Human Resources

Administrative Dean/CFO

Overview
Founded in 1969, College of the Atlantic was the first college in the United States to focus on the
relationship between humans and the environment. COA enriches the liberal arts tradition
through a distinctive educational philosophy—human ecology. A human ecological perspective
integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and from personal experience to
investigate—and ultimately improve—the relationships between human beings and our social
and natural communities. The human ecological perspective guides all aspects of education,
research, activism, and interactions among the college’s students, faculty, staff, and trustees.

The faculty, students, trustees, staff, and alumni of College of the Atlantic envision a world
where people value creativity, intellectual achievement, and the diversity of nature and human
cultures. With respect and compassion, individuals will construct meaningful lives for
themselves, gain appreciation for the relationships among all forms of life, and safeguard the
heritage of future generations.  More than forty years later, our 350 students, 35 faculty, and 75 staff members still share that original focus on engaged learning and community, and more than ever we believe that an interdisciplinary, human ecological perspective is critical to addressing the world’s most pressing problems.

Responsibilities
Operating in close collaboration with the President and President’s Cabinet, the Administrative Dean is responsible for maximizing the goals and mission of the college by efficiently managing the college’s finances, physical plant, infrastructure, and talent. The Administrative Dean will examine historical and current finances to build predictive models and use those models to help guide decision making across all aspects of the college. The Administrative Dean is also the point person for developing, projecting, and updating forward-looking budgets and helping manage the complexities of our bottom line.

Specific duties include:
•    Working with the Controller, President, Cabinet, and other staff to develop and monitor the college’s operational budget and funds allocation
•    Managing an “Out Years” group of staff and trustees to help predict future budgetary implications of present-day decision making
•    Reporting progress against budgets and developing financial strategies with the Finance Committee of the College’s Board of Directors
•    Chairing the Personnel Committee, which steers all personnel policies including hiring procedures, terminations, benefits, and other Human Resources decision making
•    Managing a team of direct reports which currently include the Controller, the Director of Buildings, Grounds and Public Safety, and the Director of IT, and may include other centers like dining services, the EEOC coordinator, and the Title IX Coordinator
•    Serving as a liaison with COA’s outside counsel
•    Serving as liaison with the Board’s Investment Committee and outside advisors

Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated track record of:
•    Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to thrive in and support a collaborative team
•    Leadership in non-profit budgeting, financial analysis, and financial planning, with hands-on skills and attention to detail and a willingness to “roll up the sleeves”- the work requires both strategic thinking and granular initiatives
•    Both written and oral communication skills and the ability to use spreadsheets and data to understand, predict and explain the connection between financial numbers and human qualities
•    Understanding of the human resources function within an organization and experience as a talent leader and collaborator

The candidate will also have:
•    The ability to manage up, down, and laterally and to foster a successful work environment for all team members
•    General knowledge of investments, employment practices and law, cash management, and employee benefits (particularly health insurance)
•    An ability and interest in finding and using “scrappy” solutions and means of assessment and comfort “wearing many hats” in a small, collegial environment
•    An interest in developing an appreciation for the mission, history, and values of the college
•    A strong work ethic and a sense of humor
•    An interest in using their talents to support students and student learning
•    A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and evidence of intellectual curiosity

Please submit a cover letter and resume to: ddeforest@coa.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

College of the Atlantic is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive
hiring, and dedicated to diversity on its staff, faculty, student body, and other stakeholders. We
actively seek the candidacy of all identities, ethnicities, experiences, orientations, and
communities.

 

Open Literature and Writing Position

College of the Atlantic (COA) seeks a full-time, tenure-track equivalent faculty member to teach literature and writing (Ph.D. required). All students at COA design their own transdisciplinary degree within our single major of human ecology. A few students will go on to further literary or writing study; most will use literature as a means of gaining insight into the complexities of human experience, cultures, relations to the natural world, and ways of living. Students also use literature and writing courses to develop critical thinking and writing skills. As such, the college is looking for a faculty member with deep but also broad background, skills, and knowledge who is capable of engaging with multiple literary genres and eager to collaborate with faculty in other disciplines. As part of the college’s commitment to the practice of human ecology, candidates should be interested in teaching literature and writing to students working on projects across disciplinary boundaries.

At COA we believe there is core value to grounding students in a variety of literary languages, traditions, and genres because these provide fundamental means of understanding diverse cultures, languages, and language practices. Candidates for this position must have demonstrated excellence and enthusiasm for teaching first-year writing and literature. Requirements include experience in teaching writing and evidence of scholarship or ability and enthusiasm to teach in at least three of the following:

•    Comparative and world literatures
•    Indigenous literatures
•    Subaltern literatures (queer, postcolonial, feminist)
•    Anglophone literatures beyond the US and UK
•    Creative writing (poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction)

College of the Atlantic is committed to increasing diversity, fostering inclusion, and achieving equity in all aspects of its work. We especially encourage candidates who demonstrate how their teaching, service, and research would contribute to making the college more inclusive, equitable, and diverse. We are particularly interested in an individual’s record working with students, colleagues, and communities who identify with the experiences of those historically excluded, under-represented or marginalized in higher education. The search committee welcomes applications from those historically under-represented in higher education.

Please send letter of interest, cv, statement of teaching philosophy to include your approach to and experience with teaching diverse learners, and descriptions of five courses you would be prepared to teach, along with the names of three references in one pdf document to litwritingsearch@coa.edu. Review of applications will begin March 23, 2020, and continue until the position is filled. Appointment by the fall term of 2020 or winter 2021 is highly desirable.

 

Pre-Doctoral Fellow in Educational Studies

 
College of the Atlantic (COA) seeks a pre-doctoral Teaching Fellow in Educational Studies who has completed their coursework toward a Ph.D. or Ed.D. in education or a related field and who can demonstrate the ability to teach effectively in at least three of the following areas: Experiential Education, Intercultural Education, Indigenous Education, Anti-racist Education, Social Justice Education, Education for Sustainable Peace, Climate Change Education, Contemplative Education, Educational Change, and/or Comparative Education. The successful candidate will be able to teach inter- or transdisciplinary courses at the introductory and intermediate levels that contribute to COA’s undergraduate and graduate programs in human ecology.

College of the Atlantic is committed to increasing diversity, fostering inclusion, and achieving equity in all aspects of its work. We especially encourage candidates who demonstrate how their teaching, service, and research would contribute to making the College more inclusive, equitable, and diverse. We are particularly interested in an individual’s record working with students, colleagues, and communities who identify with the experiences of those historically excluded, under-represented or marginalized in higher education. The search committee welcomes applications from those historically under-represented in higher education.

In addition to teaching one course for each of three ten-week terms, the successful candidate would be expected to actively work toward completion of their dissertation. This position may be renewed for one year. Compensation is $20,000, with housing from September 1, 2020-June 15, 2021, and mentorship toward successful teaching and dissertation completion as needed.

Required:
 All but dissertation in Education or related field and demonstrated teaching excellence.
 
COA is an interdisciplinary, non-departmental college of 35 faculty; the 350 students design their own major in human ecology (BA, MPhil). The average class size is 13. Our educational approach integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and seeks to understand and improve the relationships between humans and their built, natural, and cultural environments.

How to apply:
Interested candidates should send a cover letter, teaching statement, CV, and three descriptions of proposed courses (see COA webpage for current course descriptions). The cover letter should address qualifications with an emphasis on experience with teaching and potential to contribute to a college community seeking to directly address the combined legacies of exclusion, under-representation, and marginalization in higher education. It would also be helpful to know where you saw the job ad. The CV should include contact information for three professional references, one of which should be from the dissertation committee chair. A teaching statement should describe the ethical principles and evidence-based practices you practice and model in your teaching. The proposed course descriptions should be about a paragraph each including learning objectives, teaching methods, assessments, level (introductory, introductory/intermediate, or intermediate), and prerequisites, if any.  For full consideration, completed applications should be received by January 30. Review of applicants will begin on February 1. Finalists will be invited for an on campus interview, job talk, and mock class in April of 2020. Please submit a PDF with all of the above materials in a single file to predoc@coa.edu. The anticipated start date for the hire is September 1, 2020. Questions may be directed to predoc@coa.edu.

 

Faculty Position in Philosophy

AOC (Area of Concentration): Open
AOS (Area of Specialization): Open

College of the Atlantic (COA) seeks a full-time, permanent faculty position in philosophy. This position will be the primary faculty member in philosophy for the college. We seek candidates who have a demonstrated ability to teach a variety of philosophy courses or can show strong potential to provide such breadth in their teaching. The College wants a faculty member who can teach from strength in a philosophical tradition or traditions while also providing students with courses in other areas of philosophical thought. The successful candidate will teach courses that provide students with a grounding in both Non-European and European philosophies and intellectual traditions.

College of the Atlantic is committed to increasing diversity, fostering inclusion and achieving equity in all aspects of its work.  The search committee especially encourages candidates who demonstrate that their teaching, advising, institutional service, and research could contribute to making the college more inclusive, equitable and diverse. We are particularly interested in an individual’s record working with students, colleagues and/or communities who identify with the experiences of those historically excluded, under-represented or marginalized in higher education.  The search committee encourages applications from those historically under-represented in higher education.

College of the Atlantic is a small, liberal arts institution with 350 students and 35 permanent faculty. COA is an interdisciplinary college, faculty are not organized via departments, and all students design their own major in human ecology (BA, MPhil). The average class size is 13.  Our educational approach integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and seeks to understand and improve the relationships between humans and their built, natural, and cultural environments. We encourage applicants with interests across the sciences, arts, and humanities who are comfortable working collaboratively – and at times team teaching – with colleagues from different disciplinary traditions within the interdisciplinary curriculum of the college. In addition to teaching 5 courses over 3 ten-week terms, other responsibilities of faculty include advising and mentoring students, directing senior projects, supervising independent studies, and contributing to college governance and service.

Required:
Ph. D. in Philosophy or related field and a demonstrated ability to teach philosophy effectively
    
How to apply:
Interested candidates should send a cover letter, teaching statement, a CV, and 3-5  proposed courses.  

●    Cover Letter: Please address qualifications for the position with an emphasis on your experience with teaching,  advising and mentoring. Candidates should discuss their potential to contribute to a college community seeking to directly address the combined legacies of exclusion, marginalization and under-representation in higher education. It would also be helpful to know where you saw the job ad.
●    Curriculum Vitae: Please include contact information for three professional references.
●    Teaching Statement
●    Proposed Courses: Applications should include a list of 3-5 proposed courses (with one or two paragraph description for each) on a variety of topics within the area/s of philosophy within which the candidate has expertise and interest in developing at COA specifically. These should include foundational courses in philosophy, as well as more advanced and topical offerings.

 Review of applicants will begin on December 1st. Final candidates will be invited for extended interviews and job talks on campus in the winter term of 2020. For full consideration, applications should be completed by December 30th.  Please submit a pdf with all of the above materials in a single file to philosophy@coa.edu. The anticipated start date for the hire is September 2020. Questions may be directed to philosophy@coa.edu.

 

Teaching Staff: Director of Energy Education and Management

College of the Atlantic (COA) seeks a full-time permanent teaching staff position to direct energy education and management at the college. In collaboration with faculty and staff, this position provides interdisciplinary educational opportunities for students in energy, sustainability, and related areas through classes, the Community Energy Center, and independent projects.

 The director provides leadership and expertise in all matters related to energy, moving the college toward greater use of renewable energy, decreasing overall energy use, and expanding educational opportunities for students in energy and related areas as we move towards our goal of being a fossil-fuel free campus by 2030. The director collects, analyzes, and tracks data and maintains records concerning COA’s energy consumption, purchase, and generation and performs cost-benefit analyses of current and proposed energy initiatives.  This work occurs on campus, including our farms and our island field stations, as well as collaborative work with the broader community.  The director’s time is divided roughly equally between teaching and administration.

We seek someone with strong technical skills and experience in energy who can help our students make connections to other areas, including sustainable food systems, climate change, community planning, and green business. The successful candidate will also help students think across temporal and spatial scales, connecting local energy projects with broader political and policy issues.

College of the Atlantic is committed to inclusive excellence.  We strive toward an open and diverse community that fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized or underrepresented in higher education.  

COA is an interdisciplinary college of approximately 350 students and 35 faculty. Faculty are not organized via departments, and all students design their own major in human ecology. The average class size is 12.  Our educational approach integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and seeks to understand and improve the relationships between humans and their built, natural, and social-cultural environments. COA is a leader in sustainability in higher education. We have been named the greenest college in the US three times by the Princeton Review and have topped the Sierra Club’s list of cool schools twice. In 2013, COA became the first college in the nation to fully divest from fossil fuels.  In 2019 COA signed onto the Break Free From Plastic Campus Pledge — the first college in the US to do so — committing us to eliminate all single-use disposable plastics from campus by 2025.  COA students are active in local and state environmental politics and have participated in all UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties (negotiating sessions) since 2005.

Essential Job Functions:

• Teach at least two courses yearly on renewable energy, energy conservation, and energy systems.  At least one course will be a practicum involving students in projects that work on energy, building systems, and sustainability.  In addition, the director will organize and direct independent studies and senior projects related to energy.
• Oversee the Community Energy Center (CEC). Direct students in projects at the CEC during the academic year and during the summer at the college, including our farms and islands, and in local communities.
• Provide campus-wide leadership to meet the college’s commitments in our Energy Framework, including our goal to be fossil fuel-free by 2030.
• Collect, analyze, and track data and maintain records concerning COA’s energy consumption, purchase, and generation and perform cost-benefit analyses of current and proposed energy initiatives. 
• Direct work on any CEC grants, such as the Rural Energy Development Agency (REDA) grant.
• In collaboration with faculty and administrators, pursue grants for energy and sustainability projects on and off campus.
• Participate in collaborative work on energy and sustainability with the Island Institute through the Fund for Maine Islands.
• Oversee completion of sustainability and energy-related components of STARS and other internal and external reports and surveys.
• Attend weekly meetings and act as a staff liaison to the student-led Campus Committee on Sustainability (CCS).

Work collaboratively with Campus Planning and Building Committee and the Director of Campus Planning and Buildings to analyze proposed campus projects from a sustainability perspective.

Qualifications:
A Master’s degree in engineering, environmental science, or another field related to renewable energy or energy conservation is strongly preferred, although we will consider candidates with a Bachelor’s degree and significant experience.  Teaching experience at the college level is strongly preferred. We are open to candidates with experience in any area of energy, including building science, community-based solar energy, and microgrids.

Applications will be considered until the position is filled, but for full consideration, please submit materials no later than Friday, October 25. To apply, please submit a current CV and a cover letter discussing your interest in and qualifications for the position to the address
energy-search@coa.edu.

 

Faculty Position in Drawing and Painting

College of the Atlantic (COA) seeks a full-time faculty member in Drawing and Painting.
 
The successful candidate will develop and teach foundational, intermediate, and advanced classes in drawing and painting, and will integrate drawing and painting into COA’s broad-based, interdisciplinary curriculum. In addition to teaching students pursuing an art focus within their degree in Human Ecology, the candidate should have the ability to teach students from science and humanities disciplines, as well as students at various levels within a given course. Applicants should demonstrate college-level teaching experience and professional expertise in drawing and painting. The scholarship and creative work of the faculty take many forms. In addition to a studio art practice, we also welcome applicants with public engagement and community-based research. We encourage candidates who are in conversation with transdisciplinary thought and practice and engage with innovative and intersectional approaches. Preference will be given to candidates who complement and expand on the strengths of the Art and Design area and who add cultural and intellectual diversity to the area.
 
College of the Atlantic is committed to inclusive excellence.  We strive toward an open and diverse community that fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized or underrepresented in art and higher education.
 
COA is an interdisciplinary college of approximately 350 students and 35 faculty – where theory and research are tied to practice. Faculty are not organized via departments, and all students design their own major in Human Ecology (BA, MPhil). The average class size is 13.  Our educational approach integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and seeks to understand and improve the relationships between humans and their built, natural, and social-cultural environments. We encourage applicants with interests across the sciences, arts, and humanities who are comfortable working collaboratively – and at times team teaching – with colleagues from different disciplinary traditions within the transdisciplinary curriculum of the College.  In addition to teaching 5 courses over 3 ten-week terms, other responsibilities of faculty membership are advising and mentoring students, directing senior projects, supervising independent studies, and contributing to college governance and service.
 
REQUIREMENTS: MFA in drawing/painting or equivalent professional experience is required. The preferred candidate has college teaching experience and is a practicing artist with a developing body of work, and demonstrates success as a teacher and colleague. The ideal candidate will have a knowledge of painting and drawing and their roles in contemporary visual art and culture, along with an understanding of art theory and criticism.

HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates are invited to send a CV, list of proposed courses, work samples and a cover letter addressing qualifications for the position and teaching philosophy.

●    Cover Letter: Please address qualifications for the position and teaching philosophy. In addressing teaching philosophy, we ask that candidates also discuss ways in which they could contribute to an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all students.
●    Curriculum Vitae: Please include contact information for three professional references.
●    Proposed Courses: Applications should include a list of 4-6 proposed courses (with one or two paragraph description for each) on a variety of traditional and non-traditional topics within the area/s of painting and drawing in which the candidate has expertise. These should include foundational courses in drawing and painting, as well as intermediate, advanced, and topical offerings.
●    Work Samples: 10-15 slides of select works are required. In addition, applicants may submit up to five minutes of time-based work or documentation of an installation.

Please apply through Slideroom.

Review of applicants will begin on September 1, 2019, and final candidates will be invited for extended interviews and job talks in the fall of 2019. The anticipated start date for the hire is between January 2020 and September 2020. Questions may be directed to Dru Colbert: drawpaintsearch@coa.edu