Director of First-Year Experience

Director of First-Year Experience

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) seeks a forward-thinking administrator and educator to serve as Director of the First-Year Experience (FYE). Reporting to the Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies, this administrative role provides strategic leadership for a comprehensive curricular and co-curricular roadmap for all first-year students. Rooted in RMCAD's "Students Come First" mission, the Director will bridge the gap between academic departments, and the student's transition into a professional art and design community. You will be responsible for creating a "sense of belonging" while ensuring students hit critical milestones in their first 8-week terms and beyond.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

First Year Experience Leadership (Director Component)

• The First-Year Roadmap: Develop and execute a comprehensive "roadmap" for the undergraduate journey, identifying critical milestones from orientation through the transition to the second year.
• Lead and Coordinate Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Facilitate consistent and action-oriented collaboration with Admissions, Advising, Student Affairs, Student Learning Commons, Marketing, and other departments to ensure student success, retention, support, and coherent messaging.
• Peer Mentoring & Cohorts: Launch and manage a robust peer-mentoring program (e.g., peer-led workshops or "masterclasses") designed to help faculty and students navigate RMCAD's first year.
• Retention and Assessment: Track and measure success metrics (persistence, engagement, and learning outcomes). Use data to identify "at-risk" students and implement early-intervention strategies in curriculum and among faculty in instructional methods.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Partner with Admissions, Advising, and Marketing to ensure coherent messaging during the recruitment-to-enrollment transition.
• Collaborate with Career Services to integrate career-readiness and professional development into the first-year curriculum.

Curricular Leadership and Teaching (Faculty Component)

• Instruction: Teaching load as assigned in conversation with Dean.
• Core Curriculum Integration: Collaborate with department chairs and faculty to ensure First Year courses support the "Core" needs of art and design students.
• Instructional Mentorship: Provide peer-to-peer coaching and support to part-time faculty, ensuring consistency in teaching quality and student engagement across all FYE sections.

Program Operations

• Administrative Oversight: Manage the FYE budget, schedule first-year course sections, hire, train, manage and coach first-year faculty, and coordinate program-related events (e.g., faculty training and learning communities, training of cross-departmental teams, first-year exhibitions or academic symposia).
• Research and Innovation: Introduce students to undergraduate research and professional practice opportunities, and interdisciplinary "incubators" that prepare them for advanced studio work.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate Degree: MA, MS, or PhD in a Liberal Arts discipline, Higher Education Leadership, or a related field.
• Leadership Experience: 2+ years of experience in academic leadership, curriculum coordination, or student success programming.
• Teaching Experience: 2+ years of postsecondary teaching with a proven track record of engaging first-year students and online teaching.
• Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work across "silos" (Faculty, Student Affairs, and Enrollment Management).

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal Degree: PhD or MFA in a relevant academic field.
• Retention Expertise: Experience using data analytics to improve student persistence and success.
• Creative Fluency: A deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by art and design students.
• Technical Proficiency: Experience with a LMS and AI-driven tools as pedagogical aids.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Student-Centered Philosophy: A commitment to facilitating a "sense of belonging" for a diverse student body.
• Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire curiosity and motivation in new learners.
• Autonomy: Ability to take initiative on complex, multi-departmental projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Faculty Development: Ability to mentor and coach a team of faculty to build rapport and a sense of belonging for students and create presence in campus and asynchronous learning environments.

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is an Equal Opportunity Employer.