Apply Now: Executive Director of the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, Ohio State University
The Ohio State University’s motto, “disciplina in civitatem” or “education for citizenship,” is not merely a slogan; it’s an exhortation to remain focused on the responsibility to develop an informed, engaged, and civic-minded citizenry. It is essential to fulfilling Ohio State’s land-grant mission.
In July 2023, the Ohio General Assembly created and provided $10 million in initial funding to support the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society (Chase Center) at the University, which offers the University the opportunity to advance this imperative on a national scale. The University, through a seven-member academic council of eminent scholars appointed by the Board of Trustees and confirmed by the Ohio Senate, is now conducting a nationwide search for the center’s inaugural Executive Director.
The Executive Director, who will report directly to the University’s Provost, will have a unique and powerful opportunity to define the center’s vision, appoint at least 15 tenure-track scholars to realize that vision, and oversee the development of curriculum in accordance with the statutory mission to “conduct teaching and research in the historical ideas, traditions, and texts that have shaped the American constitutional order and society.”
The Chase Center’s initial academic focus will be on developing a curriculum focused on undergraduate education for citizenship and civic leadership, which will enable students to both understand the foundational principles of American society and identify when and how to apply, reinforce, and advance those principles to address present and future challenges. The enacting legislation further provides that the Chase Center must “educate students by means of free, open, and rigorous intellectual inquiry to seek the truth”; provide them with the tools necessary “to reach their own informed conclusions on matters of social and political importance”; promote intellectual diversity; and “create a community dedicated to an ethic of civil and free inquiry.”
In addition to holding this administrative role, the Executive Director will be a faculty member with tenure or tenure eligibility. The Executive Director will directly hire and manage faculty members and additional staff as appropriate, oversee the development and implementation of curriculum offered at the center, and create a variety of innovative educational and collaboration opportunities for students and faculty from across the university. The Chase Center will be an independent academic center, but will be initially physically housed in the University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs.
Ultimately, as the Chase Center develops with the support of the Board of Trustees and senior university leadership, the Executive Director must prioritize, first and foremost, the development of an academic unit of the highest caliber, one that advances the University’s reputation for excellence and its mission of promoting education for citizenship. The goal is clear: a program of excellence that will prepare students to serve as thought leaders in addressing the multi-faceted issues they will face upon graduation.
Minimum Qualifications:
- A PhD or equivalent terminal degree;
- a record of outstanding scholarly achievement;
- leadership and administrative ability;
- demonstrated exceptional judgment;
- and excellent oral and written communication skills.
Preferably, the successful candidate will also possess:
- the ability to create and define an ambitious vision;
- the ability to work effectively with others to identify opportunities for growth and leverage resources in a complex organization;
- and experience in developing organizations, systems, and staffing for newly established and/or growing enterprises.
For more information and to apply, click here >>
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
About the center
In July 2023, the Ohio General Assembly created and provided $10 million in initial funding to support the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society (Chase Center) at the University, which offers the University the opportunity to advance this imperative on a national scale.
The Chase Center’s initial academic focus will be on developing a curriculum focused on undergraduate education for citizenship and civic leadership, which will enable students to both understand the foundational principles of American society and identify when and how to apply, reinforce, and advance those principles to address present and future challenges. The enacting legislation further provides that the Chase Center must “educate students by means of free, open, and rigorous intellectual inquiry to seek the truth”; provide them with the tools necessary “to reach their own informed conclusions on matters of social and political importance”; promote intellectual diversity; and “create a community dedicated to an ethic of civil and free inquiry.”
View JMC’s entire list of academic opportunities on the Academic Opportunities page >>
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates about lectures, publications, podcasts, and events related to American political thought, United States history, and the Western tradition!
Want to help the Jack Miller Center transform higher education? Donate today.