CHC - Founding Department Chair and Program Director, Physical Therapy

A.T. Still University; Kirksville (MO); On-site; USD 116,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance (up to $12,000)

Clinical practice one day per week

Job summary

ATSU-CHC in San Luis Obispo, California seeks the Founding Department Chair and Program Director for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. This full-time role leads academic and administrative efforts to achieve CAPTE candidacy, accreditation, curriculum development, and strategic departmental growth.

The successful candidate will drive program design, faculty recruitment, budgeting, and external partnerships while ensuring rigorous student outcomes and compliance with CAPTE standards.

Qualifications

• Professional physical therapist education plus an earned academic doctoral degree.
• Minimum six years of full-time higher-education experience, including at least three years as core faculty in a CAPTE-accredited program.
• Knowledge of CAPTE Standards, accreditation processes, curriculum design, teaching and student assessment, program assessment, and continuous improvement.
• Experience with CAPTE candidacy, self-study, accreditation reporting and/or site visits is strongly preferred.
• Open rank to Associate Professor or Professor; rank determined by credentials and policy.

Responsibilities

• Lead all phases of DPT program development, CAPTE candidacy, initial accreditation, and continuing compliance.
• Establish and maintain program mission, goals, curriculum, assessment, and policies.
• Recruit, hire, supervise, mentor, and evaluate faculty and staff; lead expansion of core faculty and DCE.
• Provide leadership for curriculum design and delivery, including the accelerated ~30-month curriculum and interprofessional education.
• Develop and manage department budget and long-range resources for quality and accreditation.
• Oversee admissions, enrollment strategy, and student progression; monitor outcomes.
• Build and sustain clinical education partnerships and affiliation agreements.
• Engage with regional healthcare and academic partners to support workforce development.
• Participate in teaching, scholarship, service, and governance; maintain expertise in education/practice.
• Represent department with CAPTE and external stakeholders; manage risks.

Skills

Academic leadership

Curriculum development

Assessment & planning

Faculty development

Fiscal management

Communication

Higher ed administration

CAPTE knowledge

Education

Doctoral degree (PhD/EdD/ScD)

Job description

CHC - Founding Department Chair and Program Director, Physical Therapy

Job Type

Full-time

Description

The Founding Department Chair and Program Director provides full-time academic and administrative leadership for the development, CAPTE candidacy, launch, and ongoing operation of ATSU-CHC's Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in San Luis Obispo, California. The position serves as the CAPTE-recognized program director and is accountable for accreditation compliance, academic quality, curriculum and assessment, faculty and staff leadership, fiscal and resource management, student outcomes, and strategic development of the department.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead all phases of DPT program development, CAPTE candidacy, initial accreditation, and continuing compliance; direct preparation of the Application for Candidacy, self-study and required reports, and readiness for accreditation reviews and site visits.
• Establish and maintain the program's mission, goals, curriculum, assessment plan, academic policies, outcome measures, and continuous-improvement processes in alignment with ATSU requirements and CAPTE Standards and Required Elements.
• Recruit, hire, supervise, mentor, develop, and evaluate faculty and staff; lead phased recruitment of the Director of Clinical Education (DCE), core faculty, associated faculty, and administrative support needed for candidacy and program implementation.
• Provide leadership for curriculum design and delivery, including the planned accelerated approximately 30-month curriculum, interprofessional education, evidence-based practice, health promotion, community health, and Lifestyle Medicine-related curricular development as approved.
• Develop and manage the department budget and long-range resource plan, including personnel, instructional space, laboratories, equipment, technology, professional development, and other resources required for program quality and accreditation.
• Oversee admissions and enrollment strategy, student progression, retention, academic performance, professional development, and program outcomes in collaboration with Admissions, Student Affairs, the Registrar, and other University offices.
• In partnership with the DCE, ensure development and maintenance of sufficient, high-quality clinical education partnerships, affiliation agreements, clinical placement capacity, and processes for monitoring clinical education quality and compliance.
• Build and sustain relationships with regional healthcare organizations, academic partners, feeder institutions, professional organizations, and community stakeholders to support workforce development, student recruitment, clinical education, interprofessional education, and community engagement.
• Participate in teaching, scholarship, service, and institutional governance consistent with faculty rank and assigned workload; maintain contemporary expertise in physical therapist education and/or practice.
• Represent the department and program with CAPTE, University leadership and governance, institutional and state regulatory bodies, professional organizations, and external partners; promptly identify and elevate material accreditation, academic, personnel, fiscal, or operational risks.

Requirements

• Professional physical therapist education plus an earned academic doctoral degree (PhD, EdD, ScD, or equivalent). A professional DPT degree alone does not satisfy CAPTE's academic doctoral degree requirement for a DPT Program Director.
• Required knowledge: Physical therapist professional education; CAPTE Standards and Required Elements and accreditation processes; curriculum design, teaching and student assessment; program assessment and continuous improvement; faculty governance and development; higher education administration; fiscal and resource management; clinical education; contemporary physical therapist practice and evidence-based practice.
• Minimum six years of full-time higher-education experience, including at least three years of full-time experience as a core faculty member in a CAPTE-accredited entry-level physical therapist education program.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in academic leadership, curriculum development/evaluation, program assessment and planning, faculty development/evaluation, communication, and fiscal/resource management.
• Experience with CAPTE candidacy, self-study, accreditation reporting and/or site visits is strongly preferred. Experience developing or substantially redesigning an academic program is preferred.

This is a full-time, 12-month faculty-administrative appointment based at ATSU's San Luis Obispo, California campus.

Open rank is limited to Associate Professor or Professor (or ATSU-equivalent eligible rank) because CAPTE requires the Program Director to hold at least associate-professor-level rank. Rank at appointment will be based on credentials and ATSU faculty policy.

The Program Director must be a physical therapist with an active, unrestricted PT license in a U.S. jurisdiction and must be eligible to obtain and maintain California PT licensure as required for the role and applicable law.

The successful candidate must be available to be employed by February 1, 2027 to preserve ATSU's currently assigned November 2028 CAPTE candidacy cycle and planned Summer/July 2029 matriculation. The position must maintain CAPTE Program Director qualifications throughout the appointment and remain employed full-time by ATSU as a member of the DPT core faculty.

Administrative workload will be prioritized during development and candidacy; teaching, scholarship, service, and governance expectations will be assigned consistent with faculty rank, accreditation needs, and institutional workload policy.

The salary range for this position is 116,424 - 174,636 at the Associate Professor level; 139,744 - 209,616 at the Professor level.

• Relocation assistance provided up to $12,000.00
• Opportunity to practice clinically one day a week to supplement your income

Compensation is determined based on the requirements of the job description with consideration given to the candidate's education, experience, and qualifications, internal equity, budgetary consideration, and external competitiveness.

ATSU offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverages, among more. If eligible, employee-elected benefits would begin the first of the month following hire date. For more information, please visit: atsu.edu/employment/benefits.

A.T. Still University (ATSU) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities.