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Director Of Student Affairs

Employer
University of Washington
Location
Wallingford, WA
Closing date
Dec 11, 2022

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Specialty
Student Affairs
Position Type
Director
Hours
Full-time
Employment Type
Permanent
Organization Type
College / University, Non-profit
As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The UW Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has an outstanding opportunity for a Director of Student Affairs to join their team.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Director of Student Affairs will report to the Assistant Dean of Students and provide general academic program leadership and management to the student affairs and career development team, and provide support and advising to current students, graduate certificate programs, and other events and programming for the student affairs unit.

The position requires a wide range of core competencies, including student advising, program and project management, stakeholder engagement, and a high degree of professionalism, with excellent oral and written communication skills. The Director must develop strong knowledge of academic program requirements for the MPA, EMPA, and PhD programs. In addition, the position requires knowledge of curricular pathways such as program options and specializations, certificate and concurrent programs, and the capstone requirement. The position manages client relationships and recruiting projects and providing leadership for the Student Consulting Lab, as well as managing the complex project matching process with faculty. This position must also deal with confidential student information and problem-solve on general student issues, and sometimes unexpectedly complex student matters, which often require a high degree of discretion and excellent judgement. This position also provides direction and support for a range of student life activities, including student interest groups and leadership and support for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and initiatives within and for our student community.

The position will have a direct impact on more than 400 graduate students in the Evans School's educational programs and enhance its national reputation. This position is in regular contact with members of the community (including employers at public agencies and nonprofit organizations seeking MPA students to work on projects), prospective and current students, faculty and staff from other academic institutions, along with faculty and staff within the University of Washington.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

General Student Advising Duties and Responsibilities (40%)

Develop and implement coordinated activities and initiatives that support overall student well-being.

Counsel and advise current students, through group advising, info sessions, and individual appointments, on academic planning, including core and elective course requirements, school policies and procedures, etc. Inform students about curricular pathways, including program options and specializations, the capstone requirement, and other programming and requirements as relevant (including concurrent degree student support).

Alert the Assistant Dean and (as needed) the faculty Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) to any concerns or issues that merit higher-level attention or intervention.

Communicate information to Assistant Dean and to Associate Dean regarding trends in student requests for particular types of electives or coursework, to help inform the Evans School's curriculum planning.

Monitor students' academic degree progress and audit files for graduating students (through the online Degree Audit Reporting Systems, DARS).

Provide advising and support to student interest groups (SIGs) and to the Evans School Student Organization (ESO). Partner with staff in ensuring strong support for student life activities.

Advise students in academic and/or behavioral misconduct matters, personal crisis due to challenging circumstances, grievance procedures, etc.

Provide support for students on academic probation and work in partnership with the Assistant Dean and faculty Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) in supporting students through the formal probation process. Alert the Assistant Dean and GPC with higher-level School or University interventions may be needed to support a student.

Provide support for students who may benefit from referrals and connections to other campus resources and support structures to promote overall wellness and well-being. Collaborate and partner with other campus units to support students, including the Disability Resources for Students office, the Graduate School (GEMS, GSEE, CORE Programs), Student Veteran Life and the Veterans Education Benefits Office, the Office of Student Financial Aid, the UW Counseling Center, the Q Center, and a myriad of other offices and units on campus.

Meet occasionally with prospective students, as needed as back-up support for the admissions team.

Prepare for leading any undergraduate advising efforts, should additional undergraduate coursework, including a potential minor, move forward at the school at some point ahead.

Other duties as assigned.

General Student Affairs Duties and Responsibilities (25%)

Develop the annual operating budget for major programming and events such as Orientation and Graduation for review by the Assistant Dean of Students and the Assistant Dean of Finance & Administration.

Participate in the Evans School's Curriculum Committee, to provide valuable input and perspective on curriculum development and policy issues pertaining to the student academic experience.

Lead the student affairs' team communication efforts with students, always with a perspective on how we can improve our communication efforts and stay relevant with what communication platforms students primarily use.

Maintain and update content on the student focused pages of the Evans School website, as well as Canvas and the School's "MyEvans" pages, and contribute to the school's web presence strategies, in collaboration with the School's communications team.

Work with the Assistant Dean and Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) to update the Evans School student handbooks, on an annual basis.

Support the Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning and faculty Program Directors in their work creating a 2-year course plan, providing input from experience advising students, and ensure that updated course information is accessible and available to students on the website.

Plan, manage, and oversee execution of new student Orientations, in collaboration with the Director of Admissions, admissions and student affairs staff, and Assistant Dean, to provide support for students as they transition from admitted incoming student to matriculated student.

Lead the planning efforts for major student and selected School events, including the Pi Alpha Alpha annual honors' society celebration, and the Evans School's major Graduation event at the end of each academic year.

Provide general support and management of programming for the Student Affairs unit, as identified by the Assistant Dean. On occasion, this may also include general program support for other units, including admissions, career development, executive education and academic services.

Work in partnership with faculty and Evans School committees, as appropriate. This may, in particular, include the Evans School's Curriculum Committee and the Committee for Equity & Inclusion.

Student Consulting Lab (SCL) program management and advising responsibilities (20%)

Provide all overall program management, direction and leadership for the SCL, in concert with the SCL faculty lead(s).

Identify and contact nonprofit and public agencies regarding potential research topics, maintaining existing relationships and building new ones.

Promote the SCL program across the region to increase the variety and total number of project topics. Develop informational and presentation materials for visits and meetings with external clients.

Manage the SCL website, ensuring that all dates and content are kept current as needed and that information is clear for both agencies and students.

Develop and maintain template letters of agreement and coordinate client payments in coordination with the Evans School's fiscal unit.

Compile, screen and vet potential capstone project topics; the vetting process requires working closely with agencies and the advising faculty to ensure that submitted topics are appropriate for a masters-level capstone project.

Manage the complex student-topic matching process in the fall, working in close partnership with faculty.

Support faculty members, including the SCL faculty coordinators, in working to resolve any issues that may arise between an agency and the student team matched to that agency.

Strengthen the Dean's strategic efforts to connect the Student Consulting Lab with other partnership building work underway at the school, including with the Evans Policy Innovation Collaboration (EPIC).

Inform Evans School students about the capstone requirement and how to plan their degree requirements accordingly (including but not limited to issuing emails, conducting info sessions, and distributing poster/flyers).

Meet with students and SCL student teams, as needed, to advise and provide support.

Supervision (15%)

Supervise the student services and career development staff. Provide coaching, mentoring, and guidance. Continue to support collaborative team operation. Recruit & hire staff that motivate and drive excellence and push the organization to be better and support our shared values of courage, service and equity in how they do their work.

Support staff in responding to emergent student needs and difficult situations experienced in classrooms, educational programs, or internships.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor's Degree and

four or more years experience in project or program management, and/or event planning, higher education administration or student support.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well with individuals at all organizational levels.

Excellent organizational, oral and written communication skills.

Proven ability to handle confidential information appropriately.

Able to work both independently and as an effective member of a team.

Attentive to detail but able to relate details to larger program activities and goals.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Master's degree in Public Administration, Higher Education Administration, or related field

Demonstrated commitment and experience supporting students and student programming from a diversity, equity and inclusion lens and perspective success factors in higher education

4-5 years in academic advising in higher education, preferably with graduate or professional program students

2-3 years in a leadership position in student services, student affairs, or a related area providing student support

Experience using UW databases and systems including the SDB, Canvas, Catalyst, MyGrad and/or related tools

Experience writing, editing, posting and maintaining website content, as well as experience with social media tools to communicate with students or customers.

Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select "Apply to this position". Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your "My Jobs" page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.

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