Associate Director of Fellowships and Academic Programs

ABOUT THE NEWBERRY: The Newberry collection—some 1.6 million books, 600,000 maps, and 5 million manuscript pages—is a portal to more than six centuries of human history, from the Middle Ages to the present. We connect researchers and visitors with our collection in the Newberry’s reading rooms, exhibition galleries, program spaces, classrooms, and online digital resources. 

Since its founding in 1887, the Newberry has remained dedicated to deepening our collective understanding of ourselves and the world around us. As individuals engage with Newberry collections and staff, they discover stories that bridge the past and present and illuminate the human condition. 

The Newberry’s community of discovery is driven by a shared commitment to promoting research, inspiring learning, and using inquiry across the humanities as a tool to engage critically in a vibrant democratic society.

SUMMARY: Reporting to the Vice President for Research and Education, the Associate Director of Fellowships and Academic Programs administers the Newberry’s fellowships operation, managing both the administrative and programming work for long-term and short-term fellowships, Scholars-in-Residence, Visiting Fellows, Fellows’ Seminar, Colloquium, and Scholarly Seminars. The Associate Director also oversees the administrative work and programming of undergraduate study programs at the Newberry. For equity purposes, the salary for this position is set at $52,080.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Assists the Vice President of Research and Education on strategic planning to maintain high-quality fellowship and related academic programming; 
• Plans and manages the scheduling, administrative, and budgetary work required to operate the Newberry’s fellowship programs (both long-term and short-term; 
• In collaboration with the Vice President of Research and Education, plans and manages the Newberry Library Undergraduate Seminar; plans and manages collaborations with colleges and universities who teach undergraduate courses at the Newberry; 
• With the Vice President of Research and Education, determines the policies and manages the administration of the Scholar-in-Residence program;
• With the Vice President of Research and Education, determines and oversees the policies and operation of the Scholarly Seminars program;
• Monitors and assesses diversity, equity, and inclusion implications of programs, including fellowship criteria; in consultation with the Vice President of Research and Education, makes changes to applications or fellowship eligibility, when appropriate;
• Organizes and facilitates the fellowship review panels;
• Oversees evaluation of fellowship applicants’ eligibility, including the fit between the applicants’ projects and Newberry’s collections;
• Plans and oversees program activities, including orientations, social events and field trips, assessing their effectiveness and revising when appropriate;
• Manages communications with the Academic Council, recommending and implementing any new fellowship policies to the Council;
• Schedules and participates in the work-in-progress Fellows’ Seminar;
• Schedules and facilitates the Newberry Colloquium;
• Promotes the Newberry’s fellowship opportunities, scholarly activities, and scholarly seminars through multiple channels, coordinating with Director of Communications;
• Prepares grant applications and reports and communicates, when necessary, with external funders;
• Maintains statistics and records related to fellowships, scholarly seminars, undergraduate programs, and scholars-in-residence;
• Assists the Vice President with the selection of the Wagner Fellow;
• Supervises the work of the Program Assistant;
• Participates in the intellectual life of the Newberry; and
• Performs other activities as required to achieve department, division, and library goals.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required:  

• Master’s degree in a humanities or humanistic social science discipline
• Proven initiative strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including public speaking
• Clear and organized prose and superior proofreading and editing skills
• General competence with office equipment and computer software, including Microsoft Office program 

Preferred:  

• Experience with the culture of academic institutions, public humanities institutions, or research libraries
• Understanding of the research process
• Project management experience

SCHEDULE: This is a full-time, exempt position, working 35 hours per week, with normal hours generally from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Work outside of these hours, such as Saturdays or evenings, may be required when needed. While a remote work arrangement is possible, the incumbent will primarily work onsite.