Assistant Dean for Residential Life

Overview: Assistant Dean for Residential Life
The Office of Residential Life at Macalester College is seeking an Assistant Dean. The Assistant Dean of Residential Life provides vision, leadership, and direction in the creation and implementation of a robust residential experience that fosters students’ holistic development while providing a learning environment that meaningfully complements the learning that occurs in the classroom. Also this Assistant Dean collaborates with campus partners in creating and shaping the First Year Experience (FYE) and Sophomore Year Experience (SYE) in the context of a residential liberal arts setting with a focus on key transitions that occur for those students.

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About Residential Life at Macalester: *
Residential Life at Macalester College utilizes a student-focused, learning-centered approach to foster resident development, authentic relationships, and inclusive living-communities. We do this through our implementation of the Community Learning Model, community standards, and housing services.
Residential Life at Macalester
Living on campus is an important part of a Macalester student’s education. Residential Life focuses on the whole student experience as well as fostering learning beyond the classroom setting. Students are provided numerous opportunities to learn about themselves as well as meet, interact, and develop relationships with others on the floor, building community with those who are different from themselves. Our goal is to give students a greater understanding of their responsibility to the local, national, and global communities as citizens of the world.
Residential Life at Macalester serves approximately 1300 students in campus housing. Living options include traditional and suite style residence halls, theme houses, language houses, and apartments located above a Grand Avenue restaurant.

• Language Houses: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish
• Specialty Areas: Veggie Co-op, Eco House, All-Gender Community, Interfaith House, Healthy Lifestyles, Arabic House, Cultural House.

All first-year and sophomore students are required to live on-campus. About one fourth of the junior class and one fifth of the senior class also live on campus
Responsibilities:

• Play a key role in setting the strategic direction for residential life and establishing a residential curriculum. Provide oversight for the development, implementation, and assessment of a residential life program that enhances the quality of the student experience and fosters student learning. Focus on the development of programs that support students in their transitions as first-years and sophomores, fostering students’ academic success and personal growth while assisting students in their adjustment, development and integration to campus life.
• Serve as a point of contact on issues related to first-year and sophomore students. Collaborate with Academic Programs/Academic Affairs to develop and enhance training and resource materials for faculty advisors. Monitors, in collaboration with Academic Programs, the academic progress of first year and sophomore students and provides appropriate interventions and referrals to resources.
• Collaborate with campus partners across divisions to develop, plan, and execute creative programming to enhance the first-year and sophomore year experience (e.g., adjustment to college, wellness, exploring courses of study, internship and Study Away opportunities, etc.).
• Develop and execute vibrant first-year and sophomore year experiences that meaningfully engage first-year and sophomore students in opportunities that promote academic success, foster a sense of belonging, enhance overall well-being and positive engagement within the campus community.
• Provide leadership and supervision to a diverse team of staff members, including two Associate Directors, the Residential Services Manager, five Residence Hall Directors, and 45 student staff (35 Resident Assistants, 5 Programming Assistants, and 5 Office Assistants).
• Serve as a member of various behavioral intervention teams and the Campus Response Team. Provides input and support related to residential students, especially first-year and sophomore students. Collaborates with Student Affairs colleagues along with other staff and offices to promote the academic and personal well-being of residential students.
• Perform department-level administrative items including, but not limited to, budget oversight, development of on-going assessment of the residential experience, and Board of Trustees reports. Serve as a liaison with Facilities Management, Business Office, Admissions, Public Safety, Academic Programs, and other offices as appropriate. Serves as a liaison with external constituents such as parents and community members.
• Engage in and promote Macalester’s culture of diversity and inclusion, encompassing individuals of any heritage, identity, status or orientation.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree Required. Terminal Degree preferred.
• 5-8 years of experience in student affairs and residential life. Proven ability to supervise professional, paraprofessional, and student staff. Strong communication skills. Understanding of college student development.
• Knowledge of student development, residential learning communities, FYE and SYE programming and curriculum.
• Ability to effectively assess, analyze, and make decisions related to various administrative and crisis related matters.
• Able to directly and indirectly manage a wide range of projects and processes.
• Have experience with basic office technology and possess the ability to learn specific campus systems.
• Experience in the effective management and allocation of resources.
• The ability to create relationships across all sectors of the institution, cultivate a sense of community in the residential setting, and communicate a shared vision.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, and demonstrated capacity to communicate broadly across campus constituencies. A high degree of accessibility and openness to students, and commitment to participating fully in the life of the campus community.
• Experience working directly with academic programs/faculty and serving as a representative or spokesperson for a department.
• Demonstrates the commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity. Actively engages in learning and practicing principles of social justice and inclusion to increase individual capacity to support institutional changes that create and sustain a more welcoming and inclusive environment across the Macalester Community.

Compensation & Benefits:
The total compensation for this position includes an annual salary of $75,000-$82,000. This role is 1.0 FTE and offers full access to Macalester’s Benefits package.

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Application Guidelines: *
For consideration, please submit your cover letter and resume as one document to the Macalester Employment Opportunities webpage. Priority will be given to candidates who apply by November 19th and the position will be posted until filled.

All inquiries regarding this position can be directed towards:
Jaclyn Howard
[email protected]
Talent Acquisition Manager

Macalester College – Institutional Overview: Since its founding in 1874, Macalester has provided students with the inspiration, insight, and experience to become successful and ethical leaders. Located in St. Paul, Minnesota, Macalester enrolls nearly 2,100 students who come from virtually every state and 91 countries. Macalester is committed to being a preeminent liberal arts college known for its high standards of scholarship and its special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society.

Macalester is proud of its longstanding commitment to social justice and creating a safe environment for all people regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, gender, religion, age, or ability. Macalester is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic staff committed to working in a multicultural environment and strongly encourages applications from everyone who would add richness to our community, including people of color, individuals with disabilities and women.

Benefits
Macalester employees enjoy a fantastic benefits package and working environment that is second to none. Please visit http://www.macalester.edu/employmentservices/benefits/ for more information about benefits at Macalester College.

Our Commitment to Safety in response to COVID-19:
For the safety of our community, Macalester requires all employees to have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Should a newly hired employee be unable to receive the vaccination for either medical or religious reasons we offer accommodations and assistance.

Questions or concerns about this process should be directed to Bob Graf, Director of Employment Services, at [email protected]

Location: 1600 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: Multiple Locations