Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies

Northern Illinois University

Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies

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Northern Illinois University

Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies

Northern Illinois University invites applications and nominations for the position of Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.

Chartered to meet an increased demand for public school teachers, the Northern Illinois State Normal School opened its gates to 173 students and 16 full-time faculty in 1895. In 1957, the institution became Northern Illinois University (NIU). NIU is now classified as a Comprehensive Doctoral, High Research Activity University and is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). While honoring its legacy through maintaining a high quality teaching and learning environment, the university recognizes that faculty research, the generation of new knowledge, and research training at the undergraduate and graduate levels are central to a 21st century education.

Today, NIU enrolls more than 25,000 students who draw on the talent and commitment of over 1,200 faculty members. The university comprises 40 academic departments in seven colleges – Business, Education, Engineering and Engineering Technology, Health and Human Sciences, Law, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts. Students at NIU choose from among 63 baccalaureate degree programs, 79 master’s degree programs, a J.D. degree, one education specialist program, and 11 Ph.D. and 8 Ed.D. degree programs. Other units that support NIU’s academic mission include the Division of Research and Graduate Studies and the Division of International Programs. The University Libraries have holdings of 2 million volumes, over 2.9 million plus units of microforms, and approximately 17,500 current serials.

NIU’s 755-acre main campus is located in the city of DeKalb, a community of more than 40,000. NIU is situated in one of the Midwest’s fastest growing areas – 65 miles west of Chicago and 45 miles southeast of Rockford. The Illinois Research and Development Corridor runs along the Ronald Reagan Tollway (I-88) between Chicago and DeKalb.

Currently, NIU is involved in a series of campus-wide efforts to reorient and re-energize the University for the exciting challenges that lie ahead. Over the past two years, the Provost has led a comprehensive strategic planning effort that has engaged every facet of university life. The efforts of its key Task Forces culminated in June 2007 with issuance of a report that identified four strategic imperatives to guide NIU’s planning efforts: 1) Preserve, strengthen and extend NIU’s teaching and learning environment; 2) Develop a strategy for investing in multidisciplinary scholarship and artistic clusters that complements NIU’s focus on individual scholarly and artistic achievement; 3) Strengthen and extend NIU’s global/regional impact; and 4) Make NIU an institution of ‘first choice’ for faculty, students and staff. Pursuit of these imperatives has led to decisions to invest in a number of new university initiatives and the launching of multidisciplinary research clusters in the areas of nano-science, environmental studies, adolescent development, language and literacy, and the development and management of non-governmental organizations. In addition, the university is embarking on a comprehensive review and overhaul of its baccalaureate program and its core curriculum.

The university is also in the final phase of its first ever capital campaign, True North, having already raised over $140 million toward its eventual goal of $150 million. The campaign is enhancing the university’s endowment, increasing the number of professorships and endowed chairs, and adding to the funds available for student scholarships.

NIU is home to a number of important regional, national, and international initiatives. In 2008, the university broke ground on what will become only the sixth proton beam-based cancer treatment and research center in the country. The Northern Illinois Proton Treatment and Research Center is a $160 million effort being conducted in partnership with the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation. The Center will provide state of the art cancer treatment, as well as opportunities for research, curricular programming, and service in a range of areas, including: nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, oncology nursing, family therapy, and healthcare leadership. Also in the area of healthcare, NIU is leading a consortium that has established the Illinois Rural Health Network (IRHN). The IRHN is the result of a $21 million federal grant to link over 100 rural hospitals and clinics to major metropolitan hospitals and health care centers through a state-wide high speed fiber-optic cable network. The network will provide these rural hospitals and clinics with the capacity for telemedicine, telehealth, and other data, information, and image sharing ability that can be used to improve patient care, reduce costs, and reduce stress on the rural health system. In the area of engineering and economic development, the Department of Defense has provided nearly $16 million to fund the Rapid Optimization of Commercial Knowledge (NIU-ROCK) project. The ROCK project supports NIU Engineering faculty in working with local manufacturers and small businesses in the Rockford area to conduct applied research and build manufacturing capacity and local expertise. In the area of physics, the Northern Illinois Center for Accelerator and Detector Development (NICADD), a federally funded collaboration between NIU and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, is a research and development program that is integral to providing equipment and data required for ongoing work at the European Organization for Nuclear Research’s CERN particle accelerators, as well as detector equipment that may be important for a future International Linear Collider. These and other such efforts attest to the kind of contributions NIU is making in the region, across the country, and around the world.

Position Overview

The Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies is the senior academic officer for graduate programming, academic research and artistry, and oversees the operation of the Graduate School, the Office of Sponsored Projects, the Technology Commercialization Office, the Office of Research Compliance, the Center for Burma Studies, and the Northern Illinois University Press. This person is a member of the President’s cabinet, chairs the Graduate Council, the University Press Board, and other select committees, and is a standing member of the Provost’s Staff and bodies such as the University Council, the University Council Personnel Committee, the Council of Deans, and the Academic Planning Council.

Total external awards to NIU faculty for research, training, public service, and artistic endeavors exceeded $34 million in the most recent fiscal year. Over the past three years, in line with national trends, that figure has remained relatively stable; however, the amount of that figure accounted for by federal research funding for that period has more than doubled and now exceeds $14 million. NIU has a number of interdisciplinary academic units that support research, public service, and instruction. These include the Center for Biochemical and Biophysical Studies, the Center for Black Studies, the Center for Burma Studies, the Center for Governmental Studies, the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, the Plant Molecular Biology Center, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, and the Center for Child Welfare and Education. And in 2010, the Northern Illinois Proton Treatment and Research Center will open in the DuPage National Technology Park as part of the NIU Research Foundation.

The university benefits substantially from its ongoing, long-standing collaborative relationships with the Argonne National Laboratory and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, both of which are located in northern Illinois. Additionally, the university has a number of ongoing partnerships with industries and municipalities than support efforts in research and research training. The new Vice President for Research would be expected to identify further synergies between NIU and these institutions and identify opportunities for large-scale multidisciplinary collaborations involving the national laboratories and other collaborating institutions.

In concert with the Strategic Plan, the Capital Campaign, and the opening of the Proton Treatment and Research Center, NIU is seeking a Vice President for Research who can seize this moment in the university’s history to catalyze its research productivity by enhancing the research environment, fostering collaboration within the institution, and developing partnerships with a wide range of public and private entities.

The successful candidate is someone who understands our research capabilities and opportunities, and who uses that understanding to strategically advance our research mission. This person needs to be a facilitator and coordinator who can advocate for research, and who can work cooperatively with the deans and faculty to advance the university's research mission by:

· providing a vision for research at NIU that draws on its existing strengths and building on the momentum of new university initiatives;

· promoting and directing culture change regarding the role of research at NIU;

· creating institutional pathways for the encouragement of cross-disciplinary research;

· identifying and developing working relationships with other universities, research organizations and with the private sector, with whom NIU and its faculty can develop productive research partnerships;

· working with faculty and academic leadership to integrate research with engaged learning;

· enhancing the university’s capacity to work successfully in the areas of applied research and economic development; and

· diversifying the range of NIU faculty engaged in research.

The Vice President must have demonstrated significant achievement in research, scholarly activities, and administration. Specifically, the successful candidate must have:

· a terminal degree and professional record warranting a tenured professorship in one of the University’s academic departments;

· a solid understanding of the federal funding process, regulatory regimes, and research compliance;

· a strong record of leadership and administrative experience in a university or research setting;

· demonstrated success with externally-funded grants and/or contracts; and

· excellent organizational, interpersonal, and advocacy skills, including written and oral communication with internal and external groups.

A preference will be given to those individuals with a:

· clear view of the roles of graduate, professional, and undergraduate education, of research and artistry, and of service in a comprehensive university;

· familiarity with intellectual-property and technology-transfer issues facing universities;

· record of success in assessing and improving graduate programs;

· commitment to fostering interdisciplinary activities and partnerships;

· dedication to promoting cultural diversity; and

· commitment to high standards of quality, integrity, ethics, and fairness in instruction, scholarship, and service.

Applications Process

Nominations, expressions of interest and applications (including a cover letter describing their interest in and relevant experience, expertise, and vision regarding research, artistry, and graduate studies, along with a current curriculum vitae and five current professional references with contact information including e-mail) should be submitted for full consideration.

All correspondence should be directed to the University’s executive recruitment consultant:

Martin M. Baker, Vice President

Baker and Associates LLC

301 North Main Street, Suite 2449

Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Northern Illinois University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Institution