Director, Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity (JMU Only)

Working Title: Director, Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity (JMU Only)

State Role Title: N/A

Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Vice President - REDI

Department: 100305 - Research, Economic Development and Innov

Pay Band: N/A

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:  

Is this a JMU only position? Yes. This is a JMU only recruitment, only current JMU employees are eligible to apply.

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 11/12/2026

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

The Director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity provides leadership for university-wide programs that expand student participation in undergraduate research and creative activity and oversees strategic initiatives including university-wide undergraduate research funding programs, student travel awards, research training, communications and storytelling, assessment, First-Year Research Experiences (FYRE), and institutional reporting.

The Director will lead the establishment and development of JMU's university-wide infrastructure for undergraduate research and creative activity, translating institutional recommendations into a phased, evidence-based implementation plan. This will include the collection and analysis of institutional metrics, development of annual reporting processes, and promotion and visibility undergraduate research internally and externally. The Director will work collaboratively with colleges, departments, faculty mentors, institutional research partners, and external stakeholders in these efforts in advancing JMU's goal of making undergraduate research a distinctive component of the student experience.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Oversight:
• Conduct and maintain an institution-wide inventory of undergraduate research and creative activity programs, opportunities, resources, and participation
• Lead development of a university-wide strategic and implementation plan for undergraduate research and creative activity
• Convene and support an Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Advisory Board representing JMU's colleges and key institutional partners
• Facilitate adoption and consistent application of a university definition of undergraduate research and creative activity
• Establish common metrics, annual data collection processes, and institutional reporting practices in collaboration with appropriate university partners
• Assess barriers to student participation and faculty mentorship and recommend priorities for strengthening access, capacity, and visibility
• Develop a phased resource, staffing, partnership, and sustainability plan with input from partners including Academic Affairs
• Produce a prioritized multiyear implementation roadmap with measurable outcomes and decision points

Program Leadership and Student/Faculty Support:
• Provide strategic leadership for centrally coordinated university-wide undergraduate research programs and services
• Coordinate centrally administered programs that connect faculty mentors and student researchers, including FYRE, travel awards, summer research opportunities, and related initiatives
• Collaborate with academic units while preserving faculty and departmental responsibility for individual and programmatic research experiences
• Coordinate program assessment and continuous improvement
• Develop new strategies to expand undergraduate participation
• Ensure access to undergraduate research opportunities
• Serve as a primary point of contact regarding undergraduate research opportunities
• Provide consultation to faculty, staff, and students
• Coordinate mentor development opportunities
• Support creation of accessible pathways into undergraduate research participation

Assessment, Metrics, and Reporting:
• Lead development of institutional undergraduate research metrics
• Coordinate annual data collection efforts across divisions, colleges and units
• Supervise production of annual university-wide undergraduate research reports
• Work closely with PAIR, CARS, and other institutional partners
• Develop data definitions, reporting expectations, and validation processes in consultation with academic units and institutional partners
• Supervise graduate and undergraduate student employees supporting assessment activities

Communications and Visibility:
• Lead implementation of university-wide undergraduate research program communications and storytelling strategies
• Coordinate annual reports, student research showcases, and visibility campaigns
• Collaborate with University Communications, Admissions, and Advancement
• Oversee student storytellers and communications interns

Partnership Development and Resource Generation:
• Develop relationships with campus and external partners
• Explore philanthropic and corporate support opportunities
• Assist with grant development and partnership cultivation
• Coordinate efforts supporting sustainable funding models for undergraduate research

Operations, Administration, and Supervision:
• Supervise graduate and undergraduate student employees
• Manage operating budgets and program expenditures
• Coordinate advisory board activities
• Maintain policies, procedures, and operational systems

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications
• Master's degree
• Experience managing academic research, experiential learning, scholarship, fellowship, or student success programs
• Experience with program assessment, evaluation, or data-informed decision-making
• Experience managing budgets and projects
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across organizational units
• Experience establishing or significantly expanding a program, office, center, or cross-unit initiative
• Experience leading strategic planning or organizational implementation
• Experience facilitating shared governance or advisory structures
• Demonstrated understanding of faculty-mentored research or creative inquiry across multiple disciplines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated success in funding research with or research experiences for undergraduate students

Preferred Qualifications
• Terminal degree (PhD, EdD, MFA, or equivalent)
• Experience working with undergraduate research programs
• Experience supervising student employees or graduate assistants
• Experience with grants, external funding, or fundraising
• Experience using Microsoft 365, SharePoint, dashboards, or similar systems for program management and reporting
• Experience producing institutional reports or assessment documents

Additional Posting Information:

JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.

Advertised: 21 Oct 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 11 Nov 2026 Eastern Standard Time

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