Associate Dean for Student Experience and Success
: Job Details :

Associate Dean for Student Experience and Success

**POSITION DETAILS**

CUNY SPS seeks an Associate Dean for Student Experience and Success (AD) to provide leadership that ensures the delivery of an exceptional and transformative online student experience and to support retention and degree attainment across all programs. The Associate Dean serves as the Chief Student Affairs Officer and will lead the student experience and engagement strategy, academic support and advising, student support services, student satisfaction, stakeholder engagement, assessment and reporting, and oversight and development of the Student Affairs team.

Reporting to the School's Dean, Dr. Lisa R. Braverman, who brings a wealth of vision and expertise to the School since joining CUNY SPS in 2023, the AD will serve as a member of the CUNY SPS senior leadership team and will join a dynamic team committed to implementing innovative strategies for advancing an excellent student experience within CUNY's only fully online campus. While the CEO of SPS is titled Dean, s/he functions similarly to a college president within CUNY. The title of Associate Dean at CUNY SPS therefore signifies a senior-level position, unlike at other institutions where it may denote a mid-level role. The Associate Dean demonstrates visionary leadership and strategic planning, and will represent the school at university level councils, committees, task forces, etc. and serve as the primary advocate, directly addressing online student needs and providing resources to assist them in all matters during the course of their education.

The Associate Dean will be joining the School during a time of critical enrollment growth and will have the opportunity to implement holistic, state-of-the-art practices tailored to support CUNY SPS' adult online learners. The preferred candidate will have a strategic mindset and demonstrated ability to lead and inspire high-performing teams, including Student Services, Counseling Services, Academic Advisement, etc., and they will demonstrate the ability to navigate complex organizational structures to drive innovation with data informed approaches. They will be able to deliver on innovative projects to continually raise the bar and enhance online student success and satisfaction.

Key responsibilities of the Associate Dean include, but are not limited to:

- Leads the components of the online student experience including advisement, retention, cocurricular student activities, and all other student support services at the School, creating a comprehensive and cohesive student experience and success plan that supports learner satisfaction and persistence and program completion.

- Develops and implements a best-in-class student online advisement and services model to set new standards in educational support including high-impact strategies designed to enhance the online student experience along the entire student life cycle, from enrollment to graduation, providing scalable and personalized support.

- Develops practices to identify and immediately address student issues and complaints captured through surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, evaluations, and meetings. Integrates and utilizes such tools as predictive analytics to track online student challenges and design prompt responses to, and resolutions for, them.

- Analyzes and assesses student metrics, including feedback and data-driven insights, to optimize current programs and develop innovative approaches that enhance the online student experience and success using predictive analytics.

- Develops and executes comprehensive communication plans across multiple channels to ensure online students are fully informed of available services and resources throughout their academic journey as well as response mechanisms for student feedback.

- Collaborates with the enrollment team and other departments to develop and implement engagement strategies that drive adult online student success, overseeing student outcomes assessments to significantly improve persistence, retention, and overall achievement.

- Leads the Student Services team, which provides services in the areas of counseling, disability support, student life, career services, student conduct, and military and veteran services.

- Develops ongoing communication plans with online students across a variety of channels to assure students are well-informed of the services available to them.

- Collaborates with all colleagues to ensure excellence in all online student support systems throughout the School, and speedy resolution of student issues and complaints in compliance with School and University policies and procedures.

**QUALIFICATIONS**

This position is in CUNY's Executive Compensation Plan. All executive positions require a minimum of a Bachelor's degree and eight years' related experience.

**Required Qualifications** :

- Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in a related field.

- Eight years of progressive experience in student services administration with a minimum of seven years of experience in advisement or student services administration in higher education at a senior level.

- Significant experience with an online adult student population.

- Demonstrated leadership in online adult learner success, advisement, and services functions with executive-level experience at a comparable institution and a record of achievement and innovation in the higher education student experience field.

- Ability to leverage technology solutions in their approach to improving student engagement/services.

**Preferred Qualifications:**

- Master's degree from an accredited university in a related field.

- Significant experience in leading, designing and delivering high quality online student services utilizing advanced student-facing technologies, with an understanding of current trends and best practices in online education and online student success.

- Ability to utilize analytics to analyze and design highly effective operational systems to support a scalable, high-volume support function that is uniquely customer-service focused.

- Proven expertise in implementing cutting-edge customer service principles and processes, with a commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, and excellence in all online student support endeavors.

- Excellent leadership, staff supervision and mentorship skills.

- Demonstrable written and verbal communication skills to reach broad constituencies.

- Commitment to the University and campus values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

**CUNY TITLE**

Professional School Associate Dean

**COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS**

Salary commensurate with education and experience between $155,000 and $165,000.

CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off. Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.

**HOW TO APPLY**

Academic Search is assisting CUNY SPS in this national search. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, please view the full position profile for Associate Dean for Student Experience and Success at www.academicsearch.org under the Open Searches tab.

Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest can be submitted electronically, and in confidence, to: ...@academicsearch.org.

**Applications should consist of:**

- a detailed letter of interest;

- a complete curriculum vitae (CV);

- the names and contact information (phone and email) of five professional references, none of whom will be contacted without prior notification to the candidate.

Confidential discussions about this opportunity may be arranged by contacting senior consultant Jerry Israel (...@academicsearch.org).

**CLOSING DATE**

The position is open until filled, but only applications received by **January 6, 2025** , can be assured full consideration.

**JOB SEARCH CATEGORY**

CUNY Job Posting: Executive

**EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY**

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups. Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.

Job ID

29382

Location

School of Professional Studies