Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs

Universities of Wisconsin • Madison, WI

1d

About The Position

The School of Veterinary Medicine seeks an empathetic, student-centered leader to serve as the Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs. The Associate Dean provides strategic leadership for academic programs and student‑facing services within the School. Reporting directly to the Dean, the Associate Dean collaborates closely with leadership including Associate and Assistant Deans and Department Chairs. The Associate Dean co-leads the Office of Academic Affairs in collaboration with the Associate Dean for Professional Programs and provides visionary leadership and operational oversight for the student-facing side of the Office of Academic Affairs. In addition to academic leadership, the Associate Dean oversees a comprehensive portfolio of services that support the professional and personal success of DVM students. This portfolio includes coordination of financial aid and scholarships, student wellness initiatives, accommodation and crisis response protocols, career counseling, externships and summer employment programs, and major student ceremonies including Orientation, the Blue Coat Ceremony, and Commencement. The Associate Dean is a strong communicator and serves as a subject matter expert on student issues, builds collaborative relationships across administrative and academic units, and engages internal and external stakeholders to advance student success. A central responsibility of the role is administration of the DVM admissions program to ensure a fair, equitable, and evidence‑based process. Through these efforts, the Associate Dean plays a pivotal role in shaping the student experience and strengthening the academic excellence of the school.

Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years in student-facing roles within educational or academic settings
• Demonstrated experience supervising and mentoring professional staff
• Bachelor's degree required

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated experience in leadership roles within an educational institution
• Experience managing student affairs within a graduate-level professional program.
• Experience designing or overseeing wellness and mental health initiatives tailored to professional student populations.
• A track record of implementing inclusive excellence frameworks in admissions and student programming
• Master's degree or other advanced degree in education, or a closely related discipline preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provision and coordination of services that support professional student life, including oversight of financial aid and scholarships; class officers and their responsibilities; summer veterinary employment and externship opportunities; career counseling and placement; and student wellness initiatives. Advises students in crisis and develops protocols to meet student needs, including the implementation of appropriate accommodations.
• Provides leadership for one or more academic programs by establishing strategic direction and setting priorities that align with the academic directives of the Dean, and ensures units effectively carry out duties in a way that best supports the university's initiatives, strategic direction, and academic mission; provides direct supervision of department/program leadership and monitors compliance with laws, regulations, university policies and procedures, and relevant contractual obligations
• Builds consensus and develops collegial, collaborative working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, partners with administrative and academic departments to support initiatives, and gathers input from key stakeholders to support recommendations
• Leads special initiatives and/or academic programs that require senior leadership attention with respect to program design, planning, coordination, and interaction with internal and external stakeholders
• Ensures initiatives are effectively using program assessment and data analysis to improve initiatives and strategies, identifies opportunities for improvement, and makes recommendations to the Dean for approval
• Directs on-going assessment and continuous improvement of academic programs and services by guiding the establishment of annual goals, ensuring progress towards goals is met, articulating challenges, and reporting on annual outcomes and achievements for programs/services
• Serves on various university review committees, working with a wide range of constituencies including the Faculty Senate, Deans and Associate Deans, General Counsel, and University Leadership
• Advises and collaborates with the Dean, Assistant Deans, and/or Office of the Provost on critical issues, represents the functional area of supervision at appropriate meetings and events as requested; and serves on and/or leads various program and/or university committees as directed to address issues
• Administer the DVM admission to ensure a consistent, fair, and equitable and evidence-based process.
• May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager