Director of University Mission and Mission Engagement

Overview and Responsibilities

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is seeking candidates who are eager to contribute to its Lasallian Catholic mission of awakening, nurturing, and empowering learners to ethical lives of service and leadership. We invite individuals to help transform lives through education, inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition’s quest to understand the human experience through faith and reason and its embrace of all who are dedicated to learning from one another through authentic conversations in search of the truth. We are especially interested in and give preference to candidates who demonstrate a vision to create and nurture initiatives that will advance our mission within the scope of their duties and who will foster a culture of dialogue that, with respect for all people, supports the search for meaning and purpose in pursuit of excellence.

 

Job Summary

To support, advance, integrate, and assess the Lasallian Catholic mission of the university across every dimension of the institution, ensuring that mission is not merely preserved but actively shapes institutional culture, decision-making, academic excellence, and the community’s life in intentional and impactful ways.

In addition, this position simultaneously holds the endowed Co-Chair of the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership (Winona and Rochester focused) in collaboration with the other Co-Chair (SGPP and online focused). The two chairs will be visionary leaders advancing the university’s mission of character, virtue, and ethics (CVE) formation within the Lasallian Catholic tradition. The Winona and Rochester-focused Co-Chair oversees the ethical leadership initiatives tailored to the traditional undergraduate population, emphasizing integration between programs, units, the general curriculum and the student experience while fostering relationships within the two respective communities, Winona and Rochester.

Salary Range: 

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Institutional Mission

• Lead the University's Lasallian Catholic mission initiatives.
• Promote mission integration across all divisions, units, and segments.
• Ensure mission remains central to institutional planning and strategic initiatives.

Faculty and Academic Engagement

• Partner with Academic Affairs to integrate mission throughout the curriculum.
• Coordinate faculty mission formation.
• Support mission-centered pedagogy.
• Assist with new faculty orientation.
• Collaborate with deans and academic leadership.

Employee Formation

• Design and implement formation opportunities for faculty and staff.
• Coordinate annual mission programming.
• Develop leadership formation rooted in the University's Lasallian and Catholic

Board and Executive Leadership

• Coordinate trustee mission formation.
• Support presidential initiatives related to mission.
• Assist with mission-focused strategic planning.
• Prepare mission-related reports for accreditation and Board committees.

Mission Assessment

• Develop measurable indicators of mission effectiveness.
• Coordinate mission assessment for accreditation.
• Oversee mission surveys and institutional benchmarks.
• Ensure continuous improvement in mission integration.

University Engagement

• With the Exec Director, the Co-Director and team assist in leading the Hendrickson Institute and Forum and other signature mission events.
• Coordinate lectures, conferences, debates, panel discussions and the like as well as assisting in hosting visiting scholars.
• Cultivate partnerships with dioceses, religious communities, Catholic organizations, and Lasallian ministries.
• Foster alumni and donor engagement around the University's mission.
• Work hand-in-glove with the Chaplain and Director of Formation

Endowed Co-Chair, Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership 

 

Shared Responsibilities 

• Create a unified, holistic approach to ethical leadership that integrates character development and virtue formation across all university programs and initiatives.
• Collaborate on adjacent initiatives (i.e. Vatican Initiatives, etc.) ensuring their success and alignment with CVE goals
• Engage in grant writing to secure funding for ethical leadership, curricular, and co-curricular initiatives and serve as co-principal investigator on grants
• Build relationship with external partners (i.e., organizations, foundations, virtue-based centers) to strength ethical leadership program and work with the Vice President for University Relations on donor relationships

Key Responsibilities

• Lead ethical leadership initiatives for Winona and Rochester campuses, focusing on undergraduate students, faculty, and staff
• Collaborate with key areas/departments (i.e., Kabara Institute, First Generation Initiative, Athletics, Residence Life, leadership clubs, etc.) to integrate CVE into their activities
• Play a key role in the general education redesign, ensuring the inclusion of CVE objects in curricular frameworks and foster interdisciplinary engagement
• Supervise the co-associate directors of the Hendrickson Institute and oversee their initiatives in a collaborative fashion
• Collaborate with faculty and two co-associate directors to develop curricular initiatives that promote ethical leadership and virtue formation
• Assist with the Hendrickson Forum and the Executive Director and Co-Chair to develop and enhance it.
• Foster relationship with the local and regional organizations to extend ethical leadership programming into the broader Winona and Rochester communities
• Represent the Hendrickson Institute in external forums to strengthen community ties and promote the university’s mission

Other Duties & Responsibilities

• Faces outward toward the institution and to external audiences as well.
• Serves faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, academic leadership, and the University's mission as a whole.
• Thinks institutionally and strategically.

Qualifications

Experience and Education Requirements

• Master’s degree in Theology, Divinity, Pastoral Ministry or relateddegree required. Doctorate in a relevant field (e.g., ethics, theology, philosophy education, leadership studies) preferred.
• Demonstrated commitment to the Lasallian Catholic tradition, including a deep understanding of virtue ethics and character education. 
• Must be a practicing Roman Catholic
• Strong record of leadership, strategic planning, and collaborative engagement in higher education or a related field. 
• Experience in developing and implementing institution-wide initiatives, programs, and resources.

 

Essential Knowledge & Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal/human relations skills, and organizational skills
• A demonstrated commitment to character, virtue, ethics as well as inclusion and human dignity
• Support, respect, and advance the mission of Saint Mary’s University as a Lasallian Catholic institution

Physical Demands

• Light work. Light work involves lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may be very little, a job is in this category when it requires a good deal of walking or standing, or when it involves sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls. To be considered capable of performing a full or wide range of light work, you must have the ability to do substantially all of these activities.

 

Physical Hazards – Health and Safety Concerns

• General office environments
• Driving

 

Application Requirements

 

Apply online at https://www.smumn.edu/about/offices-services/human-resources/employment-opportunities/ and include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references.

 

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota believes inclusion and human dignity contributes to a robust academic and work environment and is critical to achieving the University's mission in an increasingly diverse society. Individuals with expertise and diverse skills from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The successful candidate must support, respect, and advance the mission of Saint Mary's University as a Lasallian Catholic institution.

 

Saint Mary’s offers a comprehensive benefit package including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, flexible spending, retirement pension plan, and both undergraduate and graduate tuition remission plans.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.