Loyola University New Orleans

Director, School of Communication & Design

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Salary: Depends on Qualifications

Location: New Orleans, LA

Job Type: 12 Month Faculty

Job Number: 202200314

Division: Academic Affairs

Department: Mass Communications

Opening Date: 06/18/2024

FLSA: Exempt

Description

Loyola University New Orleans seeks an innovative and visionary individual committed to promoting and fostering excellence in teaching, research, professional practice, and service as its next Director of the School of Communication and Design.

Loyola University New Orleans is a Jesuit Catholic University that educates diverse leaders dedicated to academic excellence, social justice, compassion, and service. Consistent with the University’s mission, Loyola University New Orleans welcomes candidates strongly committed to fostering inclusion and equity in a culturally diverse environment. Under the transformational leadership of President Dr. Xavier Cole, Loyola New Orleans is enjoying a revitalized sense of forward momentum through academic partnerships and community impact.

Reporting to the Dean of the College of Music and Media, Dr. Sheryl Kennedy Haydel, the Director of the School of Communication and Design, will inspire optimism and opportunity in expanding the school’s positive reputation and size. Further, the Director will cultivate a strong sense of community closely aligned with Ignatian values. At its core, the School encourages strong relationships between faculty and students, providing students with the resources and mentorship necessary to be leaders in their fields. The final candidate would undergo an abbreviated tenure approval process, which would include vetting by the College’s Rank and Tenure Committee. The search committee will review applications on October 1, 2024. The successful candidate will start in the role on July 1, 2025.

Examples of Duties

The Director will be charged with working closely with the faculty to develop a compelling and innovative vision for the future of the School of Communication and Design to ensure it continues to serve its students with academic programs of the highest quality and effectiveness. The Director provides strategic vision and operational leadership for the academic and co-curricular programs, creating an environment that supports the School’s faculty, students, staff, and community partners while promoting excellence in teaching and learning. The Director is responsible for the school’s fiscal integrity, overseeing budgets and setting an ambitious fundraising agenda.

This is an exciting opportunity to grow entrepreneurial networks, enhance interactions across programs and departments, and take calculated risks to enhance the School of Communication and Design’s strong national reputation. The School offers exceptional programs in Design, Digital Filmmaking, Mass Communication–Journalism, and Mass Communication–Strategic Communication. Loyola University New Orleans is interested in candidates whose vision and experience will lead to broad and inclusive conversations about the range of possibilities, collaborations, and entrepreneurial opportunities that will differentiate the School as a regional and national leader in modern education in the constantly evolving areas of communication and design.

The next Director will be a natural connector and boundary spanner with the energy and vision to promote the School and broaden its reach in teaching, research, and fundraising in the local area and beyond. The University welcomes candidates from traditional academic settings and other related and adjacent areas of the communication and design arenas.

Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership

The new Director of the School of Communication and Design will be asked to address the following critical leadership issues, among others:

Articulate a Vision and Strategy

The Director will articulate a compelling vision and corresponding strategic plan to enhance the reputation of the School of Communication and Design, drawing on its strong standing in higher education. This is a transformational leadership opportunity for an ambitious and strategic leader to join with faculty to think creatively about new opportunities that expand the intellectual and programmatic reach of the School. The Director will be expected to communicate to a broad audience about the programs and opportunities within the School. They will have a vision that prepares students to enter contemporary careers in an ever-changing landscape.

The Director will evaluate the School’s resources and programs with an eye toward improvement and growth. The Director will engage faculty in assessing programs and curriculum and identifying the changes, enhancements, and additions that can be made to address current demand and the emerging needs of rapidly evolving industries. This includes exploring cross-departmental courses and programs and eliminating academic redundancies. The Director will also identify opportunities to increase student enrollment to increase the School’s revenue. The Director will establish initiatives to expand and enhance the student pipeline, working with the University’s marketing department to aggressively explore opportunities to attract students.

Strengthen Synergies across Departments and Programs

The Director will actively create opportunities for collaboration in courses, programs, and co-curricular activities, encouraging the effect of collaboration to be greater than the sum of its parts. The Director’s understanding and appreciation of multiple disciplines and how they might interact will also produce efficiencies in the curriculum, reducing redundant courses and freeing up opportunities for modern, interdisciplinary programs. The Director will recognize strong faculty and programs across disciplines as one of the School’s distinctive traits, providing opportunities for interdisciplinary courses and curricula. While some of this strength has been explored through curricular and co-curricular collaborations, there is a strong desire to expand on these opportunities. Faculty eagerly anticipate the exponential opportunities afforded by combining related topics across disciplines.

The Director should recognize that synergies that may add new initiatives to existing workloads are balanced with reducing non-productive pursuits. The Director will invigorate the faculty by creating a vibrant vision for a distinguished and contemporary School of Communication and Design. The new Director will build on the supportive and collaborative spirit among the faculty and staff, building an “esprit de corps” and making all stakeholders feel they are an essential part of the School by seeking their input and by continuing to advance a culture based upon respect, compassion, and trust.

Lead and Exemplify a Strong Commitment to Diversity

The Director will support initiatives to work effectively with diverse populations and to develop faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. Loyola New Orleans enrolls one of the most diverse student bodies in the United States, making experience with students from a wide range of backgrounds essential, as is a demonstrated commitment to social justice. Princeton Review recognized Loyola New Orleans as the fourth most diverse university in the nation. Expectations include planning and developing student experience improvements for multiple populations and working with and developing a diverse professional staff. The Director will champion the achievements of students, faculty, and staff from various backgrounds and experiences.

Increase Enrollment and Enhance Reputation

While the School of Communication and Design benefits from a strong national reputation, there are opportunities to build the program’s name and reach, especially as the departments and majors coalesce. The Director will oversee recruitment and marketing efforts to grow the student body and to promote a strong national reputation. This may include expanding graduate and online opportunities to reach untapped student populations.

Marketing strategies will balance the need to target prospective students for all of the School’s programs with the need to highlight individual programs and the opportunities they provide, thus raising the ability to recruit students into multiple disciplines. Promote internal and external partnerships. The Director will be engaged across the university, in the broader community, and with national and international organizations to promote the reputation and growth of the School of Communication and Design. It will be important to continue to elevate the visibility and advance its successes, relevancy, and impact. An ability to communicate up, down, and across the University’s organizational structure will be a considerable strength. It will also be essential for the Director to create an open, transparent, and ongoing dialogue with faculty and senior administrators that will engender cooperation, trust, support, and confidence. An essential part of these connections will be the commitment of time and talent to fundraising and external relations.

Inspire and Represent Faculty and Staff

The new Director will foster a collaborative, transparent, and harmonious work environment and communicate effectively to maintain employee morale. The Director will review organizational needs to align people and resources for maximum efficacy in delivering an exceptional experience for all School of Communication and Design students. Faculty will be encouraged to pursue scholarships and other forms of continued learning to remain current in their fields. The continued professional support of faculty and staff is essential and requires high standards with an eye toward maintaining healthy working relationships, open channels of communication, and high morale. The Director will also expand the school’s faculty-led research program that involves students in projects.

Typical Qualifications

Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities

The ideal candidate will have the following professional qualifications and personal characteristics:

Education

• Master’s degree required; PhD or terminal degree preferred.
• Background of academic teaching that merits appointment to the faculty.

Experience

The skills necessary to promote recognition of the School of Communication and Design and the entrepreneurial energy and skill to realize the potential of the School.

• Demonstrated ability to lead a capable, collaborative, and ambitious team.
• Ability to recruit and develop faculty and students.
• Understanding and appreciation of the importance of both research and practice.
• Proven track record of working collaboratively across disciplines.
• Demonstrated success in working with and supporting people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Active involvement in relevant professional associations; a reputation as a leader within the field.
• Preferred knowledge of administrative operations of academic programs, such as admissions, financial aid, student affairs, planning and budgeting, faculty and curriculum assessment, etc.

Personal Characteristics

The Director of the School of Communications and Design must demonstrate natural leadership, exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to envision a plan to realize the potential of the school, its faculty, and its students. The Director must be a role model for students and faculty.

• An individual with the highest integrity, high energy, maturity, transparency, and a reputation for fairness.
• An inspiring, authentic, and strategic leader who can establish a vision for the School that supports the College’s and the University’s missions. Someone who seeks to facilitate the success of those they lead. Someone who understands that the unit’s success is based on the individual’s success.
• A persuasive communicator with strong interpersonal skills who is an empathetic and respectful listener. Someone who can create a collaborative atmosphere open to creative and interdisciplinary ideas. Able to communicate with students, faculty, and administrators.
• A decision-maker who can listen to ideas and take responsibility for final decisions.
• A confident manager of people and programs who uses strong organizational and interactive skills to achieve goals in complex, evolving environments.
• A resourceful builder of organizations, teams, and programs; a developer and a promoter of all facets of the School.
• A service-driven, community-focused individual committed to communities that include the School of Communication and Design, the University, and the surrounding community.
• A student-centered educator who considers how best to serve the University’s diverse and talented student body in every decision.

Today, the School of Communication and Design includes Loyola’s Design, Film, Journalism, Strategic Communication, PR, Advertising, and Visual Communication programs. Through this powerful new alignment, journalism (digital, broadcast, online, print) works alongside design, film, and other programs. Providing future performers, music industry executives, artists, and designers with expert insights and understanding into advertising, public relations, and digital media better prepares them for entrepreneurial success in the creative professions.

Centers housed within the School include the Loyola University Center for Environmental Communication and the Shawn M. Donnelley Center for Nonprofit Communications. The School of Communication and Design is also home to The Collective, a student-run creative agency; the Maroon, an award-winning student-run media outlet; the million-dollar J Michael Early Studio, a multipurpose digital space, and multiple exhibition spaces on campus. The School of Communication and Design is home to more than 400 undergraduate students and 30 graduate students. Accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC), the School also maintains Certification in Education for Public Relations (CEPR) from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The School of Communication and Design has 14 full-time faculty and three full-time staff. Additional resources include an endowed chair, three endowed professorships, and numerous endowed funds and scholarships.

College of Music and Media

The College of Music and Media represents one-third of the undergraduate student body at Loyola. The students are musicians, actors, singers. They are filmmakers, journalists, designers, producers, rappers, recording engineers, visual communications artists, and leaders in PR and advertising. Everything in the college revolves around storytelling, the only difference being the media used to tell it. The College of Music and Media serves as the preeminent center of performing and visual arts study among Jesuit Colleges and universities across the country and the preeminent anchor institution in New Orleans for the creative and cultural economy. In a strategic shift that recognizes industry focus on multimedia and digital communication, Loyola relocated its award-winning School of Mass Communication to the College in the spring of 2018, then expanded the school to include Loyola’s Digital Filmmaking and Design Departments.

In accordance with the Campus Security Act as amended, Loyola University publishes annually and distributes to members of the academic community, and upon request to prospective (students/employees), an annual security report. That report includes current policies and procedures of the University Police Department for the reporting of campus crimes, notifying the campus community of occurrence of campus crimes, policies regarding access to campus buildings, the enforcement authority of the University Police Officers and their relationship to local police. University policies on the possession, use and sale of alcohol and illegal drugs are outlined. The Campus sexual Assault Program and policy is described. Campus crime statistics as defined under this law for the last three calendar years are included. A copy of this report may be secured from the (Office of Admissions), (Office of Human Resources), or from the University Police Department.

Loyola University New Orleans does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran’s status or national origin in its educational programs or activities, including employment and admissions. At the same time, Loyola cherishes its right to seek and retain personnel who will make a positive contribution to its religious character, goals, and mission in order to enhance the Jesuit, Catholic tradition.

Agency

Loyola University – New Orleans