The Academic Director is responsible for developing and administering an academic institution’s instructional plan, managing human resources, finance, and administrative tasks related to the instructional program. They report directly to the president and ensure that the academic program meets current and future student needs.
An academic director (CAO) is responsible for developing and administering an academic institution’s instructional plan. The position is typically the most senior executive in charge of all components that make up the academic program and reports directly to the president. As the academic program is the main product of a school, the CAO is a title comparable to a director of operations in a common company.
Functionally, the Academic Director performs roles in four traditional business areas as these roles relate to the instructional program. Your main responsibilities can be classified as product development. CAO ensures that credit and non-credit class curricula conform to an overall instructional vision and philosophy. He develops the plan for the school’s academic offerings and determines whether these offerings meet current and future student needs and enhance the school’s market position. It also establishes and maintains a quality control system to ensure that the product is delivering its intended value to students and meets state academic standards.
The academic director also participates in the management of human resources. He is responsible for managing faculty recruitment, retention, and training. The school will likely have a dedicated department that handles the actual administrative tasks, but the CAO sets out the hiring criteria and overall plan for staff development. If there is a problem retaining qualified faculty, it is the CAO’s job to find and implement a solution.
Another important functional area of academic director duties falls under finance. He is responsible for academic department budgets, including budget planning, expense monitoring, and reporting to the President and Board of Trustees. Schools typically have a finance director who is responsible for overall finances. The CAO directs information from its departments to the finance department for use in the school’s master financial plan.
The Academic Director also performs administrative tasks related to the instructional program. For example, it sets the class schedule for the academic year; thus, his office also supports the school’s marketing department in creating the school’s catalog, class descriptions, and any other material that describes the school’s academics. The CAO also develops policies and operating systems to support faculty and students, manages school accreditation, and generally oversees the library system. Her office provides research and writing support to the school’s fundraising department when applying for grants to support academic programs.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
