Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center Director

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Position Title:

Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center Director

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Terminal (Fixed Term)

Job Profile:

Center Administrator (B)

Job Duties:

Official UW Title (Code) / Job Description: Center Administrator (B) link to standard job description

POSITION OVERVIEW

UW–Stout invites visionary educators and scholar-practitioners to apply for the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center (NTLC) Directorship—an opportunity for an educational leader who is passionate about transforming how faculty teach and how students learn in a dynamic polytechnic environment.

The NTLC Director serves as the campus’s foremost champion of teaching excellence. Reporting to the Director of Multimodal Instructional Supports within Academic Affairs, the Director provides strategic leadership for one of UW–Stout’s most distinctive institutional assets: the NTLC which has defined a culture of innovative, evidence-based, career-focused instruction. The Director:

• oversees instructional development across the institution, aligned with the university’s strategic priorities
• builds campus-wide coalitions around effective pedagogy, 
• stewards resources, 
• and positions the NTLC as a leader within the UW System and the broader teaching and learning community.

This is an annual appointment with potential for part-time teaching. The appointment begins July 1, 2026.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum / Required

• Master’s degree or higher with demonstrated expertise in teaching and learning.

• Five or more years of effective teaching experience in higher education.

• Demonstrated track record of designing, leading, and assessing instructional professional development programs.

• Evidence of strong collaborative skills and the ability to build productive relationships across the academic institution.

• Deep commitment to student success frameworks including Universal Design for Learning, High Impact Practices, project-based learning, and others

• Currency with learning technologies and their application within in-person, hybrid, and online contexts.

• Effective written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills appropriate for diverse academic audiences.

• Strong organizational and project management skills, including demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities.

• Capacity to conduct and apply research and evaluation in alignment with UW–Stout’s polytechnic tenets.

Highly Desired/Preferred

• Demonstrated success in a faculty leadership role.

• Demonstrated success building a culture of effective teaching across in-person, hybrid, and online modalities.

• Experience in program or center administration, including budget development and oversight, staff supervision, and strategic goal-setting aligned with institutional priorities.

• History of successful grant writing and external funding development.

• Proven ability to lead complex cross-campus communication and relationship-building efforts in higher education.

LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Vision and Institutional Leadership

• Serve as the primary institutional leader and spokesperson for teaching and learning excellence, representing the NTLC to internal stakeholders, the UW System, and national professional communities.

• Develop and drive a strategic vision for the NTLC in collaboration with the Director of Multimodal Instructional Supports aligned with UW–Stout’s polytechnic mission, the University’s strategic priorities, and the Nakatani Endowment Fund’s purpose.

• Monitor and respond to state, national, and international trends in higher education pedagogy, student success, and learning technology to keep UW–Stout’s instructional culture forward-facing.

• Chair the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center Advisory Committee, guiding governance and strategic alignment.

• Represent UW–Stout in the UW System Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID) network, including managing the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars selection process and supporting faculty attendance at the OPID spring conference.

Program Design and Instructional Development

• Design, implement, and rigorously assess a portfolio of instructional development programs—including Communities of Practice, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Teams, workshops, speaker series, and sharing communities—aligned to institutional goals and evidence-based best practices.

• Lead the First Year Instructor Program and co-facilitate the New Instructor Workshop in partnership with Human Resource Services, Learning Technology Services, and the Instructional Design Program, ensuring new faculty are equipped and supported from day one.

• Develop and assess programming that advances High Impact Practices, Universal Design for Learning, and other student success frameworks proven to close equity gaps and improve outcomes.

• Establish and nurture instructor communities—in-person, hybrid, and online—that sustain collegial growth across career stages and modalities.

Cross-Campus Collaboration and Partnership

• Cultivate strategic partnerships with aligned campus units—Learning Technology Services, Stout Online, the Instructional Design Program, the Provost’s Office, and academic departments—to advance integrated instructional support across the institution.

• Build and maintain effective communication channels with instructors, department chairs, academic staff, and students to ensure programming is responsive to evolving needs.

• Represent NTLC interests in Academic Affairs planning conversations and contribute to institution-wide curriculum and assessment initiatives.

Resource Development and Stewardship

• Create, manage, and oversee the NTLC budget, working in close partnership with the Stout University Foundation and the Provost’s Office to ensure sound stewardship of endowment and operational funds.

• Develop and submit competitive grant proposals to secure external funding for teaching and learning innovation, research, and capacity-building.

• Supervise NTLC support staff, currently including a 0.25 FTE Graduate Assistant; exercise hiring, performance management, and professional development responsibilities accordingly.

Teaching and Scholarship

• May include part-time teaching assignments..

• Maintain an active engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), contributing to the advancement of polytechnic education.

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

About the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center (NTLC)

Established in 2008 in honor of Arthur Nakatani, the NTLC is UW–Stout’s hub for instructional development and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Grounded in discovery, curiosity, innovation, collaboration, and research, the Center creates the conditions for faculty to thrive as teachers—building confidence in their practice, deepening their scholarship, and staying current with evolving learning technologies and student needs.

The NTLC’s mission is to share and value teaching and learning by:

• Cultivating a campus climate where educators find satisfaction and efficacy in their work and have meaningful opportunities to share classroom practices and research.
• Designing programs that nurture sustained faculty growth throughout all career stages.
• Advancing the thoughtful integration of technology to enhance learning outcomes.

Programs sponsored by the NTLC's goals, mission and vision statements are closely aligned with the mission of the Nakatani Endowment Fund and the University's visioning statements and Enduring Goals.

UW–Stout: Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University

As Wisconsin’s only polytechnic university, UW–Stout’s distinct mission is built on three educational tenets—applied learning, business and industry collaboration, and career focus—that differentiate our faculty’s instructional challenges and opportunities. Every program requires 100% experiential learning. Every academic program is guided by advisory committees of employers and alumni, and we have a record of hiring faculty and staff with both academic credentials and in-field/professional experiences. The result: a 99% graduate placement rate, unmatched in the UW System.

The NTLC Director must understand this polytechnic identity and lead instructional development that honors and advances it.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Complete applications received by end of day, May 31, 2026 are ensured full consideration.  Applications submitted after  May 31, 2026 may be reviewed at the discretion of the search committee or until position is filled.

To apply, click on the APPLY button or go to: https://www.uwstout.edu/about-us/careers-jobs

Required application materials:

• Cover letter (* See below)
• Curriculum vitae or resume

All final candidates will be asked to provide names, email contact information, and/or phone numbers for three (3) references, with at least one being from a manager or supervisor, during the interview process.

*Please use your cover letter to speak to each of the Minimum/Required Qualifications for this position as listed above. For each required qualification, with an emphasis on leadership and teaching, describe your relevant experience, using specific examples from your work history to illustrate how your experience satisfies the requirement.

It is the policy of UW-Stout to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance, or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact us using the information below. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodation for a qualified individual's disability.

For questions regarding this position or recruitment, please contact:

Search Chair: Caitlyn Mohr

Email: [email protected]

If you need assistance with the online application process or if you submitted your application prior to uploading all the required application materials, please contact:

Search Coordinator: Dawn Skovbroten

Email: [email protected]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees

• Provides leadership and oversight of all staffing, compliance, information systems, and facility needs for the center or institute

• Provides leadership and oversight in financial operations including developing and administering budgets and oversight of grants management, contracts, and other funds to ensure adherence to accounting practices and compliance with sponsor rules, regulations, and law

• Directs strategic planning initiatives and establishes unit objectives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, space, staffing resources, and alignment with the strategic plan. Obtains and validates data needed for strategic decision-making

• Partners with Center Director and other senior leaders to advance the Center/Institute to a position of academic and professional distinction by fostering excellence in all programs and maintaining, supporting, and successfully renewing appropriate federal, state, and local designations and accreditations

• Provides leadership in center philanthropic activities including donor interaction and coordination of stewardship and prospect development

• Responsible for effective communication and marketing of unit center activities, philanthropic opportunities, community outreach, and accomplishments

Guidelines to ensure consideration:

• Applicants must complete all required fields and attach all required application materials.

• Within your cover letter address each of the Minimum/Required Qualifications specified for this position. For each required qualification, describe your relevant experience, using specific examples from your work history to illustrate how your experience satisfies the requirement.

It is the policy of UW-Stout to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance, or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact us using the information below. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodation for a qualified individual's disability.

The Universities of Wisconsin provides an excellent benefits package including participation in the Wisconsin State retirement plan, demonstrating our commitment to the diverse needs of our employees.

• Employee Benefits:  https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/

• To calculate the estimated value of your total compensation, use the Health & Retirement Contributions Estimator | Employee Benefits (wisconsin.edu)

Employment is contingent upon the final candidate’s completing a criminal background check and being cleared to work by the Human Resources Office.  Employment is also contingent upon the final candidate passing reference checks and an essential job function test, as applicable. The reference check process includes asking the final candidates’ professional references questions regarding employee misconduct, sexual violence, and sexual harassment. Reference checks must be conducted at a minimum with three professional references, at least one of which must be a prior supervisor.

Final candidates with previous employment within the Universities of Wisconsin and State of WI agencies will be subject to additional reference checks.

In response to a public records request, the Universities of Wisconsin will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in their online application, except that the identity of the successful final candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

UW-Stout is committed to providing safety and security of all members of our community in accordance with the Clery Act. For campus safety information and crime statistics visit: https://www.uwstout.edu/life-stout/police-and-parking/clery-information

UW is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other bases protected by applicable federal or State law and UW System policies. We are committed to building a workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.