Department Chair & Associate Professor of Nursing

## Job Description Summary The Department Chair & Associate Professor of Nursing provides visionary academic and administrative leadership for the nursing program(s) within the College of Health Professions, guiding the preparation of competent, caring, and ethically grounded nurses in alignment with Saint Leo University's Benedictine values and mission. This role combines active nursing scholarship and undergraduate/graduate-level teaching with comprehensive responsibility for program development and continuous improvement, faculty recruitment and oversight, clinical partnership management, and specialized accreditation compliance (e.g., CCNE or ACEN). The Chair ensures academic rigor, clinical excellence, and student readiness for professional nursing practice within an evolving healthcare landscape, while fostering a collaborative and mission-driven culture among faculty, staff, students, and community and clinical partners. The position requires a balance of instructional excellence, administrative acumen, regulatory knowledge, and servant leadership consistent with the University's core values of excellence, community, respect, personal development, responsible stewardship, and integrity. ## Job Description **Essential Duties and Responsibilities** The following duties are representative of the position and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, tasks, and skills required. ***Academic and Program Leadership*** • Provide strategic, visionary leadership for the nursing department, establishing goals and priorities consistent with the College of Health Professions' and University's strategic plan.f • Oversee the design, delivery, and continuous quality improvement of undergraduate and/or graduate nursing curricula to ensure alignment with current professional, regulatory, and licensure standards. • Lead ongoing program assessment and outcomes evaluation, including NCLEX pass rates, program completion rates, and job placement data, using results to drive curricular and instructional improvement. • Serve as the primary institutional liaison and lead for specialized nursing accreditation processes (e.g., CCNE, ACEN) and Florida Board of Nursing approval, including self-study preparation, site visit coordination, and ongoing compliance monitoring. • Develop, implement, and monitor academic policies and procedures specific to the nursing program in compliance with university, state, and specialized accreditor requirements. • Represent the nursing department in College and University governance, including participation on relevant committees, councils, and task forces. ***Faculty Management and Development*** • Recruit, interview, hire, and onboard qualified full-time and adjunct nursing faculty, ensuring compliance with accreditation and regulatory qualification standards. • Conduct regular performance evaluations, classroom observations, and annual reviews of faculty; provide constructive feedback and support professional growth plans. • Mentor faculty in evidence-based pedagogy, simulation-based learning, clinical instruction methods, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. • Facilitate faculty workload assignments, course scheduling, and clinical rotation assignments to ensure adequate coverage and equitable distribution. • Support faculty in pursuit of scholarship, research, professional certification, and continuing education aligned with promotion and tenure guidelines. • Foster a collegial, inclusive, and mission-centered departmental culture that promotes collaboration among full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty. ***Clinical Partnerships and External Relations*** • Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with hospitals, healthcare systems, long-term care facilities, and community health organizations to secure and sustain high-quality clinical placement sites. • Negotiate and manage clinical affiliation agreements in collaboration with University legal counsel and risk management…