Psychological Sciences - Full-time faculty and Director of First-Year Experience in St. Paul, Minnesota at Bethel University

Bethel University is a leader in Christ-centered higher education with approximately 4,700 students from 50 states and 32 countries enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and adult education programs. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bethel offers bachelor's and advanced degrees in nearly 100 fields. Educationally excellent classroom-based and online programs equip graduates to make exceptional contributions in life-long service to God and the world.

Bethel University’s Christ-centered mission includes a commitment to equal educational opportunity and equal employment opportunity. Bethel does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, status with regard to public assistance, familial status, or age in its admissions, educational programs, or employment practices.

About the role

• This faculty role provides leadership for General Education, vocation, the first-year student experience, and a General Education program, GES 140 Introduction to Wellbeing. The focus is on program coordination, curricular coherence, and continuous improvement. The role is responsible for managing the logistics of General Education and AA course offerings to align with student needs, and for bringing together General Education course instructors to intentionally embed vocational goals across the curriculum. This work supports undergraduate student success, specifically during their first three terms, and contributes to meeting Bethel University’s student success goals.
• The position serves as Program Director for GES140 Introduction to Wellbeing, including teaching within the program. The position represents a faculty administrative role on the General Education Committee. The role leads ongoing program evaluation and improvement in General Education, including assessment and contributions to institutional accreditation.
• In addition, this position leads institutional vocation efforts and serves as the principal leader for vocation-related grants, with teaching assignments potentially replaced by this work. Across all responsibilities, the role focuses on strengthening students’ academic, vocational, and well-being experiences during their first year by creating coherence across curriculum content, teaching methods, and institutional initiatives.

What you'll do

Primary responsibilities

1. General Education & AA Coordination (6 LC)
2. 1. Manage scheduling and sequencing of General Education and AA Courses
   2. Serve on the General Education Committee and related governance bodies
   3. Lead assessment, program review, and continuous improvement processes
   4. Contribute to accreditation reporting related to General Education and student learning
3. Lead first-year academic experience (4 LC)
4. 1. Collaborate with faculty, the Director of Advising, the Director of Student Success, student life partners, and faculty development/instructional design to support undergraduate students during their first year
   2. Convene and support General Education faculty around shared learning goals, vocation integration, and faculty development related to instructing first-year students
   3. Contribute to student orientation as part of the student journey through their first three terms
5. Lead vocation initiatives and manage vocation-related grants (2 LC)
6. 1. This work is focused on General Education and first-year courses
   2. Grant funding may buy-out teaching load (#4) for additional time to vocus on vocation initiatives
7. Direct and teach within a General Education program ( GES140 Introduction to Wellbeing) 12 LC
8. 1. Lead assessment, program review, and continuous improvement processes
   2. Assign and support instructors
   3. Manage program budget
   4. Note: teaching responsibilities will vary depending on current grant funding related to vocation. The current faculty load credits represent no grant buy-out of contracted teaching responsibilities.
      Describe the specific responsibilities and job functions of the role

Qualifications

Education, Licensure & Experience

• Required Education
• • Master’s degree in an applicable field, doctorate preferred
  • Qualification to teach aGES140 Introduction to Wellbeing

Required Experience

• Experience leading or contributing to institution-wide vocation initiatives, including work supported by external funding (e.g., NetVUE/Lilly-funded programs), and integrating vocational exploration into the undergraduate curriculum and co-curricular contexts.
• Experience integrating vocational reflection, student development, or wellbeing into academic contexts, preferably in a Christian higher education setting or related to faith-integrated curriculum
• Demonstrated commitment to undergraduate student success, particularly first-year students
• Experience in curriculum coordination or program leadership (e.g., course director, program chair, assessment lead, FYE coordination), including budget oversight, faculty support, continuous improvement, and course scheduling
• Experience leading collaborative initiatives, including faculty, academic unit, and other staff
• Experience with assessment, program review, and/or accreditation processes
• College-level teaching experience, with demonstrated effectiveness (preferably in General Education or first-year courses)

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Student-centered approach: Deep commitment to creating transformative, mission-aligned student experiences. In-depth understanding of student development theories and how they apply to academic advising and student success initiatives.
• Strategic leadership: Ability to set vision, develop strategy, and implement innovative initiatives across complex organizations. Skilled at prioritizing and advancing multiple initiatives in a dynamic environment. Skills in change management and strategic planning.
• Relationship building: Skilled at cultivating partnerships with staff, administrators, faculty, and students. Demonstrated commitment to listening, learning, and integrating diverse perspectives
• Vocation frameworks: Knowledge of theological and developmental models of vocation, including NetVUE- and Lilly-supported approaches that integrate vocation with Christian liberal arts learning and student formation
• Financial acumen: Ability to manage budgets and contribute to revenue and enrollment planning.
• Collaborative influence: Ability to lead through collaboration and cross-departmental coordination rather than direct supervision.
• Communication excellence: Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills for diverse audiences, including the ability to utilize social media
• Analytical ability: Proficiency in using and communicating data for program evaluation, decision-making, and continuous improvement.
• Technological Knowledge and Application: Ability to strategically and responsibly leverage current and emerging technologies—including AI—to support teaching and learning, data-informed decision-making, and continuous improvement, while anticipating and guiding future innovation.Describe the experience and attributes of the ideal candidate

Additional Responsibilities:

Bethel’s mission is to educate and equip students to lead lives of impact through transformative academics in a Christ-centered community. Bethel’s employee community plays a central role in developing our students as whole and holy persons. To carry out this mission, Bethel uses the foundation of our guiding documents, the Affirmation of Faith, Community Covenant, and Key Policies. Bethel expects all employees to actively participate in creating our Christ-centered community by agreeing with and abiding by our core beliefs in the Affirmation of Faith and supporting all other beliefs as Biblical, responsible, and thoughtful approaches while avoiding dissension and divisiveness. Employees teach and mentor students and help one another uphold our Community Covenant commitments. As a result of these expectations, all University employees act as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ by actively partnering with the University to carry out its mission and foster Bethel’s Christ-centered covenant community.

Other Duties: The essential functions, tasks and responsibilities of this position may change from time to time. Bethel University reserves the right to add or omit duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the University or its leadership. Additional tasks or duties required of the position, will be communicated to the incumbent with specificity to ensure the employee may perform their role with complete understanding. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed; it is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Remote Work and Sponsorship Restrictions:

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. Please be aware that, due to specific legal and operational considerations, we are unable to consider applicants who live in and work from the following states: AK, CA, CO, CT, Washington DC, HI, IL, IN, MA, MD, MT, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, VT, and WA. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

Work Environment:

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as desktop and/or laptop computers, photocopiers and smartphones.

The work environment involves working for a suburban, Christian university in which all employees are expected to have a demonstrated commitment and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a commitment to the mission and values of the University, and an agreement to abide by all University policies.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. The job requires extended periods of sitting and traversing the Bethel Campus on a regular basis. Reasonable accommodations may be made to ensure people are able to perform the essential functions.

The mental and physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Benefits

Bethel is committed to offering meaningful benefits to our employees including health insurance, retirement plans, and a generous time off package. Learn more about these offerings here.

Learn more about our commitment to diversity in hiring .

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time