Associate Vice President, Equity and Belonging - Students

Central Washington University is recruiting an Associate Vice President for Equity and Belonging - Students to join our Student Engagement and Success team in Ellensburg, Washington. This role is an important member of our team as they support the mission, vision and values of the University. The role is a campus-based position, which means you get to see the lives you are impacting. We're offering a salary, depending on experience, from $138,695 - $180,304 plus the awesome CWU benefits.

Who we are:

We are a team of individuals committed to Changing Students' Lives. No matter what job, each of us plays a part in supporting and empowering our students to fulfill their dreams.

Working in higher education provides career growth and career choice. Think of a university campus like a mini city, operating across 380 acres. You'll find diverse academics, libraries, athletics and sporting events, full service and quick serve dining, conferences and events from small to large, recreation centers, housing, health services, police and public safety for the campus population of ~10,000 students.

Central Washington University has been named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Top Producing Institution for the 2022-2023 academic year. In addition, for the seventh time in eight years, CWU is a recipient of the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Come join us on our journey to encourage, inspire, and create spaces where all identities thrive on campus.

Tour our campus in Ellensburg here.

What we offer:

Our investment in you begins the day you join our team, a healthy and successful future for you is important to us. We offer medical, dental, life and disability insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, tuition assistance for you and your dependents, discounts across town, an employee assistance program for individualized counseling, and a wellness incentive program. Learn more: Benefits, Perks, and Leave.

The Role:

The Associate Vice President for Equity and Belonging - Students (AVP, E&B-Students) provides leadership across the division of Student Engagement and Success in order to advance equity and create a culture of belonging for students. The AVP, E&B - Students partners with other university leaders, including the VP Equity and Belonging, Associate Vice Presidents, College Deans and others, to advance the work of equity and belonging across the university. Additionally, the AVP, E&B-Students supervises the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and other offices to oversee student conduct at the university, including discrimination, Title IX, academic misconduct, and behavioral misconduct. This position directly supervises and has oversight of the following areas: Career Services; Diversity & Equity Center; Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement (SLICE); Associated Students of Central Washington University (ASCWU); Student Rights and Responsibilities; and the Veterans Center.

The AVP, E&B-Students will advance critical University Vision and Mission related initiatives and programs, such as becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution. The AVP, E&B-Students reports to the Vice President for Student Engagement and Success (SES) and is a key member of the division's executive leadership team. The AVP, E&B-Students represents the VP SES and supports collaborative and constructive relationships with other departments, in particular, those within Academic Affairs and DEI. In the absence of the VP, SES, the Associate Vice President assumes responsibility for the division. The AVP, E&B-Students is an enthusiastic and effective advocate for diversity and inclusion in student and employee recruitment and retention, and in the workplace.

Develop, nurture, and implement programs, initiatives, and practices that advance a culture of equity and belonging:
- Provides vision, direction, and expertise in the development and implementation of a data-informed retention plan for a diverse student body.
- Collaborates with the Division of Academic Affairs, the VP for Equity and Belonging, and other offices and individuals to build effective and sustainable retention and success initiatives.
- Assumes a leadership role in the development of HSI initiatives and programs.
- Collaborates with the leadership across the division and university to support initiatives and programs that advance equity and belonging.
- Collaborates with directors across the division to build a culture of inclusion for staff within division to increase a sense of purpose and belonging.
- Leads the hiring and retention of diverse staff within the division.

Student Conduct:
- Supports the Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities in overseeing behavioral intervention and student conduct.
- Works collaboratively with the Director to administer and review the Student Conduct Code and behavioral policies.
- Supports the Director in conducting investigations, overseeing conduct cases, interpreting policy, determining interim measures, and working with the Director of Title IX/Compliance.
- Participates in oversight of the Threat Assessment Team and other teams and works with University Relations and the Office of Public Safety on communication.

General Administration:
- Works with divisional leadership to create an environment of inclusion, access, accountability, and superior service to others within the division.
- Serves as one of the principal budget administrators/appointing authorities for the university's budget/fiscal matters; ensures that decisions regarding employment-related matters are based on knowledge and understanding of the university's fiscal status.
- Manages departmental budgets within the fiscal guidelines to achieve efficient, effective use of resources.
- Assists with the coordination of professional development and team building for members of the division, including implementing equity related training.

Supervisor Duties
- Actively engages in recruitment and hiring new employees.
- Clearly defines performance expectations, ensures accountability, and provides ongoing informal feedback, coaching, and mentoring. Conducts formal performance evaluations.
- Ensures employees have necessary resources to meet divisional goals.
- Oversees and directs the work of staff; serves as mentor, coach and leader, and resolves complaints or issues.
- Promotes professional development opportunities.
- Develops and fosters supportive working relationships, motivation, staff retention, and engagement.
- Communicates information to staff on an ongoing basis to encourage staff engagement and to be a part of the larger university community.
- Takes corrective action in a timely manner.
- Recognizes and rewards employees for good performance.
- Schedules employee work hours/shifts; monitor hours worked; approve payable time and absence requests.
- Adjusts leadership style as needed to achieve results.
- Recognizes the value and actively promotes a diverse workforce.
- Values and encourages diverse perspectives, creativity, and teamwork.

Leadership:
- Advises the Vice President on matters relating to the Division of Student Engagement and Success and serves as a member of the division's executive leadership team.
- In the absence of the VP, SES, the Associate Vice President E&B-Students assumes responsibility for the division.
- Engages in a data-informed approach to problem solving and decision-making and facilitates best practices in equity and belonging, student success and development, and student conduct.
- Coordinates the assessment of effectiveness of programs within the division.
- Serves as a key collaborator with university partners, promoting student-centered and student development philosophy utilizing various student development, learning, retention theories and best practices.
- Develops and maintains policies and procedures pertaining to equity and belonging, student success and development, and student conduct.
- Serves as an advocate for student needs and actively partners with the Associated Students of Central Washington University (ASCWU).
- Collaborates with other leaders within the Student Success and Engagement Division and across the university to:
- Lead initiatives and programs that advance the university vision and mission, including becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution.
- Develop and foster collaborative and transparent working relationships, motivation and engagement.
- Strive for divisional excellence and inclusive service to others.

-Perform other duties as assigned

A master's degree in higher education administration, student affairs, or related field and at least six years of progressive leadership experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion and/or student development, engagement and success. Successful oversight of programs and initiatives to retain a diverse student body and create a culture of belonging and inclusion.

The AVP, E&B-Students must be a highly relational, transformational and data-informed individual who builds strong partnerships to increase equity and belonging based on best practices and current trends in the field of higher education. The incumbent must be a strong communicator, including being an active listener to facilitate conversations and mediate diverse opinions to address shared needs and concerns; be collaborative both within the division and across divisions; be transparent; lead with accountability, empathy, compassion, and care; be student-centered and understand student development best practices that promote academic and personal success; be trusting of employees and always act with integrity.

The position requires demonstrated experience in several of the following areas:

• Proven experience developing and implementing student experiences that build inclusion and belonging.
• Proven experience advancing equity-minded leadership in student services, student affairs, or related higher education settings.
• A strong record of administrative leadership in higher education.
• A record of success as a supervisor, including but not limited to professional development, goal setting, and assessment of performance effectiveness.
• Experience in personnel management and development.
• Successful experience with retention, persistence, graduation, and on-going success initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience of a high level of collegiality in working with diverse offices within student engagement and success and across campus.
• Development of programs to retain a diverse student body.
• Experience with oversight of student conduct process, crisis management, and ability to work collaboratively with others in managing crisis and student demonstrations.
• Demonstrated experience engaging in data-informed decision making and organizational strategic planning.
• Experience in management and oversight of multiple complex budgets with various funding sources.

The position requires the following competencies:

• Vision, strategic thinking with a data-informed and equity-informed mindset.
• Positive, innovative outlook and communication style.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation / communications skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a diverse team and work effectively in a diverse environment.
• An exceptional commitment to student and employee inclusion and diversity.

Preferred Qualifications include several of the following:

• A doctoral degree and seven years of progressive leadership experience in equity and belonging and/or student success.
• Demonstrated experience in building and implementing student success initiatives to increase retention of a diverse student population.
• Experience with assessment of student programming.
• Demonstrated ability to support change management.
• Demonstrated experience in managing student conduct, Title IX, behavioral and academic misconduct.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across the university in student success and retention initiatives.

Competencies

• The ability to take strategic and intelligent risks, to identify innovative opportunities and to participate in a decision-making process that is data-informed, collaborative, and inclusive.
• A transparent and relational leadership style that fosters collegiality and collaboration in the decision-making process and that originates from empathy, compassion, and care.
• A strong communicator, demonstrating active listening skills and the ability to inspire others.
• A track record as an effective steward of university and external sponsor resources and the ability to identify opportunities for growth and efficiency.
• A commitment to providing the highest standard of customer and educational experiences for CWU students, focusing on student success.
• Ability to be proactive and keep abreast with best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion and any changes in relevant legislation.

Don't meet every single requirement? At CWU we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. This may be the job for you!

Salary: This position has a minimum annual salary of $138,695 and maximum annual salary of $221,912. The Hiring Department's expected hiring range is $138,695 - $180,304. In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the hiring range is based on the candidate's current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position.

Schedule/Appointment: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm (1 hour lunch)

Working Conditions: Work is performed in an indoor office setting with frequent in-person interactions. It is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods of time, perform extensive data entry and other computer-related tasks and create/maintain filing systems for departmental records. Evening or weekend work and/or occasional travel may be required.

Benefits: CWU offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical and dental insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, life and disability insurance, along with vacation and sick leave plans depending on employment classification. For additional information please visit Benefits, Perks, and Leave.

An employee of CWU may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program if the employee has student loans. To learn more, visit: https://ofm.wa.gov/state-human-resources/public-service-loan-forgiveness-program.