The Vice President of Instruction supports the college mission, strategic direction and values in all instructional areas.

Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) is looking for its next Vice President of Instruction (VPI) to provide visionary and thoughtful academic leadership to advance the college’s mission and institutional goals in the area of instruction. The VPI will provide innovative and collaborative management and administration of student learning within all instructional divisions and departments at the college to meet our diverse student population and community. The VPI will be a critical partner in the college’s efforts to enhance equity, diversity and inclusion as the college continues to grow in this area. Central to our mission and institutional values, Walla Walla Community College encourages employees and students to engage actively with, develop, and promote practices that support equity, diversity, and inclusion on the campuses and in the communities we serve.

In this role, the VPI will have the opportunity to develop and administer instructional policies and procedures for all College academic and workforce education programs. Primary responsibilities include planning, implementing, coordinating, and assessing instructional programs to ensure the educational needs of students and the community are satisfied and that the instructional mission and goals of the College are realized.

Our successful VPI will remain equally committed to providing leadership, advocacy, and oversight across all instructional areas which include the Deans, Assistant Deans, and Directors in the following areas:

Arts and Sciences Clarkston Campus
Workforce Education Continuing Education
Library eLearning
Tutoring and Learning Center Corrections Education
Transitional Studies & High School Programs Nursing

The Vice President of Instruction works across all campus departments to establish a visionary perspective and create a collaborative culture that engages in innovative approaches to build and sustain programs that enhance student learning and the well-being of our diverse communities. This role also engages closely with stakeholders and advisory groups within our communities to further support the college mission, vision, and values.

The ideal candidate is passionate about the community college mission, who also understands and appreciates the economic and social complexities and dynamics of rural communities. WWCC strives to ensure that current and future students thrive through opportunities for academic and professional growth and access to living wage employment.

Increasing costs of tuition and competing family and financial priorities continue to make college attendance a struggle for many students. Understanding the complexities of socioeconomic diversity, first-generation college students, and under-represented minorities is critical for engaging with our diverse student and employee population. WWCC’s VPI will be called upon not only to serve students but also to support and commit to their success, as is expected of all WWCC employees.

Like many colleges, Walla Walla Community College is currently facing fiscal challenges. A successful Vice President of Instruction will understand the complexities of the College’s funding model, advocate for and support college leadership as they seek innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities to secure supplemental sources of funding to make student centered decisions about college priorities.

 

Essential Functions

The Vice President of Instruction supports the college mission, strategic direction and values in all instructional areas.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

The VPI will have the opportunity to provide leadership that embodies integrity, transparency, inclusive decision making, and shared governance centered on supporting student development, learning and success.

The VPI is a member of the College’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and is a senior leader on campus. The ELT includes the President, VP of Instruction, VP Enrollment Services & Institutional Effectiveness, VP of Finance, VP of Human Resources, Executive Director of the Foundation, and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This group serves to create intentional, collaborative, cross-department communication. Important institutional decisions (strategic planning, budgeting, communication, reorganization, enterprise resource planning, implementation, etc.) are typically reviewed by ELT prior to action.

The VPI’s direct managerial/supervisory oversight is limited to the instructional unit, as well as institution-wide accreditation management, although occasional assignments beyond this scope of work are possible.

  • Support the mission of the college in all instructional areas; collaboratively develop and oversee implementation of divisional goals and planning processes for each instructional area.
  • Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the operations of the entire college but especially within the instructional unit by recruiting and retaining high quality equity, diversity, and inclusion-minded instructional faculty and staff.
  • Engage actively in leading or promoting various college initiatives that increase student or institutional success such as Guided Pathways, CTC Link, Title III, etc.
  • Foster collaborative partnerships with full-time and part-time faculty in unionized environments.

Budget/Fiscal Scope:

The VPI works with senior leaders on budget planning priorities and strategies, and with mid-level administrators (Deans and Directors, primarily) to develop data-informed budgets for each functional unit within instruction. The VPI is the final decision-maker for instructional purchases and budgetary priorities within instruction.

All budgeting is done holistically, therefore substantial budgetary decisions are made focusing on consultation, collaboration, and transparency.

  • Participate in strategic and inclusive decision making that is open and transparent regarding fiscal priorities.
  • Oversee the creation of resourceful, student-centered and fiscally responsible multi-level budgets and spending for the instructional unit.
  • Maintain reasonable strategic and innovative direction during fiscal challenges that includes working collaboratively to establish short- and long-term sustainable financial strategies and goals.
  • Support campus efforts to generate sustainable revenue sources from grants, etc.

Student-Centered Instruction:

The VPI recognizes the value of student-centered instruction in retaining students and supporting their persistence and success. In this role, the VPI remains knowledgeable and seeks to support student-centered pedagogies and learning support in myriad modalities across all areas of responsibility.

  • Advance WWCC’s commitment to providing high quality instructional certificates, degrees, programs, or disciplines including the enhancement or addition of relevant Applied Baccalaureate Degrees, to ensure that WWCC meets the needs of the communities that it serves.
  • Advocate and tangibly support advancing pedagogical practices and innovative models that have demonstrated evidence for student success, such as culturally responsive teaching, best practices in online instruction, and robust learning support services.
  • Implement and grow Workforce, Academic, and Transitional Studies programs at the Walla Walla and Clarkston Campuses.
  • Support further expansion and growth of the college’s Correction Education Campuses (Washington State Penitentiary and Coyote Ridge Correctional Facility).
  • Strengthen global awareness efforts at WWCC.

 

Assessment/Accreditation:

The VPI is a key participant and leader in the assessment efforts and accreditation work of the College, assuring thoughtful and relevant inquiry, and appropriate engagement with data to make informed decisions.

  • Provide oversight and support for assessment at all levels of instruction, including integrating and using the College-wide Outcomes and Learning Assessment (CwOLA) framework and tools.
  • Partner with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning to generate, analyze, understand, and utilize data to engage in a cycle of continuous improvement in all aspects of the College’s instructional operations. This includes implementation of an effective, regular, and comprehensive system of program review and assessment of learning at all levels of the organization.
  • Lead WWCC’s accreditation efforts and serve as the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). This includes staying current on changes to NWCCU policies and guidelines, organizing routine and ad hoc reports required by the NWCCU, maintaining current program inventories, submitting minor change and substantive change updates as appropriate, and leading all accreditation activity and planning at WWCC.
  • Actively participate in institutional strategic planning that is collaborative and responsive to college and community needs.

 

Communication/Collaboration:

  • Collaborate with campus departments, such as Marketing and Outreach, Student Affairs and Advancement to ensure all instructional programs remain responsive to student needs while using data to inform decisions about equitable and inclusive practices that enhance program support and college visibility.
  • Promote Dual Enrollment, including Running Start, College in the High School, and Open Doors; develop and maintain relationships with local school district leaders in our service area to ensure ongoing cooperation and collaboration.
  • Represent WWCC at local, regional, statewide, and national events/functions, including participating in the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges’ governance structure, and attending Instruction Commission meetings, and others, as appropriate.