Graduate Program Director- Higher Education Administration Program

About the role

The Graduate Program Director provides strategic, academic, and administrative leadership for the Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration program at Stony Brook University. Reporting to the Vice Provost for Continuing, Professional, and Online Education (CPOE), and housed within the School of Professional Development (SPD), the Director is responsible for advancing a high-quality graduate program that prepares current and future leaders in higher education and student affairs. Working collaboratively with faculty, university administrators, and external partners, the Director oversees all aspects of graduate program administration, including student recruitment, admissions, advising, curriculum development, assessment, experiential learning, enrollment growth, alumni engagement, and continuous program improvement. The Director serves as the primary liaison among faculty, students, campus partners, and regional higher education institutions to ensure exceptional educational experience and strong career outcomes for program graduates. The Director will be expected to attend campus meetings, events as needed throughout the year. This position is a full-time (L12) lecturer position (non-tenure track) with a standard teaching load of six courses per year with a reduced teaching load to compensate for administrative responsibilities. This position requires strategic leadership, strong organizational and relationship-building skills, and a deep understanding of graduate education, student affairs practice, experiential learning, and the evolving landscape of higher education.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and administration of the Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration program.
• Facilitate shared governance and collaborative decision-making related to program operations.
• Create and contribute to a culture of applied scholarship in the field of higher education administration, student affairs, learning science, or related areas.
• Develop and implement strategic initiatives to enhance program quality, enrollment, student success, and institutional reputation.
• Coordinate academic scheduling, course offerings, faculty teaching assignments, and program operations.
• Work collaboratively with faculty to advance program goals and maintain academic excellence.
• Convene regular faculty meetings focused on curriculum, assessment, enrollment management, and strategic planning.
• Support faculty engagement in graduate education, mentoring, and student success initiatives.
• Lead continuous program assessment and quality improvement initiatives aligned with university and accreditation expectations.
• Prepare annual reports and maintain program data related to enrollment, retention, graduation, employment outcomes, and assessment metrics.
• Convene program faculty to evaluate and continuously revitalize the graduate curriculum in response to workforce needs, emerging trends, and national professional standards.
• Conduct feasibility study on developing and implementing embedded academic pathways or stackable advanced graduate certificates in areas such as student affairs leadership, and educational entrepreneurship.
• Foster curricular innovation through enhanced online course redesign partnership with the Center for Excellence in Learning and Technology, experiential learning, applied projects, and leadership development.
• Lead recruitment initiatives supported by digital-inbound, targeted-outbound, recruitment events, and alumni-focused marketing strategies designed to attract a diverse and talented graduate student population.
• Collaborate with CPOE Marketing and Communications to develop program communications, marketing materials, website content, newsletters, and social media.
• Collaborate with the HEA Graduate Program Coordinator to deliver responsive and engaged communications with prospective students throughout the recruitment and admissions process.
• Coordinate application review and admissions recommendations in SLATE and in collaboration with faculty and admissions staff.
• Plan and facilitate new student orientation and onboarding activities.
• Advise students regarding academic planning, professional development, career pathways, and degree completion.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with campus departments and regional colleges and universities to expand co-curricular employment opportunities for enrolled students, and full-time positions for graduating students.
• Coordinate scholarships, graduate student employment, paid practicum opportunities, and student awards.
• Design and implement assistantship evaluation procedures.
• Support students and supervisors in addressing practicum and assistantship-related concerns and workplace challenges, including issues arising in student-facing and crisis-response environments.
• Coordinate professional development programming that prepares graduates for leadership positions in student affairs and higher education.
• Organize networking events, guest lectures, employer panels, and leadership workshops and advise HEA graduate student organization.