Position Summary

John Brown University (JBU) invites applications for the Department Chair of Graduate Counseling position to begin July 1, 2025. This full-time faculty member will join the Graduate Counseling Department (GCD) in the College of Education and Social and Behavioral Sciences (CESBS). The chair will lead the department, providing academic and administrative oversight while contributing to the university’s mission through teaching research and service. The Department Chair is responsible for guiding the department’s vision, supporting faculty and students, and managing the day-to-day operations.

Key responsibilities of the department chair include: 

• Creating and leading an environment that promotes retaining and recruiting students.
• Creating and leading an environment that promotes and retaining excellent faculty.
• Working with faculty to review and revise the programs and curriculum.
• Scheduling courses each semester.
• Selecting, scheduling, and overseeing adjuncts.
• Completing annual student learning outcome and operational effectiveness reports.
• Directing the program review.
• Overseeing the department budget and expenses.
• Coordinating student recruiting and retention efforts.
• Leading the work of the program coordinators.
• Completing annual program assessment and accreditation reports. 
• Leading student assistance and remediation processes.

All academic ranks are being considered for this position (Assistant, Associate, and Full). Besides chair duties, faculty will also be responsible for teaching, advising, and mentoring students. The ideal candidate should also have an established research agenda and service record in the field (or be able to articulate aspirational goals regarding these). The primary office for this position is the JBU Counselor Education Center in Siloam Springs, AR.

Program

The GCD mission is to provide Christ-centered counselor training that promotes professional development, academic excellence, and clinical competency. The GCD offers a Master of Science degree in Counseling with emphasis in Marriage & Family Therapy, Play Therapy, and Adventure Therapy. JBU began offering graduate level counselor education in 1995, and the GCD was designated as an Approved Center of Play Therapy Education by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) in 2013. The GCD currently houses approximately 250 graduate students across two campus locations in Arkansas (Siloam Springs/Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock). The GCD operates Community Counseling Clinics at both campus locations where low-cost counseling services are delivered to community members by JBU graduate counseling students under the direct supervision of departmental faculty. The department has received accreditation for the MS in Counseling degree through the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) through 2032.

Institution

John Brown University’s mission is to provide Christ-centered education that prepares people to honor God and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives. Founded in 1919, JBU is a Christ-centered, Biblically-faithful, interdenominational university that represents the best of Protestant evangelicalism in our commitment to the following theological principles: the fundamental human need for conversion and lifelong discipleship; the centrality of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for the redemption of human beings; high regard for, and obedience to, the Bible as our authority; and active involvement in a local church, in missions and in ministries that work for Biblical justice and serve people in need. At JBU, we seek to integrate faith and learning, foster holistic Christian formation, promote pragmatic liberal arts education, and prepare people to follow Christ’s call to serve others in all areas of life. Consistent with its evangelical identity, JBU’s board of trustees has articulated institutional commitments on certain theological issues or university practices. With God’s help, JBU seeks to live out these commitments faithfully and humbly with grace and truth. All employees must affirm JBU’s Employee Expectations and Articles of Faith.

With more than 2,300 students from 35 states and 37 countries, JBU offers approximately 50 undergraduate programs, seven fully online bachelor’s degrees, and 14 graduate degrees in business, education, cybersecurity, and counseling. JBU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds program-specific accreditations from various agencies. More information is available at jbu.edu/accreditation.

JBU has benefited from stable and excellent leadership throughout the organization. President Chip Pollard started in 2004 and has led the organization in consistently meeting enrollment goals, completing two capital campaigns and launching a third, finishing two strategic plans and launching a third, 17 major building projects, encouraging efforts to recruit and retain diverse faculty, staff, and students, and navigating the educational and financial challenges of the pandemic successfully. He served on the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) board for thirteen years and as chair for five years. Most of the president’s cabinet has served for over 20 years, and all cabinet members have held volunteer leadership positions in the CCCU, ACSD, CIC, NACUBO, and other higher education associations. JBU’s board of trustees are people of deep Christian faith, generous spirit, and professional expertise, with an average length of service of 11 years. They are deeply committed to maintaining JBU’s mission to educate students to honor God and serve others.

JBU has experienced a season of God’s favor and blessing, for which we are grateful. In the last 20 years, JBU has received over $370 million in gifts and grants and has built or renovated over 90% of the university’s facilities. JBU has just under $4 million of long-term debt on over $300 million of assets. During that same time, JBU’s endowment has grown from about $50 million to over $185 million, much of it dedicated to scholarships and academic programs and to support maintenance costs for new facilities. This financial strength has enabled JBU to retain excellent faculty and staff with consistent compensation increases and funds for faculty and staff development. JBU has not been immune to the economic and cultural challenges facing higher education, but it is positioned better than many institutions to respond.

JBU has received national recognition from many national newspapers and industry journals. For instance, in nine out of the last ten years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has named JBU on its “high honor roll” in its “Great Place to Work” survey. The Wall Street Journal has named JBU to its Best Colleges list since 2019, ranking us the top private school in Arkansas (2025) and top Arkansas university overall (2020, 2022, 2024). We are typically in the top 10% in our category (master’s level universities in the South) in U.S. News and World Report rankings.

JBU is located in Northwest Arkansas, a region predicted to have the third fastest job growth rate in the country behind only Austin, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina. Three of the largest corporations in the world are located here—Walmart, Tyson Foods, and J.B. Hunt—and there is a growing technology, entrepreneurial, and art business ecosystem in the region. The quality of life is enhanced with a world-class art museum, Crystal Bridges, 25 miles from campus, over 400 miles of mountain biking trails, several state and national historic sites, parks, and large lakes, and a new $33 million whitewater rafting park just five miles south of campus. Siloam Springs has approximately 18,350 people with affordable housing and good private and public schools.

Important Dates

Position begins July 1, 2025. Screening process begins October 14, 2024 and continues until the position is filled.

Diversity

JBU desires to increase the diversity of its faculty, staff, and students to honor how all humans are created in the image of God, to reflect better the diversity of the Kingdom of God, to further our Christian commitment to justice, and to increase the quality of our educational experience. JBU is pursuing the goal of teaching and working in an intercultural environment and encourages applications from people interested in serving a diverse body of students. For more information, visit our diversity webpage.

Position Qualifications

• An earned doctoral degree in Counselor Education & Supervision (preferably from a CACREP-accredited program)
• Must be a committed follower of Jesus Christ
• A commitment to teaching and to supporting teaching-related efforts
• A commitment to the integration of Christian faith and learning
• A commitment to working with a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff
• A commitment to supporting a culture of scholarship
• Experience in academic administration or department leadership

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience teaching, supervising, and advising in counselor education at graduate level
• Demonstrated experience in the integration of faith and learning
• Evidence of scholarship in the counseling profession
• Evidence to support an established professional identity as a counselor, counseling supervisor, and counselor educator
• Licensure eligible in Arkansas as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); supervision qualifications preferred
• Demonstrated experience leading in diverse contexts and training counsellors for diverse contexts
• Five or more years of experience as a faculty member within a counselor education program

About John Brown University

John Brown University's mission is to provide Christ-centered education that prepares people to honor God and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual and professional lives. We are a Christ-centered, interdenominational university that leads the nation in integrating faith and learning, fostering holistic spiritual formation, promoting pragmatic liberal arts education, and preparing people to follow Christ’s call to serve others in all areas of life.

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