Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement

Job Description

Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Student Engagement serves as a member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team and the Vice President for Student Affairs’ Council. The AVP champions a collaborative, unrelenting commitment to a robust student experience that prioritizes students’ goals, strengths, and learning. With a visionary, learning-centered, and integrative mindset, the AVP for Student Engagement supervises five offices and talented directors to cultivate a rich experiential foundation for students. These include Student Engagement & Campus Life, the Cranwell International Center, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Living Learning Programs, and VT Engage: The Center for Leadership & Service Learning.

The AVP cultivates a synergistic approach to learning through organizational and community life. Each office, student organization, living learning program, and community offers a unique transformative context where powerful results are possible through goal setting, pathway building, and agency instilling. Although ExperienceVT is the programmatic responsibility for all of Student Affairs and beyond, this AVP and their team serve as champions for the initiative by growing momentum, building an infrastructure, and measuring success.

The AVP oversees and convenes student advisory groups to the Vice President for Student Affairs, including Order of the Gavel and Core Leadership. The AVP is involved in shared governance, and serves as the Senior Advisor to the Undergraduate Student Senate, with advisors and staff that report through VT Engage.

An intentional approach encourages students to grow in the Aspirations for Student Learning. Indicators of the position’s success include measurable increases in student engagement in campus life (across all student demographics), evidence of student engagement, impact on student well-being and success, and the creation of meaningful partnerships with university and community organizations, and Virginia Tech campuses in Roanoke and the Greater Washington, DC Metro area.

Required Qualifications

The selected individual must be a seasoned educator with an unrelenting commitment to student success, learning, and belonging. Experience and understanding of student learning and human development literature is essential. The AVP should be a collaborative and entrepreneurial senior leader with the highest level of communication, supervision, administrative, and organizational skills.

The enthusiastic support of The Division’s Aspirations for Student Learning, our strategic priorities, the mission of Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Beyond Boundaries, and our land grant spirit are required.

Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities and take initiative in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Ability to work collaboratively with a team of colleagues and serve as a representative of the division. Experience leading and engaging a team of professional team members. A criminal background check is required.

A Master's degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling or a related field and significant and increasing levels of responsibility with key facets of the AVP role are required. Applicants must care deeply about students and be comfortable advising student leaders.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in a Student Affairs area, especially at the director level; familiarity with auxiliary and E&G budgets. A doctoral degree in a related field is preferred.