THE POSITION: Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
SALARY: Competitive
THE ORGANIZATION:
The University of Baltimore (UB) invites applications and nominations for the position of Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. UB may consider Vice President level depending upon the candidate’s background and experience.
UB is a Carnegie Master’s I metropolitan university with an enrollment in Fall 2009 of 6279 students. The University has led the Maryland system in growth for the last three years with average increases of 7% each year. This fall, the University achieved the highest enrollment figures in its history with an undergraduate student population of just over 3000 (an increase of 42% since 2006), a graduate student population of over 2100 including professional-degree students and over 1100 law students. Of the total student body in fall 2009, 53 percent was full-time and 47 percent part-time; 57 percent was female and 43 percent male; 34.3 percent of the student body was minority and 3.9 percent international; 87.2 percent was Maryland resident. UB’s undergraduate student average age is 28.8, and its graduate student average age is 31.4.
UB was founded in 1925 as a private institution. Its founders, a group of Baltimore civic leaders, wanted to provide low-cost, part-time evening study in business and law to working adults. Its first class had 62 law students and 114 business students (fall 2009 attendance for the law school is over 1100 students, the business school enrolled 1198 full and part time students for the same period). UB became a state institution in 1975, and in 1988, it joined the University System of Maryland. It serves the city and county of Baltimore, the state and beyond. In the fall of 2007, UB enrolled its first freshman class in over 30 years. Over 200 full-time traditional age freshmen entered the University this fall and there are now over 800 traditional age undergraduates at the institution. UB’s remarkable growth is projected to continue over the next several years.
UB’s three schools (Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts, Merrick School of Business, and the School of Law) offer majors in business, management, marketing and related disciplines; corporate communication, publications design and related programs; computer and information sciences and support services; English language and literature/letters; health management and related programs; history; legal professions and studies; liberal arts and sciences; general studies and humanities; multi- and interdisciplinary studies; psychology; public administration and social service professions; criminal justice and forensic studies; and social sciences.
Langsdale Library, UB’s principal library, houses a collection of 258,747 titles and 10,738 serial subscriptions. The University of Baltimore Foundation has total assets of about $50 million; it supports various programs throughout the University, including scholarship initiatives, capital improvements and academic programming.
UB employs 363 faculty members, 45 percent of whom work full time and 86.5 percent of whom have terminal degrees. The student-faculty ratio is 16-to-1.
The University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Higher Education (MSACHE), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). For more information, visit www.ubalt.edu.
Division of Student Affairs:
The Division of Student Affairs is the catalyst for student development by engaging students in transformative, wholistic learning experiences that support their discovery and achievement of personal and academic excellence. Through these experiences, students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed personally and professionally, and to embrace their role as contributing members of the University and civic communities.
The Division of Student Affairs fosters student learning by delivering quality programs and services that support the growth and development of the University’s diverse student population. Through a myriad of learning experiences designed to develop students who are self-aware and productive members of society, the Division partners with the academic and administrative divisions of the University to enrich student life on campus for both traditional and non-traditional students. The ultimate goal is to ENGAGE students in meaningful ways to promote their personal and professional success.
The student development professionals:
Educate…….focus on student learning
Nurture…….respect students’ unique differences and support their development
Grow………..encourage self-reliance personally, academically, and professionally
Advocate…..keep the needs of students in the forefront of university dialogues
Give back….model good campus citizenship through leadership and stewardship
Empower…..give students the tools and resources needed to achieve their goals
The following values guide the work of the Division:
Student-Centered:
Students are at the center of what we do and are our reason for existing; we put students first in all that we do. We meet students where they are developmentally and work with them to meet and attain realistic life, education, and career goals. As student advocates, we proactively educate the university community about the needs of our diverse student population and serve as a central resource for students, faculty, and staff on student issues. We actively assess the student experience and act on data that is obtained. We promote co-curricular learning and develop programs and services to help students achieve their potential.
Embracing Diversity:
The diversity of thought, values, and approach that comes from differences in ethnicity, culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, and other personal dimensions enriches the learning environment for students, staff, and faculty. The Division of Student Affairs incorporates diversity into hiring practices, policies and procedures, curricula, program offerings, and general campus dialogue in order to create an inclusive campus community where all students feel valued and respected. A part of this value includes promoting social responsibility among our students.
Acting with Integrity:
Building trust through open, honest, and direct communication is at the core of what we do. As student affairs professionals, we must model respect and be accountable for our actions. Operating with integrity will build trust with students, staff, and faculty and establish credibility for the Division.
Working Collaboratively:
Staff and faculty must work together to create a stimulating and engaging learning environment outside of the classroom. Developing partnerships within and external to the University community is key to our mission and will often extend limited resources and improve the quality of the student experience.
Forward-Thinking Excellence:
In a time of constant change, the Division strives to be on the cutting edge of student affairs practice and strives to be a national model of best practices. We must be innovative and creative in our approach to providing quality programs and services, and must think proactively about the best ways to serve the needs of tomorrow’s college student.
CAMPUS SETTING:
UB’s dynamic and diverse urban campus distinguishes itself from other University of Maryland system universities. In the heart of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon Cultural District, UB operates within the city’s most creative and energetic neighborhood and home to the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the Lyric Opera House, CENTERSTAGE and the Walters Art Museum. The University is also conveniently located at the center of Baltimore’s most well-connected transportation hub, one block away from Penn Station—served by Amtrak and MARC trains—and the city’s Light Rail system. Close to the green, well-kept residential area of Bolton Hill, UB’s community boasts some of the most impressive 19th-century architecture on the East Coast. Students, faculty and staff enjoy the energy and inspiration that comes from working, studying and living in midtown Baltimore. Through its central location, the University contributes to the economic and cultural vitality of the city’s midtown. The Carnegie Foundation has designated UB as a “Community Engaged University,” and the University has launched the UB Midtown development initiative to contribute to the continued revitalization of its community.
UB’s campus includes numerous buildings along the Mt. Royal Avenue corridor. Among the recent expansion activities are the award winning Student Center, renovation of architectural landmarks such as the Liberal Arts and Policy building, new facilities for bookstore, parking, and housing, and ambitious plans for the design and construction of a new law school facility. UB leads the community with its focus on environmental initiatives and sustainability efforts which are included in the University’s strategic plan. The campus’ green commitment can be seen in tangible ways throughout the community, including campus-wide landscape improvement projects, a green roof project on the law school, and numerous programs focused on reducing greenhouse emissions. As expansion continues in the form of off-campus residential units, attention to environment and architectural preservation will continue.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS:
At University of Baltimore, faculty, staff and administration have joined together to build high quality programs so that the needs of students and the community may be served. UB’s Strategic 2008 – 2012 Strategic Plan includes objectives focused on increasing student enrollment in response to state and regional demand and strengthening retention efforts in all program areas. The evolution of what was predominately a commuter campus to a 24/7 world class learning institution will occur through the expansion of co-curricular offerings that enrich students’ educational, cultural, and social experiences. UB’s student population, richly diverse in age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and cultures, is excited to be part of a campus community prepared to grow beyond its historic mission while the University continues to strengthen its long term commitment to community involvement. At the University of Baltimore, students are equally engaged outside the classroom as they are within. With a wide array of activities ranging from academic clubs to advocacy and public interest groups, student involvement takes on many forms.
The Associate Vice President for Student Affairs will facilitate initiatives focused on the evaluation of our current programs and will lead in the design and implementation of new, dynamic programs that address the current and future needs and interests of our diverse, and expanding, student body. The Associate Vice President will closely partner with the Senior Vice President Enrollment Management and Student Affairs to balance multiple objectives while ensuring that the culture, environment, and program offerings of the Student Affairs organization are contributing towards the continuing expansion of the University. The creative expansion of co-curricular offerings that enrich students’ educational, cultural, and social experiences, goals articulated in the Strategic Plan, will shape the primary focus of the Vice President’s role upon joining the UB community.
THE POSITION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Associate Vice President for Student Affairs reports to the Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. The selected candidate will manage an experienced leadership team responsible for overseeing and directing the efforts of several student development units including Academic Resource Center, Campus Recreation and Wellness Services, Career Center, Counseling Services , Dean of Students, Disability Services , Student Diversity and International Education, and the Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement. A core responsibility for the near term will be the establishment of a Student Residential Life office which will provide various levels of residential support to students interested in living within the campus community. The Associate Vice President will ensure that all units focus on ongoing policy and program evaluation and new program development, student services assessment, communications, and operations including finances, budgets, and quality initiatives. As the chief student affairs officer, the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs must balance two roles: on the one hand, serving as an advocate and providing a voice for students among senior administrators in the shaping and implementation of University policy; on the other hand, interpreting and applying University policies to students, holding them accountable as responsible members of the campus community.
- The Associate Vice President for Student Affairs will bring creative and innovative ideas that reflect the nature of UB’s dynamic student community. The alignment of the student affairs organization and the key initiatives with the University’s strategic goals to provide a supportive learning environment for individuals to advance in their careers and be engaged in their communities will be a critical priority for the new Associate Vice President.
- The position requires a creative leader who articulates a student-centered philosophy and vision of student affairs that promotes excellence, innovation, synergy and creativity among the staff within the division to meet the changing demand of a highly diverse student body.
- The Associate Vice President will maintain the quality of the division by fostering an energized and team-based environment that attracts and retains outstanding staff and students necessary to support and grow strong education, multicultural, global, and creative programs.
- The Associate Vice President will ensure that student affairs policies balance the interests of all constituencies and reflect an accurate and reasonable view of university and system-wide expectations.
- The Associate Vice President will work across organizational boundaries to coordinate and implement student retention initiatives that sustain and support an environment where students thrive, achieve academic excellence, and develop as future leaders for the community.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate will have a master’s degree and a minimum of ten years progressively responsible experience in a higher education institution, with at least five to seven years supervisory leadership; a terminal degree in a related field is preferred. In addition, the position requires evidence of success working with a diverse student population; demonstrated knowledge of student development theory and best practices; ability to multi-task in face of competing demands, and a commitment to enhance student learning and preparation for success in a multicultural, global society.
Additional Qualifications:
- The ability to create a vision, lead change when necessary, and a commitment to continuous improvement;
- Demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively and maintain open dialogue with faculty, staff and students and an ability to build strong connections between student life and academic programs as well as the ability to nurture an atmosphere of collegiality, inclusiveness, shared inquiry, shared responsibility, and collective accomplishment;
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience within and/or across the array of content areas generally associated with Student Affairs work; an understanding or familiarity of enrollment management practices is desirable.
- Documented evidence of success working with diverse undergraduate and graduate (i.e. identities, thoughts, experiences, and involvement) student populations;
- Collaborative leadership style with well-developed communication skills;
- A commitment to diversity with a record of hiring talented and diverse staff, delegating appropriate work to them and holding them accountable for their work;
- The ability to establish and oversee procedures to maintain quality, equity and accountability, including selecting and promoting staff, and developing and managing human, financial and physical resources;
- An appreciation or understanding of urban campus dynamics;
- Experience with facilities management;
- A commitment to building and maintaining a welcoming, inclusive university community in which all students feel safe and protected from harm and harassment;
- The intellectual, analytical, and ethical qualities that will drive work and command respect;
- Respect for the University’s history and achievements;
- Demonstrated achievement in creating innovative and distinctive student life programs, with a particular focus on student learning;
- A demonstrated commitment to integrating student life outcomes with academic outcomes; and
- A sense of humor.
HOW TO APPLY:
Greenwood/Asher& Associates, Inc. is assisting the University of Baltimore in the search. Initial screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. For best consideration, materials should be provided by December 14, 2009. Nominations should include the name, position, address, and telephone number. Application materials should include a letter addressing how the candidate’s experiences match the position requirements, a resume and contact information for at least five references. Submission of materials as MS Word attachments is strongly encouraged.
Confidential inquiries, nominations, and application materials should be directed to:
Jan Greenwood or Betty Turner Asher
Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc.
42 Business Center Drive, Suite 206
Miramar Beach, FL 32550
Phone: 850.650.2277Fax: 850.650.2272
E-mail: jangreenwood {at} greenwoodsearch(.)com
bettyasher {at} greenwoodsearch(.)com
The University of Baltimore is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.
