Vice-President: Education & Student Success

Job Description: Vice-President: Education & Student Success

Purpose of the Role:

The University of Galway aims to be internationally renowned for offering an outstanding and distinctive education that equips our students with the skills to achieve their ambitions and become empowered, independent and confident global citizens.

The Vice-President: Education and Student Success at University of Galway is a very significant leadership role that will be responsible for leading the delivery of our Educational Excellence and our Student Success Strategies which are core pillars of our recently launched University Strategy 2025 to 2030.  These strategies articulate our ambition to deliver an outstanding, values-led and future-focused education and, for our students, recognising that education and student success happen both within and ‘beyond the classroom’ and that this whole student experience is what creates our exceptional Galway Graduates.

The Vice-President: Education and Student Success is a newly established role at University of Galway, presenting an exceptional opportunity to shape the pedagogy and learning experience for our students. The post holder will join the University’s Senior Management Team reporting to the President, Professor David Burn while working closely with Deputy President and Registrar.

The role holder will ensure that University of Galway achieves high quality, innovative delivery of curriculum, assessment, and student engagement to ensure outstanding, inclusive, and future-focused success for all learners, set within the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. Leadership of the institutional approach to access, participation & student outcomes will be key measures of success. To achieve this, the successful candidate will have an outstanding track record in educational leadership, ensuring the University continues to attract, excite and retain talented students from a diverse and increasingly global range of backgrounds.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategy

• Provide strategic leadership across activities relating to education and student success to grow our global reputation.
• Work with colleagues to lead the development and implementation of the University’s Educational Excellence Strategy, building the quality and distinctiveness of our students’ educational experience and promoting the development of a portfolio of high-quality taught programmes (including undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development programmes) that are research informed, future-focused and relevant.
• Develop an ambitious education and student success agenda that sets our Galway Graduates apart by focussing on our distinctive strengths, our global connections and unique location within our city and region; including championing engagement with the Irish Language within our educational environment

Enabling Educational Excellence and Student Success

• Develop and oversee the supporting structures required to enable and empower the University’s community of educators and learners to be ambitious and reach their full potential both inside and outside the classroom.
• Lead institutional approaches to AI, related to associated opportunities, challenges and institutional readiness in teaching and learning.
• Embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion good practice and principles of Universal Design into the University’s learning culture, curriculum, programmes and future educational strategies.
• Lead and encourage the development of innovations and initiatives in education across the student lifecycle.
• Work in collaboration with University Management Team (UMT) colleagues and key function leads to ensure that our core services, systems, processes and structures support our educational processes from inception of programmes, through design, delivery, assessment and review to drive educational quality and student success.
• Create a respectful and supportive environment that encourages and rewards excellent and professional education, creativity, innovation and student support.
• Identify relevant metrics, targets and datasets which allow strategic performance and progress in education to be monitored and addressed.
• Embed and promote a positive teaching and learning culture – ensuring that all our staff and students are supported to achieve educational excellence and student success with integrity.
• Lead educational quality processes and work with our Schools to capitalise on the learnings and further develop their educational quality and responsiveness to feedback.

Embedding educational excellence across our university mission

• Promote, lead and support teaching and learning and student support activity in all academic areas of the University, including within the education and student success strategies of our Colleges and Schools.
• Ensure appropriate processes and frameworks are in place to assure, embed and maintain quality and standards in all our education and student support activities.
• Develop opportunities and supports for our academic community to engage collaboratively and impactfully with activities such as research-informed teaching, student research projects, entrepreneurial training, collaborative community projects and public engagement.

Sustaining our education and student success ecosystem

• Monitor and influence the internal and external education landscape and drivers, anticipating new opportunities and initiating and leading change in collaboration with academic leaders across the University, in line with the University’s strategy and ambitions.
• Promote the concept of professionalism in education across the University, championing parity of esteem for education in all markers of success within the University.
• Develop our educator talent pipeline, promoting engagement with educational professional development, ongoing skills development, reflection and review process to sustain our educational ambitions.
• Participate in our academic promotion process to embed full and equal recognition of educational activities, including recognition of pedagogical research.
• Provide strategic leadership and management support for Student Services, the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) and the Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development (CALPD) to drive and deliver developments across the whole student experience, including support infrastructure, student voice, student progression and employability outcomes.
• Work closely with the Students’ Union – Comhaltas na Mac Léinn to continue and enhance our partnership model for consultation and sharing information, advice and the enhancing of our students’ experience.

Building relationships beyond our campus

• Act as an ambassador for our educator and student communities nationally and internationally, advocating for funding and philanthropy to support scholarships, infrastructure and resources to enhance our educational excellence and student experience.
• Represent the University at nationally and internationally, in particular across the European Union, engaging proactively with key organisations and stakeholder groups to influence the development of policy related to education and student success.
• Lead the development and sustaining of educational partnerships with regional, national and international organisations, including our flagship 10 European university ‘ENLIGHT’ partnership, to open new opportunities for programme growth, student and staff development and student recruitment.

Building effective internal relationships

• Work closely with UMT members, including College Executive Deans, as well as Heads of Schools, College Management, Vice-Deans for Teaching and Learning and Professional Service Units of the University to ensure alignment and delivery of strategic goals.
• Chair several education and student success-related working groups and committees, most notably the University’s Teaching and Learning Committee. Details of the University’s governance structures can be found at: www.universityofgalway.ie/governance/the-kube-the-governance-hub/keygovernancestructures/

Note: The list of duties specified above is not intended to be exclusive or restrictive; duties may be added or withdrawn but any such alteration will take place after consultation with the appointee.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be judged solely against the criteria set out below. Applicants should ensure that their application clearly demonstrates that their skills and experience meet these criteria.

Essential Criteria

• A PhD (or equivalent qualification) in a relevant field.
• A distinguished academic, who is performing at the level of Established Professor, with strong education and pedagogic research profiles consistent with international standing in their discipline. See Competency Framework for Established Professor below.
• Significant experience of successfully leading education strategy and educational transformation at institutional, college or equivalent executive level.
• Demonstrable dynamic and inspirational leadership qualities at organisational, national and international levels.
• Significant experience of engagement with external bodies including professional associations, government, public policy stakeholders and funding agencies at national and international level.
• Significant experience in leading and managing others, creating a highly engaged work environment, and in developing staff.
• Demonstrable planning, organising and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrable communication skills and experience of developing, enabling and supporting a collegial and collaborative approach across the University community, including in the development and implementation of strategy.
• Sophisticated influencing, team building and general interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and deliver a vision for education at University of Galway and build consensus as required.
• Demonstrable commitment to and achievement in enhancing the University community, and in supporting the achievement of international recognition.
• Evidence of leadership in, and demonstrated commitment to, gender equality and the wider issues of equality, diversity and inclusion.
• An ability to think strategically to evaluate a complex changing landscape and to make clear decisions.
• Demonstrable commitment to the core values of the University – Excellence, Respect, Openness, Sustainability and Belonging.
• A track record of high-level personal and institutional relationship building.
• A commitment to the advancement of Irish language education.
• Strong financial and people management skills.
• A strong understanding of governance, management and the regulatory environment in higher education or public sector institutions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Exceptional knowledge and experience of student experience matters and working directly with a diverse student body.
• Demonstrable in-depth knowledge and understanding of the key issues affecting learning and teaching and familiarity with leading edge developments in educational research and practice.
• Extensive knowledge of the Irish and/or international higher education environment.
• Extensive experience of working with professional bodies and/or accrediting organisations.
• An experienced and skilful strategist with a demonstrable ability to identify and implement improvements.
• Diplomatic and politically astute.
• Experience of making and implementing tough decisions.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of collaboration and mentoring, with a particular focus on professional development for all staff, in particular teaching and learning track academics at all levels.
• Experience in leading change management.
• A record of the nurturing of partnership within and between civic and community groups.
• Evidence of leading international initiatives, including leading academic organisations, editing journals and/or organising international conferences.
• A demonstrable commitment to the healthy relationship between research and research-informed teaching as the defining attribute of our university.

The successful applicant will be required to participate in a relevant senior leadership programme to further develop their leadership development capabilities.