Campus

OSU-Stillwater

Contact Name & Email

Dr. Howard Sanborn, howard.sanborn@okstate.edu

Work Schedule

TBD

Appointment Length

11 months

Priority Application Date

While applications will be accepted until a successful candidate has been hired, interested parties are encouraged to submit their materials by April 10, 2026, to ensure full consideration.

Special Instructions to Applicants

To apply, please submit the following materials:
1. Cover letter outlining qualifications and describing vision for department.
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. Contact information for three professional references.

Candidates should address how they promote opportunities for all students in their statements. Screening of candidates will begin April 10, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries about this position may be directed to Dr. Howard Sanborn, howard.sanborn@okstate.edu.

About this Position

Department Head of Psychology

The Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University seeks applications for the position of Department Head. The position is an 11-month appointment at the rank of advanced Associate or Full Professor with tenure to begin July 1, 2026, for a three-year term.

Responsibilities:

We seek a dynamic and experienced administrator with a clear strategic vision to advance excellence in the educational, research, and outreach mission of the department. The successful candidate will have a proven record of accomplishment in academic leadership, administration, research, and teaching. We seek an individual with a demonstrated ability to maintain a vigorous, externally funded research program who excels in teaching and mentoring at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Key Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Responsible for overseeing all aspects of the department’s mission and for articulating a strategic vision for the department that aligns with the college and university mission as a preeminent land-grant R1 institution.
• Provide strategic leadership for the department, including resource allocation, maintaining competitive and innovative academic programs, and successfully facilitating faculty recruitment, retention, and development.
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the department, including fiscal management, oversight of faculty and staff professional development, and support of the research enterprise. 
• Conduct annual performance reviews and manage the processes for tenure, promotion, and sabbatical leave recommendations.
• Promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, focusing on improving educational outcomes, student success, graduate funding opportunities, and workforce readiness.
• Facilitate research, scholarship, and competitive grant funding initiatives by department faculty and students.
• Enhance the department’s visibility and reputation through effective communication with key stakeholders, including college- and university-level administrators, unit faculty, staff, students, alums, and donors.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary will be commensurate with education, experience, qualifications and contingent on available funding. Benefits include comprehensive medical plans. Information on benefits can be found at https://hr.okstate.edu/benefits/index.html

About the Department of Psychology

The Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University is committed to research, teaching, and outreach. The Department of Psychology has 22 tenured/tenure-track and 11 career-track full-time faculty and offers PhDs in both clinical and experimental psychology. The Clinical Program, continuously APA-accredited since 1971 and PCSAS-accredited since 2018, is based on a clinical science model of training, and has subspecialties in Adult Psychopathology, Child Clinical, Health, and Pediatric Psychology. The Experimental Program has concentrations in Developmental, Comparative-Neurobiological, Cognitive, and Social-Personality Psychology.

The Department oversees and supports a large student body of approximately 58 doctoral students and 1240 undergraduate majors. OSU’s Department of Psychology values interdisciplinary collaboration. Several current faculty maintain active research and training collaborations at both the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and the OSU Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, offering opportunities for access to medical specialty populations and professional collaborations. Notably, OSU Stillwater, OSU Center for Health Sciences, and OSU Tulsa partnered to host the interdisciplinary OSU Brain Initiative (https://tulsa.okstate.edu/braininitiative) in Tulsa, OK, where the most advanced MRI system in the state is located at OSU Biomedical Imaging Center at the Hardesty Center for Clinical Research and Neuroscience (https://osumedicine.com/resources/biomedical-imaging-center/). The OSU Center for Health Sciences is also home to the NIGMS-funded Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Adversity (CIRCA) (https://circaok.com), which supports interdisciplinary and integrative research on childhood adversity.  For more information about our department, please see our website (http://psychology.okstate.edu).

About Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma State University is a Carnegie Tier 1 research institution with a 130-year legacy as one of the nation's premier land-grant universities. The Stillwater campus serves as the flagship of the OSU system which serves over 34,000 students and offers state-of-the-art facilities for research and instruction. The College of Arts and Sciences boasts exceptional strengths across the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities, complemented by institutional excellence in engineering, agriculture, and business.

Stillwater consistently ranks among the best places to live in America, recently featured in Money Magazine, and is celebrated as one of the nation's friendliest college towns. This vibrant community of approximately 50,000 offers an exceptional quality of life with a cost of living well below the national average—including housing costs at roughly 80% of the national median. Residents enjoy a thriving arts and music scene anchored by the McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, numerous parks and museums, top-rated public schools, and excellent medical facilities.

Connectivity is exceptional: Stillwater Regional Airport provides convenient access through Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, while the dynamic metropolitan areas of Tulsa and Oklahoma City—each about an hour away—offer expanded cultural, dining, and entertainment options. With gigabit internet widely available, Stillwater combines small-town charm with modern amenities, creating an ideal environment for both professional achievement and personal fulfillment.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Psychology or closely related field.
  
  • Excellence in research and teaching commensurate with a Carnegie R1 institution. 
  • Demonstrated academic and administrative experience, including leadership, management, and budgetary oversight.
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, technical, and collaborative skills.
  • Evidence of successful outreach activities.
  • Experience with program accreditation (e.g., APA).

Preferred Qualifications

• Instructional experience including oversight of curricula.
• A clear and innovating vision for curricular advancement of a large program.
• Experience managing teams of individuals and budgets at varying scales.
• Leadership experience as evidenced by service in committees at various levels (e.g., departmental, college, university) or managing programs (e.g., undergraduate, graduate coordinator, associate chair).