Career Center

Gary J. Oliver Endowed Chair Position in the Center for Healthy Relationships

John Brown University seeks a fulltime Chair position to renew, develop, and extend the marriage and pre-marriage ministries of the Center for Healthy Relationships (CHR), to teach graduate and undergraduate courses in related fields, to supervise graduate clinical placements, and to imagine new and creative ways to extend the mission of the Center. That mission is “to provide individuals, couples, families and organizations with practical and innovative resources that encourage and empower the growth of healthy relationships in personal and professional settings.” JBU is looking for an innovative leader in the fields of marriage, family, and relationship ministries; someone who is experienced in partnering with churches, colleges and universities, civic organizations, businesses, or government agencies, and a scholar/teacher who can effectively promote healthy marriages grounded in Christian teaching and principles. The Chair will be an excellent communicator, both in speaking and writing, with demonstrated experience in creating curriculum and resources, publishing books and articles, teaching and leading seminars or workshops, and/or developing social media strategies to promote best principles and practices. The CHR serves JBU’s faculty, staff and students with its expertise and resources, but it also seeks to serve local, regional, national, and international audiences. The Chair is funded by a generous endowment and will report to the Executive Director of the CHR and the Dean of the College of Education and Social & Behavioral Sciences.  The position will begin on July 1, 2023. 

Program

The CHR was founded 22 years ago from a generous endowment given to strengthen marriages in Northwest Arkansas. Dr. Gary Oliver was the inaugural Executive Director and led the Center through exceptional growth until his retirement in 2022. The Center has an upstanding reputation of providing relationship programs and resources to college and university students, church members and pastors, premarital and married couples, community groups, people incarcerated or in rehabilitation programs, underserved communities, and corporate employees. These relationship programs span a variety of formats, including teaching classes, leading workshops and seminars, hosting retreats, speaking at regional, national and international conferences, counseling and coaching sessions with individuals or small groups, podcasts and other social media strategies, and publishing in scholarly or popular venues. For more information about the CHR’s current program, please visit: https://liferelationships.com.

Institution

John Brown University’s mission is to provide Christ-centered education that prepares people to honor God and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives. Founded in 1919, JBU is a Christ-centered, Biblically-faithful, interdenominational university that represents the best of Protestant evangelicalism in our commitment to the following theological principles: the fundamental human need for conversion and lifelong discipleship; the centrality of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for the redemption of human beings; high regard for, and obedience to, the Bible as our authority; and active involvement in a local church, in missions and in ministries that work for Biblical justice and serve people in need. At JBU, we seek to integrate faith and learning, foster holistic Christian formation, promote pragmatic liberal arts education, and prepare people to follow Christ’s call to serve others in all areas of life. All employees must affirm JBU’s Employee Expectations and Articles of Faith.

With more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 48 countries, JBU offers approximately 50 undergraduate programs, seven fully online bachelor’s degrees and 16 graduate degrees in business, education, cybersecurity and counseling. JBU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds program-specific accreditations from various agencies. More information is available at jbu.edu/accreditation.

JBU has benefited from stable and excellent leadership throughout the organization. President Chip Pollard started in 2004 and has led the organization in consistently meeting enrollment goals, completing two capital campaigns and launching a third, completing two strategic plans and launching a third, 17 major building projects, encouraging efforts to recruit and retain diverse faculty, staff, and students, and navigating the educational and financial challenges of the pandemic successfully. He served on the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) board for thirteen years and as chair for five years. Most of the president’s cabinet has served for over 20 years, and all cabinet members have held volunteer leadership positions in the CCCU, ACSD, CIC, NACUBO, and other higher education associations. JBU’s board of trustees are people of deep Christian faith, generous spirit, and professional expertise, with an average length of service of 11 years. They are deeply committed to maintaining JBU’s mission to educate students to honor God and serve others.

JBU has experienced a season of God’s favor and blessing, for which we are grateful. In the last 20 years, JBU has received over $300 million in gifts and grants and has built or renovated over 90% of the university’s facilities. JBU has only about $4 million of debt on over $220 million of assets. During that same time, JBU’s endowment has grown from about $50 million to over $150 million, much of it dedicated to scholarships and academic programs and to support maintenance costs for new facilities. This financial strength has enabled JBU to retain excellent faculty and staff with consistent compensation increases and funds for faculty and staff development. JBU has not been not immune to the economic and cultural challenges facing higher education, but it is positioned better than many institutions to respond.

JBU has received national recognition from many national newspapers and industry journals. For instance, in seven out of the last eight years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has named JBU on its “high honor roll” in its “Great Place to Work” survey. Two out of the last three years, The Wall Street Journal has named JBU the best public or private university in Arkansas. We are typically in the top 10% in our category (master’s level universities in the South) in U.S. News and World Report rankings.

JBU is located in Northwest Arkansas, a region predicted to have the third fastest job growth rate in the country behind only Austin, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina. Three of the largest corporations in the world are located here—Walmart, Tyson Foods, and JB Hunt—and there is a growing technology, entrepreneurial, and art business ecosystem in the region. The quality of life is enhanced with a world-class art museum, Crystal Bridges, 25 miles from campus, over 400 miles of mountain biking trails, several state and national historic sites, parks, and large lakes, and a new $33 million whitewater rafting park just five miles south of campus. Siloam Springs has approximately 17,500 people with affordable housing and good private and public schools.

Important Dates

Position begins July 1, 2023. Screening process begins February 1, 2023, and continues until the position is filled.

Required Qualifications

• Terminal degree in psychology, counseling, or related field
• A licensed clinical psychologist or counselor
• Demonstrated experience in leading a marriage, family or relationship ministry
• Demonstrated experience teaching and publishing in these fields
• Demonstrated experience to working with diverse populations 
• A commitment to working collaboratively across disciplines, programs, and organizations 
• Must be a committed follower of Jesus Christ

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience supervising clinical placements
• Successful pursuit of grant funding

About John Brown University

John Brown University's mission is to provide Christ-centered education that prepares people to honor God and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual and professional lives. We are a Christ-centered, interdenominational university that leads the nation in integrating faith and learning, fostering holistic spiritual formation, promoting pragmatic liberal arts education, and preparing people to follow Christ’s call to serve others in all areas of life.

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