"Assistant Vice President for Student Wellness and Accessibility Services"

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Assistant Vice President for Student Wellness and Accessibility Services serves as a senior leader within the Division of Student Affairs and provides strategic oversight for an integrated portfolio that may include, leading Health and Wellbeing Promotion, Case Management, Accessibility/Disability Services, Academic Coaching/Support, triaging with Counseling and Psychological Services and related student support units. Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the AVP advances a comprehensive, equity-centered model of student wellness that aligns mental health, academic support, accessibility, and crisis response (on-call responsibilities) within a holistic student success framework.

The AVP supervises directors and professional staff across functional areas, ensures compliance with federal and state regulations, oversees budget planning and assessment efforts, and drives data-informed program development. The role partners closely with Academic Affairs, Community Life, and other institutional stakeholders to strengthen cross-divisional collaboration and coordinated care systems. The AVP represents the Vice President and the Division on high-level institutional committees related to crisis management, student retention, behavioral intervention, campus climate, risk management, and strategic planning.

This position participates in a senior-level on-call rotation to support institutional crisis response and student emergencies, providing consultation and decision support during complex situations. The AVP plays a visible leadership role in promoting a campus culture of belonging, psychological safety, and wellbeing, and contributes to institutional policy development affecting student support and success.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for an integrated portfolio of student wellness services, including health and wellbeing promotion, case management, disability and accessibility services, academic coaching/support, and triaging with counseling and psychological services.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive, equity-centered student wellness framework that integrates mental health, academic support, accessibility, and crisis response to promote holistic student success and persistence.
• Supervise and support directors and professional staff across functional areas, establishing shared goals, fostering collaboration across units, and ensuring high-quality service delivery and professional development.
• Oversee campus behavioral intervention and coordinated care systems, including chairing or supporting Behavioral Intervention/CARE teams and ensuring alignment with NABITA standards and best practices.
• Lead and participate in institutional crisis response and emergency management processes, including participation in a senior-level on-call rotation and consultation on complex student situations.
• Collaborate closely with Academic Affairs, Community Life, campus safety, and other campus partners to strengthen cross-divisional coordination and integrated student support systems.
• Manage budgets, resource allocation, and assessment initiatives across the wellness portfolio, using data and evidence-based practices to guide program development, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies related to student support services, including ADA, Section 504, FERPA, Clery, and other relevant frameworks.
• Represent the Division of Student Affairs and the Vice President on institutional committees and initiatives related to crisis management, student retention, campus climate, risk management, and strategic planning.
• Promote a campus culture that supports belonging, psychological safety, wellbeing, and inclusive student success through leadership, policy development, and campus-wide engagement.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The individual must possess knowledge, skills and ability to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the position or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

• Extensive knowledge and focused expertise in the arena of best practices for behavioral intervention, risk management and case management specifically NABITA standards in higher education.
• Demonstrated experience leading Behavioral Intervention and Care teams.
• Demonstrated capacity and understanding of and commitment to serve the mission of the College.
• Proven capacity to cultivate trust and credibility with students, staff and faculty and to build positive and effective relationships with student leaders and colleagues across the College.
• Outstanding communication skills including the ability to impart complex information with clarity to a range of constituencies (faculty, students, administrators, parents, law enforcement, etc.) as well as to media outlets.
• Evidence of visibility and influence within the campus community.
• Experience in new program development and bringing about change in a thoughtful manner as well as proven skill in building consensus among peers, direct reports and others.
• Proven ability to make independent judgments under pressure, react calmly and respond effectively in emergencies.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and knowledge of crisis intervention techniques.
• Ethical standards and demonstrated respect for the confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Proven ability to recruit, train, motivate, evaluate and retain high-performing employees.
• Capacity to function effectively as part of a senior management team including ability to think strategically, display an incisive intellect and willingness to actively explore, critique and propose new ideas, combined with the professionalism to fully support and execute the decision of the team regardless of one's personal point of view.

Required Education/Experience

• Master’s degree in Counseling, Social Work, Higher Education, Psychology, Student Affairs, Public Health, or a related field and ten-fifteen years of substantial experience in higher education.
• Progressive leadership experience in student wellness, counseling services, disability services, academic support, and related student affairs areas.
• Demonstrated experience supervising directors or multi-unit operations
• Knowledge of higher education compliance frameworks (ADA, Section 504, FERPA, Clery, Title IX coordination as relevant)
• Experience with on-call and crisis management systems and behavioral intervention teams
• Commitment to community-centered and culturally responsive practice

Preferred Qualifications

Doctorate degree in Counseling, Social Work, Higher Education, Psychology, Student Affairs, Public Health, or a related field.

Licenses/Certifications

Preferred licensure in clinical social work, marriage and family therapy or related credentials.

Supervisory Responsibility

Yes, Staff: Director of Disability, Access, and Success; Associate Dean, Mental Health and Wellbeing

Work Model

Hybrid: (4days on campus/1 day remote)

Compensation

Budgeted Salary Range: $120,000-$125,000 per year.

Application Materials

Upload the following materials to complete your application:

• Cover Letter: Indicate your reason for interest in this position, describe how your qualifications make you an ideal candidate, and explain which of Pitzer’s core values best relates to your own.
• Resume: List relevant qualifications and dates of experience.
• Professional References: References will be contacted for select applicants and advance notice will be provided. Provide the names of at least three (3) individuals who can speak to your professional qualifications. Include their business titles, contact information and an indication of how you are acquainted with them (e.g., former supervisor, coworker, etc.).