About this role
ABOUT WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY:
Willamette University, founded in 1842, is a nationally-renowned private university enrolling 2800 students across five colleges. Our historic campus, adjacent to the Oregon State Capitol, hosts a distinguished undergraduate liberal arts college in Salem, Oregon. Our downtown Portland campus is home to the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). We offer a wide range of professional graduate programs, including Oregon’s top-ranked MBA program, the Northwest’s oldest law school, as well as MA/MFA programs at PNCA and master’s degrees in data science and computer science.
Willamette University provides a high-value and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our Benefits Summary includes options for health, dental, life insurance, retirement, substantial paid time off, tuition and more. If you need assistance applying for a job or have any questions on recruitment at Willamette, please contact our HR Department, hr@willamette.edu or call us at 503-370-6210.
POSITION SUMMARY
Reporting to the Dean of Students for Community Care & Inclusion, the Assistant Director of Student Affairs assists in overseeing the co-curricular engagement of 400 undergraduate students and 40 graduate students. In collaboration with the PNCA Student Affairs team, the Assistant Director’s responsibilities are aimed at creating inclusive environments, events, and initiatives that support students’ sense of belonging, holistic learning, well-being, leadership development, and engagement that fosters students’ success.
In close coordination with the Residential Life and Housing team on Willamette University’s Salem Campus, the Assistant Director assumes responsibility for the operation of ArtHouse, an apartment-style residential facility in downtown Portland that houses 130 first-year students and includes the supervision of 4-6 Resident Assistants. This is a live-in position and requires some evening and weekend availability.
The Assistant Director serves as a University conduct officer and is a member of the Student Care Team, ensuring case management support and assistance to students in crisis and distress and serving in an on-call rotation for emergency and response.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Engagement & Community Development
Advise and support recognized undergraduate and graduate student organizations and Arthouse Hall Council; meet regularly with their executive teams.
Oversee student leaders in planning and implementing events.
Lead and/or assist in the program planning and implementation of campus-wide events and initiatives such as New Student and Family Orientation, Family Weekend, Holiday Art Fair, Cultural Heritage Months, other affinity-based programming, personal development opportunities, and social events & programs.
Develop community-building and educational initiatives based on the Student Affairs Division curriculum and PNCA goals that support student learning, engagement, and belonging.
Develop and support student recognition initiatives and promote leadership opportunities.
Allocate and maintain student lockers.
Maintain visibility, engage regularly with students, and attend campus and community programs.
Provide budgetary oversight to assigned budget accounts. Ensure compliance with institutional budget policies.
Arthouse Facilities Operations & Residence Life
Assist in overall administration of the residence life and housing program. Coordinate facility management, housing operations, and communication with residents with PTLA property management group.
Assist in the development and evaluation of housing policies, procedures, and goals.
Educate RAs and residents on safety and security concerns and appropriate emergency response procedures.
Assumes other duties as assigned by the Director of Residential Life and Housing and Dean of Students for Community Care & Inclusion
Recruit, train, and supervise 4-6 Resident Advisors and Office of Student Affairs student employees. Provide ongoing feedback and support to student staff.
Oversees RA responsibilities in the communication of community expectations of students and response to behavioral issues.
Establish a sense of teamwork and collaboration among RAs.
Provide team-building opportunities to promote good RA relations.
Student CARE, Conduct, and Conflict Resolution
Serve as a Conduct Hearing officer. Investigate incidents, facilitate Administrative Hearings, determine responsibility, assign sanctions as appropriate, make appropriate referrals, and write related conduct letters.
Mediate conflicts between students, facilitating discussions to resolve disputes and promote an inclusive and supportive living environment.
Support students in distress and help facilitate student wellbeing
Serve as a member of the CARE team, responding to CARE Reports as a case manager to provide support to students experiencing difficulties.
Crisis Response and Management
Serve in a scheduled on-call rotation to respond to student emergencies and crises, providing immediate support and intervention.
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree
Two years experience working in residence life on a university campus.
Demonstrated experience organizing events and programs.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Demonstrated experience and comfortability with providing support to students in distress, mental health challenges, and interpersonal conflict
Evidence of cultural sensitivity and competence for effectively engaging and working within a culturally diverse community
Preferred Qualifications
Masters Degree in college student personnel, higher education leadership, social work, psychology or related field.
Experience coordinating and/or organizing projects and programs in a diverse environment within higher education, preferably experience working with art students
Experience responding to and working with diverse, at-risk, disadvantaged, and historically underrepresented student populations.
Demonstrated experience implementing best practices and strategies in student engagement, development, persistence retention, campus services, leadership development, and student success.
Experience working at an art and design college
Excellent multi-project organizational management skills.
Experience providing support to students experiencing academic challenges, mental health concerns, roommate conflicts, and personal concerns.
Experience responding to crisis and/or early intervention (i.e., on-call for emergency response, conflict mediation, responding to medical or mental health emergencies, fire alarms, etc.).
Typical Work Schedule
Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm
Evening and weekend hours as needed and are common
This position also serves on a scheduled on-call rotation
Physical Demands & Working Conditions: Typical work is performed indoors in a normal office environment.
Salary: $54,654 annually
You will need to upload the following documents as part of your application materials in the "My Experience" section labeled Resume:
Cover letter addressing the required/desired qualifications and presenting any other applicant characteristics which deserve emphasis
Current resume
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as received until the position is filled.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENT:
All University positions require that candidates submit to a criminal conviction record check prior to hire. Conviction does not automatically preclude candidates from being hired. Nature of conviction will be considered relative to the duties of the position.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS:
Please read the following carefully before beginning the online application process. To be considered for employment at Willamette University, please complete our online employment application. Your application and all required attachments -- listed at the bottom of the page -- must be submitted for each individual job post that you are interested in applying. Once you submit your application you will not be able to edit your application.
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