Dean of Students, Office of the Provost

Tracking Code22599931221220Job Description

Boston University is seeking applications for the next Dean of Students (DOS).

Reporting directly to the University Provost, the DOS is the chief student affairs officer for undergraduate and graduate students at Boston University (BU). Major units that report up through the DOS include Disability and Access Services, the Howard Thurman Center, Student Orientation, Residence Life, Student Activities, and the DOS staff. The DOS also works collaboratively with the schools and colleges across the Charles River and Medical Campuses to enhance the student experience of more than 36,000 students from over 135 countries.

As a member of the Provost’s senior leadership team, the DOS provides vision, leadership, management and strategic planning for the division. The DOS will be expected to stay up to date on current trends in higher education, specifically as relate to Student Affairs. A successful candidate will demonstrate a strong track record of managing change and of the development and management of initiatives that promote and advance a safe, healthy, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students.

Key Position Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership to the units reporting up to the Dean of Students Office.
• Provide overall direction and leadership at student affairs functions, programs, and activities
• Collaborate with other campus leaders to ensure the University provides a welcoming and vibrant learning community that fosters student belonging and success.
• In overseeing the Residence Life unit, ensure a safe, supportive, and engaging residential experience for students living in University housing.
• Serve as a member of Provost’s Cabinet, University Council, University-wide committees, and other senior leadership groups.
• Review, develop, and implement policies related to student life and ensure that the policies are up to date and are being implemented fairly and consistently across the student body.
• Work with faculty, students, and staff on personnel, administrative, and often complex situations
• Manage and take responsibility for the budget of the Dean of Students Office and individual units.
• Work closely with other groups on campus such as EOO, Student Wellness, and others to handle emergency situations that may arise daily.
• Collaborate with colleagues (e.g., Academic Affairs, Student Wellbeing, Student Administration) on initiatives and endeavors that support the overall student experience.

Required Skills

• The successful candidate will have at least 7 years of leadership experience in student affairs.
• Experience in successfully navigating large, complex universities.
• Demonstrated personal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and prior work in this area.
• Demonstrated strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience that exhibits the ability to establish a clear, long-term vision, and to lead implementation of that vision and demonstrate potential to generate measurable results that are in line with BU’s 2030 Strategic Plan.
• History of building strong relationships across a wide audience including students, parents and families, staff, faculty, and alumni.
• Demonstrated commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, inclusive, safe, and just environment for students.

Contact

All applications can be submitted to dosearch@bu.edu. For consideration, a resume or CV and cover letter should be submitted in order for full consideration. Application materials should be submitted by Tuesday, January 31, 2023 to ensure full consideration.

Dean of Students Office

The Dean of Students Office is committed to promoting the personal and academic growth of BU’s large student population. Committed to enriching the student experience at BU, the office is responsible for programs, services, and facilities across BU’s campuses.

Boston University

Boston University (BU), a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is one of the leading private research and teaching institutions in the world, with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the globe. Chartered in 1869, the University today enrolls over 33,000 students including over 16,000 undergraduates and employs nearly 4,000 faculty members across 17 schools and colleges. Boston University has a rich tradition of inclusion and social justice and is committed to living that history today as a diverse, equitable, and inclusive institution.

BU is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of the Boston area’s largest employers. BU’s students come from all 50 states and over 135 countries. Students pursue studies on the Charles River and Medical Campuses as well as study abroad programs in over 30 cities around the world. Boston University’s faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and in path-breaking research and scholarship. We place a strong emphasis on collaborative research efforts of both faculty and students, with major initiatives in emerging areas such as neuroscience, systems biology, photonics, engineering biology, data science and artificial intelligence, urban health, global health and development, and emerging infectious diseases.

From its earliest days, Boston University has opened its doors to women and people from racial and ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education and academia. Founded in 1839 (in Newbury, Vermont) as a Methodist seminary, the University was incorporated in 1869 and emerged in the twentieth century as a Boston-area institution. Until the early 1970s, the University had a modest research profile and limited on-campus housing. The transformation into today’s Boston University began in the early 1970s with a conscious decision to raise the University’s standing and quality by marshaling resources, primarily from operating funds, to build an infrastructure for basic and applied research and to improve the campus by adding residential facilities.

The University recently completed its first-ever comprehensive campaign with gifts and pledges totaling over $1.85 billion. Boston University’s transformation is perhaps most evident in the national and international recognition achieved by faculty in diverse fields on both campuses and in prestigious grants to distinguished programs or departments. U.S. News & World Report ranked BU #57 worldwide in their 2021 list of Best Global Universities and #42 in their 2021 rating of Best National Universities in the United States. The recent QS rankings listed BU as #17 in Private Universities and #20 in Doctoral Universities.

Boston University is committed to fostering a diverse University community within a supportive and respectful environment. We believe that the diversity of our faculty, students, and staff is essential to our success as a leading research university with a global reach, and that diversity is an integral component of institutional excellence.

Please note all newly hired staff and faculty will need to be in compliance with Boston University’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Requirement within 30 days of date of hire. You must upload your vaccine documentation or request a medical or religious exemption (instructions). For further information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Resources site.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the employment application, please contact the BU Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796 or eoo@bu.edu.

Job LocationBOSTON, Massachusetts, United StatesPosition TypeFull-Time/Regular