Director of First-Year Experience

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD); United States; Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) seeks a forward‑thinking Director of the First‑Year Experience to lead the undergraduate journey and build a cohesive roadmap for new students. This role bridges academic departments and student transition into a professional art and design community.

The position emphasizes belonging, milestone tracking in 8‑week terms, and partnerships with Admissions, Advising, and Career Services to embed career readiness into the first year.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in a relevant field is required.
• Demonstrated leadership in academic settings is required.
• Experience coordinating curricula and student success programs is essential.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive roadmap for the undergraduate journey from orientation through year 2.
• Coordinate cross‑department collaboration to ensure retention and coherent messaging.
• Launch and manage peer mentoring programs for first‑year students.
• Track persistence and learning outcomes; use data to guide interventions.
• Collaborate with Admissions, Advising, Marketing, and Career Services on enrollment and student success.
• Oversee FYE budget, schedule courses, and train first‑year faculty.
• Introduce undergrad research opportunities and interdisciplinary incubators.

Skills

Cross-Department Collaboration

Student Engagement

Assessment & Analytics

Curriculum Development

Education

MA/MS/PhD in Liberal Arts or Higher Education Leadership

2+ years academic leadership experience

2+ years postsecondary teaching

Tools

LMS

AI‑driven pedagogical tools

Job description

Director Of First-Year Experience

Location: Lakewood, CO or Remote | Must reside in AZ, CA, CO, FL, NY, VA, or TX

Target Salary: $65,000 - $75,000 per year

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) seeks a forward-thinking administrator and educator to serve as Director of the First-Year Experience (FYE). Reporting to the Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies, this administrative role provides strategic leadership for a comprehensive curricular and co-curricular roadmap for all first-year students.

Rooted in RMCAD’s \'Students Come First\' mission, the Director will bridge the gap between academic departments, and the student’s transition into a professional art and design community. You will be responsible for creating a \'sense of belonging\' while ensuring students hit critical milestones in their first 8-week terms and beyond.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

First Year Experience Leadership (Director Component)

• The First-Year Roadmap: Develop and execute a comprehensive \'roadmap\' for the undergraduate journey, identifying critical milestones from orientation through the transition to the second year.


• Lead and Coordinate Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Facilitate consistent and action-oriented collaboration with Admissions, Advising, Student Affairs, Student Learning Commons, Marketing, and other departments to ensure student success, retention, support, and coherent messaging.


• Peer Mentoring & Cohorts: Launch and manage a robust peer-mentoring program (e.g., peer-led workshops or \'masterclasses\') designed to help faculty and students navigate RMCAD’s first year.


• Retention and Assessment: Track and measure success metrics (persistence, engagement, and learning outcomes). Use data to identify \'at‑risk\' students and implement early‑intervention strategies in curriculum and among faculty in instructional methods.


• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Partner with Admissions, Advising, and Marketing to ensure coherent messaging during the recruitment-to-enrollment transition.


• Collaborate with Career Services to integrate career‑readiness and professional development into the first‑year curriculum.

Curricular Leadership and Teaching (Faculty Component)

• Instruction: Teaching load as assigned in conversation with Dean.


• Core Curriculum Integration: Collaborate with department chairs and faculty to ensure First Year courses support the \'Core\' needs of art and design students.


• Instructional Mentorship: Provide peer‑to‑peer coaching and support to part‑time faculty, ensuring consistency in teaching quality and student engagement across all FYE sections.

Program Operations

• Administrative Oversight: Manage the FYE budget, schedule first-year course sections, hire, train, manage and coach first-year faculty, and coordinate program-related events (e.g., faculty training and learning communities, training of cross-departmental teams, first-year exhibitions or academic symposia).


• Research and Innovation: Introduce students to undergraduate research and professional practice opportunities, and interdisciplinary \'incubators\' that prepare them for advanced studio work.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate Degree: MA, MS, or PhD in a Liberal Arts discipline, Higher Education Leadership, or a related field.


• Leadership Experience: 2+ years of experience in academic leadership, curriculum coordination, or student success programming.


• Teaching Experience: 2+ years of postsecondary teaching with a proven track record of engaging first-year students and online teaching.


• Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work across \'silos\' (Faculty, Student Affairs, and Enrollment Management).

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal Degree: PhD or MFA in a relevant academic field.


• Retention Expertise: Experience using data analytics to improve student persistence and success.


• Creative Fluency: A deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by art and design students.


• Technical Proficiency: Experience with a LMS and AI-driven tools as pedagogical aids.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Student-Centered Philosophy: A commitment to facilitating a \'sense of belonging\' for a diverse student body.


• Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire curiosity and motivation in new learners.


• Autonomy: Ability to take initiative on complex, multi-departmental projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.


• Faculty Development: Ability to mentor and coach a team of faculty to build rapport and sense of belonging for students and create presence in campus and asynchronous learning environments.

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is an Equal Opportunity Employer.