex by RAs; assist in obtaining transportation, food and refreshments, meeting space, and other resources; review and approve requests for monetary support from the College o Staff development: participate in selection and training of Resident Assistants; stay abreast of national best practices related to learning communities; identify and present information for student and senior staff on national, regional, and local educational issues impacting learning communities o Art gallery: develop a process for selecting, mounting, showing, and safeguarding exhibits of student art and science in a public gallery; develop and implement a marketing program for the gallery; work to make the gallery a signature feature of the Laurel Village community and the University Campus collaboration: participate in campus-wide committees as assigned; represent the Laurel Village and the CNS Learning Community at campus and community events; attend meetings of the Residential Learning Communities Advisory Board; maintain strong partnerships with appropriate academic and student affairs offices and staff o College administration: attend Deans office staff meetings; participate in meetings with the CNS deans and department chairs, at the request of the Dean o Collaboration with CNS departments: serve as liaison to the CNS academic departments; encourage involvement of faculty in the Laurel Village programs Academic success activities: collaborate and coordinate with Division of Student Affairs offices, as well as CNS Career Services Liaison, academic advisers, Academic Support Coordinators, Deans Office staff and programs (e.g. CNS Mentors and Student Ambassadors), faculty, and staff to encourage and facilitate academic excellence; develop, coordinate, and implement tutoring, academic programs, and skills workshops/seminars for students; foster an ethic of academic excellence

ONGOING

o Interaction with residents: become familiar with academic deadlines, All-University Core Curriculum requirements, residence hall requirements, campus offices and resources, and other basic information valuable to residents; maintain availability to residents via office hours; attend programs in the complex o Assessment and program improvement: collect data related to program goals and learning outcomes, as well as retention and academic performance data; participate in Taking Stock and Early Grade Feedback (first-year retention programs); create annual reports of assessment results to share with internal and external audiences, including the Plan for Researching Improvement & Supporting Mission (PRISM). Recruiting: serve as a member of the CNS recruiting team; duties might include representing the College at campus and off-campus visit days and Next Step transfer visit days; assisting with mailings; answering phone and e-mail messages; hosting visitors o Populating the Learning Community: develop and execute a marketing campaign stressing the positive value of the CNSLC to freshmen; incorporate the plan into the CNS marketing campaign; track success of the plan and make changes as necessary to meet the goal of 400 CNS students living in the community Role modeling: Support the goals and values of the College of Natural Sciences and the Office of Residence Life by personal example Other duties as assigned by the Dean

Salary & Starting Date: Salary is commensurate with education and experience. This is a twelvemonth full-time Administrative Professional appointment with a full University benefits package. CSU offers Domestic Partner benefits. For more information, please visit the CSU Benefits website at http://www.hrs.colostate.edu/prospective-employees/index.html. Anticipated start date is July 1, 2013. To apply: submit cover letter, addressing all job qualifications, and rsum, as well as names, mailing and e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of three references. Applications should be submitted electronically (in a one-document Word or PDF format) to http://cns.natsci.colostate.edu/employment/CNSLaurelVil/. Application materials and nominations for the Assistant Director position will be accepted until the position is filled. For full consideration materials must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. MST March 25, 2013. We will not contact references without first alerting applicants. Fort Collins is located next to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, nestled along the Cache La Poudre River, the first river in Colorado to be designated a National Wild and Scenic River. Fort Collins has a population of about 140,000, and is ranked the 5th most educated city in the nation (U.S. Census data, Portfolio.com). This ranking reflects the highly educated workforce, drawn to Fort Collins by the strong academic environment and the clean and sustainable industries that thrive in the community. The city of Fort Collins is consistently ranked as one of the Best Places to Live in America, with nearly 50 similar designations from numerous magazines and polls since 2005 (see: http://www.fcgov.com/visitor/fcfacts.php). A 2010 Gallup Poll ranked Fort Collins as third best city in the nation for overall well-being. The city of Fort Collins boasts an outstanding public school system and a multitude of cultural activities, including a center for performing arts, a symphony orchestra, repertory theaters, choral society, and a dance company. The historic Old Town district of Downtown Fort Collins hosts live music and outstanding local dining throughout the year. The

city maintains several indoor pools, indoor soccer fields, ice arenas, over 600 acres of parks, 30,000 acres of natural areas, and over 20 miles of pedestrian, biking, and hiking trails. Colorado State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services. Colorado State University is committed to providing a safe and productive learning and living community. To achieve that goal, we conduct background investigations for all final candidates being considered for employment. Background checks may include, but are not limited to, criminal history, national sex offender search and motor vehicle history.