Working/Functional Title

Center Director for EPIC

Position Summary

The College of Education at Michigan State University is seeking a Center Director, to lead the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC).  The director of the EPIC, a well-established and respected research-policymaker partnership (RPP) serves as the strategic education research partner to the state of Michigan. Candidates with deep experience using large-scale data sets to inform education policy and practice and who also have experience with multi- or mixed-methods research are especially encouraged to apply. The position is open with respect to disciplinary background, although the position is best-suited for a scholar from the fields of economics, sociology, political science, policy, or education measurement. This is a college-wide search, meaning that the selected candidate may sit in any of the College's departments and units, and affiliations with more than one department in the college and university are possible depending on the candidate's qualifications and requirements.

It is expected that the successful candidate will enter the position at the rank of professor, although associate professors with established records of accomplishment in research and teaching, as well as obtaining external financial support for their work and evidence of collaboration with local, state, or national education agencies, with particular attention to issues of educational equity, are encouraged to apply.

Duties

Lead and direct EPIC, the incumbent will establish and maintain strong partnerships and relationships within State government and across the state along with research, teaching, and service responsibilities. The associated duties include (but are not limited to) working with EPIC's managing director, EPIC's research and administrative staff, and affiliated faculty to:

• Produce high-quality, timely, relevant "research with consequence" in support of education policymakers and practitioners.
• Establish and maintain relationships with state, local school district, agency, and stakeholder partners.

• Attract financial support from a diverse array of government and philanthropic entities in support of EPIC's mission to provide "research with consequence" to improve the educations and lives of Michigan's students and educators.

   

In support of this mission, the successful candidate will be able to leverage key features of EPIC and the College, including:

• EPIC's unprecedented data sharing agreement with the State of Michigan that provides access to all administrative educational data sets with regular updates.
• EPIC's team of researchers, staff, and affiliated faculty from MSU and across the country
• EPIC's track-record of securing grant funding to support research projects co-constructed with partners, as well as several existing external research and evaluation grants and contracts from a diverse array of philanthropic and government sources.
• EPIC's prominence in education policy decision making in Michigan, including well-established relationships with policy and practitioner partners, and a significant media presence.
• The U.S. News and World Report number 1-ranked elementary and secondary teacher education program in the country, the number 2-ranked higher education program, the 10^th^ ranked education policy program, as well as top 10 rankings in education administration, educational psychology, and curriculum and instruction.
• A campus-wide community of scholars with research interests in education policy from other departments such as Economics, Political Science, and the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employ