PROGRAM DIR, OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY SCHOLARS & FELLOWS

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Minimum Qualifications

Job Summary: The Office of University Scholars and Fellows (OUSF) seeks a creative and organized individual with excellent interpersonal skills to lead a team of faculty directors, program coordinators, and graduate assistants to provide programming, mentorship, and experiential opportunities for Duke’s merit scholars. The MSP Director fosters academic engagement by providing vision and oversight for all of Duke’s Merit Scholarship Programs and through building strong working relationships with students, faculty, and the greater campus community.  The MSP Director works closely with campus partners, including Admissions, Alumni Affairs, Financial Aid, Duke Life, Registrar’s office, and University Development, to lead the annual scholar selection and recruitment process. The MSP Director serves as the OUSF point of contact for scholarship donors, including the Duke Endowment and Mastercard Foundation. Some travel is required.

Required Qualifications:  Bachelor’s degree with at least 4 years of experience in higher education administration, preferably with experience advising high-achieving and high-ambition students. Ph.D. or other advanced degree preferred.  Strong and proven organizational, community-building, and written and oral communication skills are essential. The MSP Director must show evidence of a commitment to excellence in education and a record of successful involvement in program development and innovation.  The position also requires experience in managing budgets and employing fiscal responsibility.

Skills:

The MSP Director should have experience in undergraduate honors programs or other programs for high-achieving students, and must have a demonstrated ability to lead teams of faculty and staff as well as empower students. A background in working with international, low-income, first-generation, racially diverse, and LGBTQ+ students is preferred.

Work performed:

With guidance from the OUSF Executive Director, the MSP Director performs the following responsibilities:

• Merit Scholarship Program Administration   40%
  • Create vision of all-OUSF programming and provide broad oversight to coordinate all merit scholarships including: AB Duke, Alumni Endowed, Baldwin, BN Duke, Karsh, Mastercard, Reginaldo Howard, Robertson, Rubenstein, Trinity, and University Scholarship programs
  • Serve as primary liaison within OUSF for coordination with the Baldwin, University, Rubenstein, and Robertson Scholarship programs
  • Supervise MSP program coordinators, graduate assistants, and students  as they plan scholarship-specific programming for each scholarship group, including such events as group dinners, guest speakers, and enrichment field trips
  • Convene and chair periodic meetings of scholarship faculty directors, in addition to meeting with     
  • Promote merit scholarships and communicate with all merit scholars
  • Manage scholarship program budgets
  • Advise and assist all scholars (over 500 students) through navigating Duke and life in Durham in addition to crises in scholars’ lives
  • Lead ASCEND, a sophomore women’s leadership program, and coordinate guest speakers and recruitment/selection process
  • Oversee planning efforts for all-OUSF events in coordination with staff, faculty directors, and students, which may include Welcome Back Night activities, Family Weekend Open House, Winter Carnival, Graduation Brunch, First-Year Series, Upperclassmen Series, Finalist Campus Visit, and other new initiatives.

• Scholarship Recruitment & Selection    20%
  • Lead and direct the scholarship recruitment and selection process for all Duke merit scholars, including leading the OUSF Recruitment and Selection Committee
  • During the annual scholar selection and recruitment process, coordinate the activities of specific faculty directors, faculty/staff readers for each scholarship, and colleagues in Admissions, SISS, Alumni Affairs, Financial Aid, DukeLife, Registrar, and the University Development office
  • Provide training and support for all application readers
  • Work with SISS to create workflows for reading teams and manage application flow
  • Lead individual scholarship selection decision committees
  • Direct and manage a four-day scholarship selection (Finalist Campus Visit) experience for domestic finalists and coordinate video interviews for international finalists
  • Adress merit scholar candidates’ issues and concerns.

• Merit Scholarship Program Assessment    10%
  • Establish and maintain appropriate metrics for assessing MSP outcomes
  • Collect annual report from the faculty director of each MSP, including goals and objectives for the program
  • Prepare annual report of MSP collectively, prioritizing needs for each program and setting goals and objectives for program excellence

• Program-Specific Oversight      20%
  • Coordinate with all scholarships regarding deadlines to apply for house courses
  • Manage scholar application process with Duke Engage
  • Oversee summer site coordinators with BN Program Coordinator and BN Duke Faculty Director to ensure smooth operation of the BN Duke Summer of Service
  • Direct application process and administer the participation of AB Duke Scholars in the Duke in Oxford summer program
  • Oversee merit scholarship enrichment funding process
  • Communicate with Nationally Competitive Scholarships team about potential candidates.

• External Relations     10%
  • In conjunction with Executive Director of OUSF and University Development, maintain positive relationships with scholarship donors, including the Duke Endowment, Mastercard Foundation, Alumni Affairs, and specific donor families and individuals
  • Manage grants and prepare budget and outcome reports for donors on scholarship programs
  • In conjunction with OUSF Logistics team, develop database of merit scholarship alumni, and utilize this database to develop and cultivate positive relationships with scholar alumni
  • Travel and represent Duke University and OUSF at various events/programs

• Other duties, as necessary

Education

Work requires communications, analytical and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Experience

Work requires the ability to plan and administer programs and direct OR ANY OTHER EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR program activities within a specific functional area, generally acquired through four years of related experience. EXPERIENCE.

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.