Dean, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

Brock University

Dean, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

Brock University, Niagara Region, Ontario

Brock University is searching for an outstanding academic leader with strategic vision to lead the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.

The University

Brock University is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with rich academic programs and world-class scholarship. Located on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement, in the historic Niagara region, Brock offers all the benefits of a young and modern university in a safe, community-minded city with beautiful natural surroundings. With more than 19,000 students in seven diverse Faculties, 600 faculty members, and over 100,000 accomplished alumni—Brock has earned a reputation as a one of Canada’s top post-secondary institutions.

Brock was recently named the third best employer in Canada by Forbes, as well as ranked top 10 as one of Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity, through an independent survey of more than 40,000 Canadian employees working for companies with more than 500 employees. Brock is also home to twelve 3M Teaching Fellowship Award Winners—Canada’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in educational leadership and teaching at the post-secondary level—and eight Canada Research Chairs.

The Faculty

The Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Brock University is a leader in health-related education and research, offering a range of undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students for successful careers in health, wellness, recreation, and sport. The Faculty is dedicated to understanding well-being and holistic health, and to helping to gain, maintain, and restore them. Through progressive teaching and research, the Faculty examines topics that range from developing forward-thinking policies that support healthy, active lifestyles, to revolutionary healthcare delivery, recreational programming, and sports.

The Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Brock is home to five academic departments, including Health Sciences, Kinesiology, Nursing, Recreation & Leisure Studies, and Sport Management. The Faculty is also home to several research centres, including the Brock Functional Inclusive Training Centre and the Centre for Healthy Youth Development through Sport—to name a few.

The Role

Reporting to the Provost & Vice-President, Academic, the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences will work with the Brock community to enrich student experiences and build upon programming that supports a culture of excellence in teaching, research, service, and innovative curriculum delivery. With a goal of promoting a healthy and active society, the Dean is responsible for setting and maintaining a high level of scholarship and teaching activity, overseeing administrative operations, and managing the fiscal performance of the Faculty. The central role of the Dean is to be an advocate for the Faculty while connecting the Faculty’s priorities with the strategic vision of the university. The Dean provides supervision and support for the professional development of faculty and staff, promotes a collegial atmosphere within the Faculty, and is accountable for ensuring a safe workplace and learning environment. The Dean actively fosters opportunities for faculty, students, and staff to make an impact across the University as well as regionally, nationally, and globally. It is vital that the Dean be a champion of equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization, and an advocate for taking concrete actions that advance Brock’s strategic plan by leveraging the Faculty’s unique strengths.

The Dean is responsible for building effective and meaningful relationships within the Faculty, across cognate disciplines in the University, and with external partners including alumni and others in the health, recreation, and sport management sectors and the broader community. As a member of Brock’s senior academic leadership team, the Dean is an active member in university governance and decision-making and the voice of the Faculty within the administration.

Key areas of oversight and responsibility are:
• Strategic Leadership and Vision – Provides leadership in alignment with the University’s strategic plan, support with policies and procedures, setting department-wide strategic directions and securing the resources to support the student learning experiences, faculty recruitment, and academic program delivery.
• Administrative and Fiscal Management – Provides operational leadership including fiscal accountability for the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, including securing and allocating support for high quality teaching, research, creative, and professional activities.
• Scholarship and Innovation – Fosters and contributes to innovation in scholarship and research with a deep commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization. Advances experiential education and student-centred learning with a focus on academic rigour. Contributes as a senior academic leader and advocate to the broader University community.
• Networking and Representation – Establishes and maintains productive internal and external relationships. Represents Brock and the Faculty to relevant committees, consortia, associations, and partnerships, and works collaboratively with provincial, national, and international committees.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an accomplished scholar and educator with a commitment to student success and a proven track record of impactful teaching, research, service, academic leadership, engagement, and administration. As a compassionate and caring leader with integrity, they have a history of improving and innovating in academic settings. This includes a collegial, strategic, and evidence-based decision-making style, with examples of strong and effective relationship building across the institution and within the community. The ideal candidate has expertise in academic administration, pedagogy, and managing staff within a complex and unionized environment. The successful candidate has a demonstrated commitment to fostering a culture of equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization, and has an authentic appreciation for collegiality and collaboration.

Qualifications and Experience

While the Search Committee recognizes that no one candidate is likely to meet all qualifications in equal measure, those listed below are desirable and will be used to compare candidates.
• PhD in a discipline within the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences or a related field.
• Experience as an educator in a university setting, with academic credentials supporting an appointment, or eligibility for an appointment, as a faculty member at the rank of Full Professor.
• Significant experience in a senior leadership position (e.g. Chair, Director, Associate Dean) in an academic setting with significant managerial accountability for human and financial resources.
• A strong understanding of the applied health education space (e.g., nursing, therapeutic recreation, sport management, etc.)including relevant accreditation processes, and post-secondary policies and procedures.
• Experience leading and supporting actions that further reconciliation and decolonization in academia.
• Team building, consultative leadership, and conflict management experience.

Attributes
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills and a transparent and consultative management style.
• The ability to strategically allocate resources and balance priorities within an academic environment.
• Exceptional communication, relationship building, and advocacy skills.
• Courageous leadership, with the ability to face challenges and to exercise integrity, flexibility, and wisdom.
• The ability to work collegially and effectively within a unionized environment and build trusting relationships both internally and externally.
• A collegial, decisive and facilitative style with the ability to make and explain decisions.

The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications on October 23, 2024.

Brock University recognizes that it is located on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement. Today, Brock is the gathering place of many First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples— many of whom continue to live and work on its campus.

Brock University is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including but not limited to women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized persons, and persons of any gender identity and sexual orientation.

Support and accommodations will be provided to applicants with disabilities, upon request. Applicants in need of an accommodation in order to participate as a candidate in the recruitment process can contact accommodate@kbrs.ca or identify their needs to the recruitment professional named in the job description.

Candidates interested in this opportunity should contact Debra Clinton at dclinton@kbrs.ca, Kyle Steele at ksteele@kbrs.ca, or Dr. Jennie Massey at jmassey@kbrs.ca, or submit a full application package online at: https://www.kbrs.ca/Career/18266