Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Residence Life

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

We offer a competitive, comprehensive benefits package:Generous paid time offPaid holidays (up to 14 days)Medical, dental, and vision insuranceGenerous parental, caregiver, and medical leave benefitsCompetitive retirement plan (up to 9% matching contribution)Tuition remission and Tuition Exchange ProgramGreat employee discountsComplimentary general admission to participating cultural institutionsABOUT THE POSITIONLead all aspects of the 1000+ bed Residence Life program including hiring, training and providing leadership for the Residence Life professional staff and approximately 100 student employees. Manage all operations relating to SAIC owned facilities and leased spaces as appropriate. Serve as the senior Residence Life administrator offering 24-hour on-call support for the professional staff and managing student crises/conduct in the residence halls. Coordinate the Deans on Call Team and serve in the Deans On Call rotation to provide 24-hour support for students, parents, faculty and staff. Manage and provide leadership and coordination for student crises for both on and off-campus students. In partnership with the Dean of Student Life, provide leadership for various Student Conduct boards, assist the Director of Residence Life & Student Conduct in board training, and set vision and direction for Student Conduct & Student Conflict resolution processes. Work with the retention team to research and develop a cohesive plan to provide support to students throughout their entire tenure at SAIC. Responsible for revenue exceeding 14 million dollars and manages 3 operating budgets and Residence Hall Capital Asset budget. Liaise with important support services on campus, such as Security, Operations, Information Services and the Early College Program. Evening and weekend commitments are expected.

RESPONSIBILITIES Manage overall occupancy and operations of 1000+-bed residence life program for SAIC students. Provide leadership and direction for a vital and active residence life program, including but not limited to: housing process (e.g. contracts, room assignments, billing), professional and student staff selection & training, summer housing programs including Early College Program Summer Institute (ECPSI) and the Summer Intern Program and the community development model. Directly manages the department’s student support response, assessment of programs, budget oversight, policy review, and record retention policies and procedures.Manage overall occupancy and operations for Summer Housing. Provide leadership for summer housing of residence hall populations including SAIC students, Early College program high school students, summer intern populations, and affiliated summer programs. Work closely with the Dean of Continuing Studies to manage risk and liability related to housing minor age students on campus for up 7-8 weeks during the summer.Professional Staff Selection, Supervision and Development- Hire, train, and supervise the Director of Residence Life and the Assistant Director of Residence Life for Housing and Summer Programs. Provide oversight for the Director regarding full time staff searches, hiring, training, and supervision. Conduct staff meetings to ensure staff have the most up to date information on institutional policies and initiatives.Oversee the School’s Student Conflict Resolution & Student Conduct Processes - Provides leadership and direction for institutional student conduct and conflict resolution efforts including but not limited to: assisting with maintaining compliance with federal and state laws, reviewing and writing the Student Handbook, serving as board chair for Title IX/DHR and other conduct meetings, coordinate the School’s bi-annual Drug Free School review and liaise with other deans, Dean of Student Life and General Counsel’s office to implement the conduct process.Dean on Call/Student Issues and Crisis Management - As part of case/care management responsibilities, manage and follow up on crises impacting both on and off-campus students. Liaise with faculty, staff, parents and other related constituencies to support students and facilitate the resolution of crises. Be available on evenings and weekends. Serve in the Dean-on-Call rotation to provide 24-hour support for staff and students (apx 1 week a month including holidays). Serve as the Daytime-Dean-on-Call apx. 1 day per work week to respond to urgent issues that may arise during the day. Serve as an integral member and liaison with both the Student Support Group and the Threat Assessment Team. Communicate effectively and consistently to the Dean of Student Life and Student Affairs staff about student concerns and/or crises, including identifying students at risk and connecting students to resources. Appropriately communicate and document response to student concerns and crises and utilize software programs such as Advocate/Symplicity in these efforts.Coordinate Deans on Call Process - Responsible for all Deans on call protocols, training and coordination. Including but not limited to: revising and developing Deans on Call protocols; providing training for new Deans on Call and updated training for all current Deans on Call; managing Deans on all telephone and email numbers (technology); and scheduling Deans on call for 24/hours a day, 365 days a year coverage.Budget Management - Manage three operating budgets totaling apx. 14 million in revenue and 1.4 million in expenses. Develop and oversee the Capital Asset budget. Collaborate with the Dean of Student Life, the VPSA and the Vice President of Finance to monitor and set occupancy and revenue expectations, as well as to meet goals set by the Board of Governors and the President’s cabinet.Coordinate Professional Staff on Call Process -Responsible for all Professional Staff on Call protocols, trainings and coordination; manage Professional Staff on Call telephone and scheduling professional staff on call 24/hours a day, 365 a year coverage.Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion/Anti-Racism (DEI)- Foster an inclusive environment within staff team and the residence halls. Participate and assist in DEI/Anti-racism initiatives within SAIC and the OSA department, including programming, education and training.

Please review the full posting on our website.

Grade 10

QUALIFICATIONSA Master's degree in college student personnel, counseling, art, education or related field requiredMinimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in Student Affairs/Higher Education required, preferably Residence LifeMinimum of 3 years of experience supervising staff (not including student employees) in a higher education environment requiredExperience working with students who have significant personal, academic and emotional challenges. Must have experience managing staff who support these students;Minimum 2 yrs experience serving on call required, preferably in a Deans on Call Rotation:Experience working with students in a variety of situations, including management of student conduct and student crises.Strong Interpersonal skills; Must be sensitive to the needs of a diverse, urban, artist population;Minimum 2 years Experience managing student conduct, including individual student meetings, chairing student conduct boards and adjudicating T9 and DHR conduct requiredExcellent decision-making abilities and the ability to exercise sound judgment, exhibit leadership, and manage complex and sensitive crisis situations;Experience in providing a high-level of customer service within a demanding environment to a variety of constituencies, including but not limited to: students, parents, faculty, staff, campus leadership, and external entities;Significant experience working within a highly-collaborative environment and ability to effectively create dynamic and strong teams;Superb written and verbal skills. Ability to effectively communicate in a dynamic and fast-paced environment;Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize their own work and that of their team;Thorough understanding of the most current issues in Student Affairs and higher education; including but not limited to: student development strategies and theories; student conduct issues; residence life current trends and legal and risk-management issuesSuccessful candidate is likely to have significant experience with computer programs/apps including Symplicity, Microsoft Office Suite, RMS/Mercury, Google

Evening and weekend commitments and some travel are required.

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, veteran status or citizenship. The Institute complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at apply_help@artic.edu.