The Office of International Affairs (OIA) has opened a call for applications and/or nominations in an internal search for the position of Director of the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), a US Department of Education Title VI-funded center. CLAS is a hub for Latin America-related programming, outreach, and events to serve, facilitate, and stimulate the teaching, research, and intellectual interests of OSU faculty and students in all matters dealing with Latin America. The Director will lead CLAS as it fosters high-quality research by faculty members and students, enhances Latin American-content course offerings, and supports K-12 educators on their endeavors connected to the area. For more information on CLAS, please visit https://clas.osu.edu/.

Qualifications:

The Director of CLAS must have tenure in one of the Ohio State University schools or colleges. They must demonstrate the following qualities and abilities: strong expertise and knowledge in Latin American Studies; strong familiarity with US Department of Education Title VI grant programs; knowledge of the importance of language-learning for area experts; involvement in international initiatives, including international research, international education, and international organizations; track record as a team player who builds bridges among colleagues and disciplines across campus; experience working at Ohio State with knowledge of the university landscape; and imagination and effectiveness in promoting the mission of the center.

Scope of position:

Working with OIA leaders, other area studies centers’ directors, and academic units’ chairs and directors, the Director of CLAS is responsible for a variety of academic and administrative duties including:

• Provide overall vision and leadership for Ohio State’s campus-wide CLAS activities in teaching, research, outreach, and linkages with universities in that region of the world;
• Develop programs and activities commensurate with a vision of providing excellence in interdisciplinary academic engagements in the area of Latin American Studies;
• Implement the Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) grant projects for this cycle successfully and develop the next strong Title VI NRC and Foreign Language and Area Studies grant proposal, as well as seek outside funding for program activities by preparing a diverse grant portfolio of various state, business, and philanthropic grant sources;
• Seek guidance from CLAS faculty affiliates in the pursuit of ambitious academic goals for the center’s activities;
• Actively represent and advocate for Latin American studies on campus, within the community, statewide, nationally, and internationally; and
• Administer the Center’s office, personnel, programs, activities, grants, and report writing, and interface with the communications unit in the Office of International Affairs to promote the value of the center’s activities and its perceptions on campus and in the community.

Terms of appointment:

The director of CLAS receives 50% release time from the faculty duties, an administrative attachment of $6,003 paid out over the nine months of the academic year, and 1/9 of the academic year salary for administering the center over the summer. The Director will serve a 4-year term, starting on September 1, 2020.

To indicate interest:

Interested applicants should submit a current CV and a 2-3 page letter of interest outlining the challenges and opportunities for CLAS as well as your management style to Megan Hasting, CLAS Assistant Director, at hasting.6@osu.edu no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, February 21, 2020.

The Search Committee Members consist of two CLAS faculty affiliates, a current Title VI center director, and the CLAS assistant director:

• Megan Hasting (CLAS assistant director)
• Kendra McSweeney (Professor of Geography & CLAS faculty affiliate)
• Glenn Martinez (CLLC Director, Professor of Hispanic Linguistics & CLAS faculty affiliate)
• Etsuyo Yuasa (EASC Director and Associate Professor of Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy)

The appointment is contingent on the university’s verification of credentials and other information required by law and/or university policies, including but not limited to a criminal background check.