Dean of Students & Community Life

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Dean of Students & Community Life provides visionary, strategic, and collaborative leadership to advance student success, retention, and wellbeing within Antioch College’s unique integration of classroom, co-op, and community. Serving on the Dean’s Council, the Dean provides leadership and departmental oversight across Student Success, Conduct, Community Life, Community Council, Title IX, Counseling Services, and Residence Life. This position requires residency in college-provided housing to ensure active presence within the community and responsive leadership during campus emergency response and crisis situations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION:

Vision & Leadership

• Serve as the chief student advocate and primary liaison between students, faculty, administration, and parents.
• Lead, mentor, and evaluate staff working within Student Success, Community Life, Title IX, Counseling Services, and Residence Life to support and enhance the student experience, campus climate, and retention.
• Oversee divisional budgeting, strategic alignment, and resource allocation.
• Co-convene the campus care team (First CARE) to direct holistic responses to student success, retention, mental health, and overall wellbeing.
• Serve on the Dean’s Council, contributing to campus-wide strategic planning and policy development.

Strategic Planning, Budgeting & Retention

• Oversee and manage the annual operational and capital budgets for all overseen units, ensuring sound fiscal stewardship and resource allocation.
• Partner with Enrollment Management and Academic Affairs to develop data-driven retention strategies, leveraging student engagement and exit analytics.
• Align student support programs to enhance the student experience across the “3Cs” of Classroom, Co-op and Community.
• Serve as the primary administrative contact for elevated parent and family concerns in accordance with FERPA standards.

Staff Training, Development & Support

• Design, implement, and oversee comprehensive, ongoing training programs for professional staff and students across all overseen departments.
• Establish robust staff support systems, burnout prevention strategies, and supervision frameworks to promote professional growth and staff retention.
• Provide continuous coaching and role-modeling for supervisors of student workers, ensuring student employment functions as a meaningful educational and skill-building experience.

Compliance, Legal & Crisis Management

• Maintain primary oversight of the Student Handbook, Student Code of Conduct, and Sexual Offense Prevention Policy (SOPP), with collaborative oversight of the Racial Discrimination Prevention Policy (RDPP).
• Maintain thorough knowledge of Title IX, Title VI, FERPA, ADA/504 accommodations, civil rights law, higher education compliance requirements, and relevant federal/state legal standards.
• Monitor institutional policies, practices, and grievance procedures as well as offer supportive measures and accommodations, when appropriate, to ensure student support and institutional compliance.
• Demonstrate exceptional organizational skills and systematic documentation management to ensure all institutional, regulatory, and legal compliance files are meticulously maintained, audited, and up to date.
• Serve as the escalation lead for critical incidents, threat assessment, de-escalation, emergency response, and student crisis management.
• Collaborate with campus leadership to ensure a safe, compliant, and supportive campus environment.

Campus Culture & Restorative Justice

• Promote and enhance a campus climate rooted in social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Facilitate difficult conversations, mediate complex campus conflicts, and guide the community in developing restorative justice and constructive conflict-resolution approaches.
• Cultivate student leadership by fostering shared accountability for the honor code, community standards, and community governance.

Co-Curricular Assessment & Operations

• Provide strategic direction for residence life, student dining, health services, and co-curricular programming to ensure alignment with academic and co-op goals.
• Oversee learning outcomes assessment across all co-curricular programs and prepare institutional reports for the the Office of Academic Affairs, President, and Board of Trustees.
• Partner with Facilities and Events to maintain quality residential spaces and support campus revenue-generating initiatives.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION AND PERSONAL QUALITIES

Minimum

• Education & Experience
• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in student affairs administration; OR
• Master’s degree in Higher

Education

• Administration, Student Personnel, Counseling, College Student Affairs, or a closely related field with a minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible leadership experience.

• Compliance & Legal Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of Title IX, civil rights law in higher education settings, federal compliance regulations (FERPA, ADA, Clery Act), and student conduct administration.

• Leadership & Supervision: Proven track record of leadership-level decision-making, staff supervision, and operational/budget management.

• Organizational Skills & Compliance: Exceptional organizational, record-keeping, and administrative skills with a demonstrated ability to maintain meticulous, audit-ready compliance files and documentation systems across Title IX, FERPA, ADA, and student conduct.

• Crisis & Conflict Management: Demonstrated mastery in de-escalation techniques, emergency response, threat assessment, mediation, and crisis intervention models.

• Staff Development: Proven track record in designing and facilitating staff training programs and building supportive organizational structures.

• Diversity & Inclusion: Deep commitment to supporting and advocating for diverse student populations, including gender identities, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, racial and ethnic identities, and abilities.

• Preferred

• Specialized

Experience

• Experience with restorative justice frameworks, community governance models, or progressive/alternative higher education institutions.
• Certifications: Advanced training or certifications in Title IX coordination, civil rights investigation, dynamic de-escalation, or formal mediation.