Faculty and Program Director in Masters of Social Work Program

Description

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences  

NNU’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences encompasses degrees across three primary areas, including Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Social Work, Masters degrees in Social Work and Counselor Education, and a Doctorate in Psychology. The Counselor Education department offers three areas of emphasis: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling; and School Counseling. They are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The Masters program in Social Work offers two areas of specialization: Clinical Mental Health and Addictions and Integrated Clinical and Community Practice. They are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The Psychology department admitted its first cohort of doctoral students in 2022 and they will be pursuing accreditation through the American Psychological Association.  

Graduate Social Work Program  

NNU’s Department of Social Work offers both a B.A. in Social Work and a 63-credit MSW degree. Both programs are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. There are approximately 180 students and seven full-time faculty members. The B.A. program focuses on generalist social work practice and the MSW program has two concentrations: clinical mental health/addictions and an integrated clinical and community practice track.   

The MSW program is a vibrant face-to-face program in Nampa, a video conferencing cohort in Idaho Falls, and a cohort of synchronous virtual students from different states across the country. We recently obtained CSWE accreditation for an online program and will launch a new asynchronous online program in Fall of 2025. The Social Work department has strong relationships with social work agencies in the communities surrounding both sites and students complete 500 hours in generalized placements and 600 hours in specialized placements.  

Description of Position  

NNU's Department of Social Work is seeking to fill a full-time (11-month) tenure track position (rank dependent upon experience) as Program Director and faculty in the MSW program.  The Program Director reports directly to the Social Work Department Chair and then the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Dean. The position will include teaching a variety of MSW courses along with administrative responsibilities (50%/50%). The exact teaching assignment will be negotiated with a given applicant. Classes in the MSW program are scheduled on Thursday and Friday evenings (4pm-9:30pm) and Saturday mornings (8am-3pm).  The program runs late August through early July.  The program director shall be available on-campus for these hours and have scheduled office hours.   

This is a hyperflex program which delivers content face-to-face, virtually with students in classrooms in Idaho Falls, and with virtual students from around the country.  All faculty travel to Idaho Falls occasionally to provide onsite instruction to our distance cohort or conduct field visits. Additionally, the MSW department is launching a fully asynchronous MSW program in the Fall of 2025. 

Northwest Nazarene University embraces diversity and therefore encourages all who are qualified to apply. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

Essential Functions 

• Provide vision, leadership, and administrative direction to the program operation and development 
• Ensure the development of new initiatives, increased enrollment, and additional resources to meet the strategic objectives of the program, which includes creating and monitoring the budget 
• Oversee the design and revision of the graduate curriculum for review and approval by university curriculum committees and external agencies 
• Promote the quality and currency of the curriculum, learning resources, and learning opportunities 
• Teach graduate courses in the MSW program and supervise Masters’ students and thesis students  
• Provide program expertise to Graduate Marketing and University Admissions for promoting the program and recruiting students 
• Responsible for admission review and acceptance of students into the program following program/department policies, in conjunction with other faculty and admissions staff  
• Regularly review retention, progression, and graduation of students according to defined university, department, and program requirements 
• Coordinate the development, revision, and dissemination of program policies, procedures, and guidelines in accordance with those of the department, college, and University 
• Coordinate the advisement process for or directly advise students regarding curricular progression, program and university policies and procedures, and career options 
• Oversee maintenance of program documents, records, and web sites for currency and accuracy 
• Fulfill other duties associated with the program which may include 
• Hiring, supervising and mentoring program faculty and adjunct faculty 
• Conducting Social Work Advisory Board (SWAB) meetings 
• Overseeing the Professional Disposition disciplinary process for students which can lead to probation and dismissals 
• Establishing community collaborations 
• Ensure that all policies and procedures are followed 
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications  

• MSW degree from a CSWE-accredited college/university  
• Earned doctorate in social work/related field or intent to pursue a doctorate within one year of hiring  
• Current licensure in Social Work, preferably at the clinical level  
• Commitment to modeling and teaching the current CSWE Competencies 
• Experience in Program administration - managing employees, and managing a budget 
• Successful teaching at the graduate level  
• Prefer experience with distance education or asynchronous online teaching 
• Ability to work in a team  
• The university requires that all faculty candidates have a Christian perspective (preferably in the Wesleyan tradition), and must be comfortable with and in agreement with the mission and lifestyle values of NNU  

Preferred Qualifications 

• Collaborative decision-making skills 
• Flexibility 
• Effective communication 
• Kindness 
• Conflict management skills 

Compensation  

The salary will be determined by the educational background and experience of each applicant.  Fulltime faculty will be offered access to a benefits package including health, vision and dental insurance for employee and family, life and long-term disability insurance, flexible spending plan, tuition benefits for employee and dependents, opportunities for professional development, sabbatical experiences, and a retirement program.  

Northwest Nazarene University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As an educational institution operating under the auspices of the Church of the Nazarene, Northwest Nazarene University is permitted and reserves the right to prefer employees on the basis of religion (Title VII, Sections 702-703, United States Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended).