Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students

Western Connecticut State University•Danbury, CT

2d•$140,721 - $175,901•Hybrid

About The Position

At Western Connecticut State University (WestConn), diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are foundational. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, WestConn is committed to expanding access, advancing opportunity, and delivering student success through equity. The university seeks a forward-looking leader for the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students role to design a connected, creative, and responsive student experience that supports persistence, strengthens community, and advances WestConn’s mission. The Western Rising Focused Strategy (2026-2028) guides the university's efforts to ensure financial sustainability while honoring its academic mission. This strategy emphasizes community-guided approaches, balancing fiscal stewardship with student success, belonging, and regional impact. The AVP & Dean of Students will play a key role in implementing this strategy by strengthening student-ready systems, shaping a distinctively WestConn student experience, building regional partnerships, fostering a culture of shared leadership, and creating an environment for student thriving. The AVP & Dean of Students will report directly to President Jesse M. Bernal, serving as a strategic partner and core member of the university’s executive leadership team. The role requires an imaginative, technology-forward, and data-informed leader who can leverage modern systems and emerging tools to redesign service delivery, strengthen coordination, and elevate the student experience. This position supervises professional and support staff and oversees key functions including Housing & Residence Life, Dean of Students Office (case management, behavioral intervention, judicial affairs), Center for Student Involvement, Student Wellness (counseling, health services, substance abuse programs), Center for Intercultural Affairs, Recreation and Club Sports, First-Year Programming, New Student Orientation, student transition initiatives, mentoring, and connected-student engagement strategies.

Requirements

A master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Social Work, Public Administration, or a related field or a combination of education, credentials, and progressively responsible leadership experience that provides comparable preparation for this role.
Progressively responsible leadership experience in student affairs/student success/student services within a complex organization, including supervision of professional staff and cross-functional collaboration.
Demonstrated ability to lead and improve student-facing services with a student-centered, equity-minded approach.
Demonstrated capacity to manage complex situations involving student support, wellbeing, and/or conduct with sound judgment, care, and appropriate escalation.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences (students, families, faculty, staff, community partners) and build durable partnerships.
Demonstrated commitment to working effectively in a diverse campus community and fostering belonging and student thriving.
Demonstrated ability to use data and technology to inform decisions, assess impact, and improve service delivery.

Nice To Haves

Earned doctorate (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) in a related field.
Seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in student affairs in higher education.
Senior student affairs leadership experience in public higher education, and/or experience supporting a diverse student body, including at an HSI or similarly mission-driven institution.
Direct oversight experience in multiple relevant functional areas such as housing and residence life, dean of students/case management, student conduct, counseling/health promotion, intercultural affairs, student involvement, first-year programs, mentoring, and/or campus recreation.
Experience leading crisis response, behavioral intervention/care processes, and complex student support cases.
Familiarity with key compliance frameworks affecting student affairs operations (e.g., FERPA, Clery, ADA/504, Title IX processes as applicable, professional ethics and privacy standards).
Demonstrated experience modernizing student services through process redesign, system implementation, analytics, and/or responsible adoption of AI-enabled tools.
Experience advancing inclusive excellence through identity-affirming programs, culturally responsive practice, and effective community partnerships.

Responsibilities

Provides visible, values-driven leadership for student experience and thriving, ensuring services are coordinated, accessible, and responsive to student needs across residential, commuter, and transition experiences.
Serves as a senior advisor to the President on student climate, wellbeing, engagement, retention, and emerging issues affecting students.
Partners with academic leadership to strengthen the integration of learning and engagement, including first-year programming, new student orientation, co-curricular learning, leadership development, mentoring, and student support pathways.
Promotes a culture of care, accountability, and belonging that supports persistence, completion, and holistic student development.
Provides leadership for student support/case management and coordinated care for students of concern, including triage, follow-up, and referral to campus and community resources.
Serves in leadership roles for student care structures (e.g., student care team, behavioral intervention/threat assessment team processes), supporting effective communication, documentation, and appropriate escalation.
Supports crisis response protocols and serve, as assigned, in an on-call/administrator-on-duty rotation to ensure timely support outside of business hours.
Oversees student conduct/judicial affairs and community standards processes that are fair, educational, timely, and consistent.
Strengthens preventative education and restorative practices where appropriate, reinforcing belonging and accountability.
Oversees residence life strategy and operations to support a safe, engaging, inclusive residential experience.
Partners functionally with the VP for Operations/Chief Operating Officer on housing facilities and related operational needs to ensure a coordinated student experience (e.g., maintenance communication pathways, safety protocols, capital planning input).
Strengthens residential programming that supports belonging, wellbeing, and academic success.
Oversees Alcohol & Substance Abuse Programs, Counseling Services, Health Services, and Wellness Education & Prevention in a coordinated wellness model that increases access, cross-training, shared resources, and continuity of care.
Promotes prevention, early intervention, and resilience practices across the campus community.
Ensures appropriate privacy, ethical standards, and compliance in wellness-related operations and vendor/community partnerships.
Provides leadership for the Center for Intercultural Affairs, including Intercultural Affairs and Campus Ministry.
Advances a campus culture where students are welcomed, supported, and able to thrive, ensuring programs are responsive to diverse identities, experiences, and needs.
Builds partnerships across campus to strengthen inclusive practices, community education, and student engagement.
Oversees the Center for Student Involvement and student activities that foster leadership development, connection, and vibrant campus life.
Provides leadership for recreation and club sports to support wellbeing, community, and student engagement.
Leads or advances first-year programming, new student orientation, mentoring, and other transition initiatives that help students build connection, confidence, and momentum.
Strengthens pathways for student voice, feedback, and leadership participation in campus improvement.
Champions effective use of technology to streamline access to services (e.g., case management systems, scheduling/appointment platforms, engagement platforms, communications tools) and to improve the user experience.
Uses data and student feedback to assess needs, evaluate effectiveness, and improve programs and services (e.g., service utilization, engagement indicators, satisfaction, barriers to access).
Encourages responsible use of emerging capabilities, including AI-enabled tools, to improve service navigation, operational efficiency, and insight, while maintaining privacy, compliance, and human judgment in decision-making.
Maintains strong relationships with community partners and providers to expand support for students (e.g., health/wellness resources, crisis supports, veteran services, identity-supporting organizations).
Supports appropriate family/guardian engagement consistent with policy and student privacy, especially during crises and transitions.
Leads, coaches, and develops a high-performing team grounded in respect, accountability, and collaboration.
Establishes clear expectations, service standards, and effective cross-unit coordination.
Partners with the President and appropriate operational leaders to support responsible stewardship of resources, effective planning, and service-focused operations.
Performs other duties and responsibilities related to those enumerated above which do not alter the basis level of responsibility of the position.