Dean of Undergraduate Student Life

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $215,000 - $240,000

Position Summary

The Dean of Undergraduate Student Life (DUSL) plays a critical role in prioritizing an undergraduate student experience that values a vibrant and inclusive student community for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Reporting to the deans of both schools, this is a senior leadership position for two of Columbia University's seventeen schools who share a co-curricular program for approximately 6,500 undergraduates. The DUSL provides leadership, strategic direction and operational oversight for the functional work that complements what goes on in the classroom and directly impacts the experience outside of the classroom, including residential life (inclusive of fraternities and sororities), student engagement and multicultural affairs. This includes managing student life policies, practices, programs and services that are clear and consistent and that promote learning, community building, and intercultural understanding. The DUSL is highly influential in creating a student and staff culture of inclusion, belonging and innovation. This is a live-on position with housing provided by Columbia University.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Management

• Lead the planning and implementation of comprehensive undergraduate student life initiatives that foster an accessible and inclusive environment emphasizing belonging, advocacy and leadership development taking into account the various dimensions of Columbia College and the Columbia Engineering undergraduate community--entire student body, school identities, class cohorts, residential, interest and affinity--based programming.
• Provide direction for other programs within the residential community and student organizations to create a welcoming campus environment conducive to mutual dialogue and meaningful exchange among all students.
• Lead the on-call response team for emergency responses and urgent student situations, which requires the DUSL to live on campus and be on call throughout the academic year. Serve as a key partner for the management of campus-level and individual student crises, both operationally and by establishing and managing related policies and protocols.
• Promote and connect the undergraduate student-oriented work of both schools as a senior leader within Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Partner with other senior school leaders with a focus on collaboration across involved offices and synthetization of workflows for a broad range of services and programs that enrich all students' growth and development.

Relationship Building and Management

• Advance the interests and needs of student life for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering undergraduates within the schools and across the University.
• Collaborate with staff, partner offices and faculty to develop and implement co-curricular initiatives that promote student engagement, leadership development and foster a sense of belonging.
• Work with the Center for Student Success and Intervention, the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Institutional Equity on all complex student disciplinary cases pertaining to behavioral issues. Oversee community living standards in the undergraduate residence halls, including behavioral disciplinary procedures and actions.
• Serve as an approachable leader who earns the trust and respect of student leaders and organizations while providing a model of engagement with them for other administrators and faculty.
• Attend and participate in campus events and activities on a regular basis and maintain a visible presence in undergraduate life.

Operational Leadership and Management

• Enhance the faculty-in-residence program that integrates students' academic experiences with their residential lives; work closely with students to design and implement co-curricular programs that foster interactions between faculty and students,
• Establish and implement short- and long-term department goals, objectives, policies, budgets and operating procedures.
• Ensure programs and services offered are effective, cohesive and consistent with the needs and objectives of Columbia College and Columbia Engineering and their diverse undergraduate student bodies.
• Design, establish and maintain staffing and an organizational structure to effectively accomplish goals and objectives; supervise and mentor a team of directors and staff, assessing performance and providing professional development opportunities.
• Lead the team to ensure their work is innovative, coordinated, responsive to student needs, data-driven and closely aligned with the missions of Columbia College and Columbia Engineering

Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required. Advanced degree in a related field required.
• Minimum of ten years of experience required, including progressively responsible positions within an educational setting and significant management experience in student affairs or similar setting.
• Demonstrated track record of advancing inclusiveness and uniting groups and individuals across lines of difference.
• Ability to work respectfully, creatively, and collaboratively in highly complex and challenging environments which should be complemented by diplomacy, discretion, integrity, and tolerance for ambiguity.
• Well-honed communication skills, including listening, writing, and speaking effectively in both small and large groups is essential.
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills and be comfortable maintaining a highly visible and engaged role while actively working with a wide variety of constituents within and outside of Columbia College and Columbia Engineering.
• Possess emotional maturity, genuineness, self-confidence, common sense, sound judgment, fairness, creativity, discretion, decisiveness, political savvy, tact, resiliency, adaptability, and courage of convictions.
• Demonstrate excellent supervisory skills with a proven ability to effectively advocate for staff and their needs, coach and mentor staff members at various levels of development and knowledge, and lead with authenticity, passion, and empathy.
• Maintain the ability to understand and connect deeply with faculty, enhance the connection and partnership with academic departments, and transparently communicate how undergraduate student life units support the University's academic mission.
• Actively engage with students across diverse settings, leveraging current technologies and innovative modes of interaction to foster meaningful connections, enhance communication, and support student development in a dynamic and inclusive learning environment.

As a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Council of Ivy Group Presidents (Ivy League), it is imperative that members of the Columbia University community, in all matters related to the intercollegiate athletics program, exhibit the highest professional standards and ethical behavior with regard to adherence to NCAA, Conference, University, and Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education rules and regulations.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.