Assistant Dean College of Liberal Arts

Assistant Dean College of Liberal Arts

9474BR

College of Liberal Arts

CLA-Dean's Office

Job Summary

Reporting to the Dean in the College of Liberal Arts (COLA), the Assistant Dean provides leadership and oversight for the following areas – academic advising; student retention and student grievances; scheduling liberal arts courses; updates to university publications; student orientation, events, and activities; enrollment management; student awards and grants; and degree certification of graduating students. The Assistant Dean is responsible for aligning university and college academic policies and procedures. The Assistant Dean works to improve student life for the college’s increasingly diverse student body by improving the quality of students' co-curricular opportunities, programs, and experiences. This position manages operations and communications for the Office of Student Services & Academic Advising and is involved in planning, implementing and sustaining new processes and programs to support student success and operational efficiency. The Assistant Dean is responsible for assessing and resolving challenges affecting students along with other campus partners and must apply high-level knowledge of higher education administration and innovative problem-solving skills to devise and implement solutions. This position also serves as program director for the College of Liberal Arts Exploration Program.

As a leader in the COLA administration and the Office of Student Services (OSS), the Assistant Dean is expected to cultivate a culture of inclusivity and collaboration, and to establish and maintain a respectful and professional workplace environment. The Office of Student Services is responsible for fostering a supportive and accessible environment for all COLA students and plays an essential role in ensuring student success by providing clear advising, addressing a diverse range of student needs, and collaborating with faculty and administrators to create an integrated and student-centered approach to academic and personal development. The successful candidate will exhibit exceptional communication and interpersonal skills and a demonstrated commitment to transparency, fairness, and equity in supervision and student support.

Job Responsibilities

The position supervises or manages the work of at least two full-time employees* or the equivalent. The position includes decisions or recommendations regarding personnel actions such as hiring, disciplinary action, overtime, changes in pay and terminations.

Oversee the COLA academic advising program within the university advising framework.

• Lead all COLA advising initiatives (training, curricular, processes, policies and communication). Coordinate with the COLA Dean’s office and the University Advising Office regarding all relevant curricular and administrative changes.
• Hire, onboard, train, and lead COLA professional advisors and OSS staff.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive plan for staff supervision, time-off management, remote workdays, and role clarity within OSS. Conduct annual advisor audit for annual meeting with University Advising office and the Dean.

• Assist the Dean and Associate Dean to oversee the program review and assessment of all undergraduate programs.
• Manage and supervise all academic-related administrative operations and processes.
• Develop workflows and support collaboration with the Dean’s Office on academic and student success matters.
• Create and maintain workflow supporting Global campuses using COLA curriculum, including the sharing of all curriculum updates.

• Support and coordinate internal and external programs and partnerships, including but not limited to: COLA student scholarships and awards, Student Advisory Board, alumni relations, high school dual enrollment programs.
• Conduct evaluations to share outcomes with the Dean and develop innovative initiatives to address student issues. Create new initiatives and assessments to support program improvement.
• Cultivate and support the commitment to career preparedness for students, including career development programs and including support for underserved groups.
• Collaborate with RIT Global and the Associate Dean on global engagement, organize COLA participation in events; facilitate new proposals and funding; partner with RIT Global and academic departments to host information session for COLA students.

• Responsible for providing units with SIS Query data upon request.
• Primary COLA student affairs data steward managing Student Information System (SIS) and network share requests: including creation of shares, authorizing the granting and revoking of user access, and ensuring proper records management of the data.

Required Qualifications

• MS/MA in Higher Education or related field
• Minimum of 5 years of experience required: in a higher education environment, with a proven track record in areas such as enrollment management, academic affairs, and student advising.
• Demonstrated ability in supervision and management, including the skill to lead and inspire professional advisors in the development of innovative student support programs. Committed to fostering open communication and collaboration, promoting transparency and trust among staff, faculty, and administrators in the College of Liberal Arts and across RIT.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with academic and administrative units to implement University-wide programs and initiatives.
• Ability to create and maintain a professional culture of civility, inclusivity, teamwork, belonging, and respect for diverse perspectives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent interpersonal skills, and written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to successfully support students, including advising, interpreting educational records and related information, and resolving problems.
• Excellent administrative and organizational skills, including the ability to identify and resolve problems independently.
• Excellent supervisory skills, including the ability to lead and motivate seasoned professionals, and to facilitate collegiality and communication among team members.
• The ability to develop and maintain excellent collaborative relationships with faculty and staff, and a working environment that promotes transparency and trust.

Required Minimum Education Level

MS, MA

Work Location

Henrietta Campus — 100%

Wage Band

121A

FLSA Category

Exempt

Employment Category

Fulltime

Required Application Documents

Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae or Resume, List of References

What do we believe at RIT?

Rochester Institute of Technology is a diverse and collaborative community of engaged, socially conscious, and intellectually curious minds. Through creativity and innovation, and an intentional blending of technology, the arts and design, we provide exceptional individuals with a wide range of academic opportunities, including a leading research program and an internationally recognized education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. We are dedicated to building a diverse community, one where employees feel a sense of belonging, and are valued for their contributions and the perspectives they bring.

As a member of the RIT community, you'll receive a comprehensive employee benefits package that offers multiple options and access to additional employment advantages. You can tailor your benefit elections to meet your needs (affordable medical/dental/vision benefits; paid vacation/sick time/retirement saving plan with exceptional employer match; and tuition assistance for you and your family, to name a few).

Department/College Description

The College of Liberal Arts is one of nine colleges within Rochester Institute of Technology. The College has over 150 faculty in 13 departments in the arts, humanities and social sciences. The College currently offers fourteen undergraduate degree programs and five master’s degrees, serving over 800 students. A new Ph.D. program in Cognitive Science, with Language as one of the areas, is broadly interdisciplinary with several partner units across the university.

We encourage the creation, development, dissemination, and application of human knowledge in the arts, humanities, and social sciences by promoting innovative teaching, scholarship, and research, thus providing a comprehensive education for all RIT students. We strive to prepare students for a lifetime of personal growth and responsible citizenship in an increasingly technological and rapidly changing society by maintaining and promoting the intellectual climate on campus, contributing to students’ awareness and understanding of diversity, and enhancing students’ abilities to reason critically and communicate effectively. We value a rigorous liberal arts education that encourages innovative experiential learning and active scholarship, the highest ethical standards, the educational and social benefits of diversity and global awareness, an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment of openness and academic freedom, a working environment in which all staff and faculty enjoy respect and recognition, and the active and meaningful participation of all members of the College community. More information may be found here: https://www.rit.edu/liberalarts/.

How To Apply

In order to be considered for this position, you must apply for it at: http://careers.rit.edu/staff. Click the link for search openings and in the keyword search field, enter the title of the position or the BR number.

Application deadline: Feburuary 14, 2025.

Additional Details

In compliance with NYS's Pay Transparency Act, the salary range for this position is listed above. Rochester Institute of Technology considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as, market and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The hiring process for this position may require a criminal background check and/or motor vehicle records check. Any verbal or written offer made is contingent on satisfactory results, as determined by Human Resources. RIT does not discriminate. RIT promotes and values diversity, pluralism and inclusion in the work place. RIT provides equal opportunity to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, marital status, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran status or disability in its hiring, admissions, educational programs and activities. RIT provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York Human Rights Law, or similar applicable law. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the Human Resources office at 585-475-2424 or email your request to hr@rit.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Hourly/Salary Minimum

68800

Hourly/Salary Maximum

115200