Chief Academic Officer, Forsyth Technical Community College

Forsyth Technical Community College, commonly referred to as Forsyth Tech, is a public community college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The college is one of the largest in the North Carolina Community College System, with an enrollment of over 10,300 credit students and over 8,200 continuing education students. Forsyth Tech is a catalyst for equitable economic mobility, empowering lives, and transforming communities. The college offers associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates in more than 180 programs of study, including programs that promote personal and professional development through non-credit courses and seminars, as well as customized training for business and industry. Forsyth Tech provides students with flexible educational pathways to a competitive workforce for the community and global economy.  

Reporting to the president, the chief academic officer (CAO) serves as a member of a diverse team that provides executive leadership for the Student Academic Success Division. The CAO is responsible for leading and fostering a student-centered, student-ready culture of belonging and innovation that encourages excellence and continuous transformation in teaching and learning. The CAO will provide strategic leadership to all areas of academic affairs, including curriculum, articulation, assessment, academic support, learning resources, and faculty development through the Center for Teaching and Learning. In addition, the CAO will lead the planning, development, and implementation of models to enhance internal expertise in curriculum theory and design as well as traditional and emerging teaching and learning strategies based on effective practices and data-advancing transformative techniques and practices. The CAO will lead the design, development, implementation, and ongoing improvement of high-quality curriculum that meets the needs of the businesses and industries Forsyth Tech serves. Further, the CAO will ensure students graduate with the skills and competencies they need to be successful when they transfer to a four-year university and/or to build successful and sustainable careers with livable wages. The CAO will work closely with the college president, the president's cabinet, the executive leadership team, and others to identify and create the conditions needed to support student learning proactively, intentionally, and relationally across the institution, as well as lead a comprehensive academic program plan to meet the needs of the communities that Forsyth Tech serves. In addition, the CAO will partner with the president and aforementioned leadership teams to provide strategic leadership grounded in the college’s values of excellence, learning, innovation, diversity, and integrity. Moreover, the CAO will lead initiatives focused on achieving the college’s vision of being a catalyst for equitable economic mobility by advancing excellence in learning, completion, equity, and post-graduation outcomes by building a culture of belonging and intentionally designing a college experience where each learner receives what they need to be successful. The salary range is $130-160K and may be negotiated for highly qualified candidates.

Visit the Forsyth Technical Community College website at https://www.forsythtech.edu/

Forsyth Tech is an equal opportunity institution which prohibits discrimination in any manner with regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. Per the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), Forsyth Tech does not discriminate on the basis of genetic information. Forsyth Tech does not discriminate on the basis of sex in admission to or employment in its education programs or activities.  

At Forsyth Technical Community College, equity is grounded in a culture of belonging. We will intentionally design the college experience to ensure that each learner receives what they need to be successful.

A master's degree from an accredited institution is required; an earned doctoral degree from an accredited institution is preferred. At least five years of senior administrative level leadership in higher education is required; ten years of senior administrative level leadership in higher education is preferred. The successful candidate must possess experience with regional accreditation, strategic planning, assessment, and institutional research in higher education. Effective teaching, leadership, and administrative experience at the undergraduate level--especially at the community college level—is preferred. The ideal candidate must showcase knowledge and experience working with educational technologies, including distributed learning (distance education). Further, the successful candidate must possess the ability to work in a diverse environment and demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion. Experience with a student information system is required; experience with Colleague by Ellucian is preferred.

Review of applications will begin Friday, February 24, 2023 and continue until the position is filled. A resume with an accompanying cover letter may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website at www.spelmanjohnson.com/open-positions. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Quincy Martin III at qm3@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.