Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment

Search for the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment

Washington State University Vancouver

Vancouver, Washington

Washington State University Vancouver (WSU Vancouver), one of six campuses of the distinguished Washington State University system, seeks a collaborative, strategic, and student-centered leader to serve as its next Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment (Vice Chancellor). Reporting to the Chancellor, and serving as key member of the campus leadership team, the Vice Chancellor will partner with Academic Affairs in providing the supports and campus climate that will enable all students to achieve their education goals, and serve as the chief architect for designing and implementing an enrollment growth strategy that supports the university’s land-grant mission of access and academic excellence, and to better serve the people of Southwest Washington.

WSU Vancouver was formally established as a branch campus in 1989. Legislation passed by the Washington Legislature in 2018 removed the “branch” designation, recognizing the growth and maturity of the campuses. WSU Vancouver is the second largest campus in the WSU system. All campuses share the Carnegie Classification of “Very High Research Activity,” or R1. WSU Vancouver is situated in Southwest Washington on 351 scenic acres in the homelands of the Chinookan and Taidnapam peoples and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. A part of the greater Portland metro area, it enrolls 3,577 commuter students with a goal of growing to 5,000 by 2023. The average age of a WSU Vancouver student is 26. Six percent of students are veterans and 28 percent are students of color. Forty-nine percent of WSU Vancouver undergraduates are Pell-eligible and 48 percent are first-generation college students. Finally, 66 percent of incoming undergraduates are transfer students, many of whom have received Associate's degrees from nearby Clark College.

State-of-the-art facilities support the College of Arts and Sciences, the Carson College of Business, the College of Education, the School of Engineering and Computer Science, and the College of Nursing. The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, the College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine also have presence on the WSU Vancouver campus. Together the colleges and programs offer 23 bachelor’s degrees, eight master’s degrees and three doctorate degrees, and include 200 Ph.D. faculty. Notable programs include creative media and digital culture, earth and environmental science, mechanical and electrical engineering, neuroscience, psychology, and public affairs.

WSU Vancouver is the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington and its mission is to provide access to baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people, communities and economy of the region. WSU Vancouver helps drive Southwest Washington’s economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.

The Vice Chancellor will join WSU Vancouver at a pivotal time, as the campus is more committed than ever to promoting growth and fostering a transformational student experience for all students. Emile ‘Mel’ Netzhammer, WSU Vancouver’s second Chancellor in campus history, is passionate about expanding access to higher education and growing the number of students who successfully complete their academic degrees —especially for students who are first generation, come from underserved populations, and are completing their education in non-traditional ways and at non-traditional times. As the student body continues to grow in size and diversify in terms of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, geography, disabilities, veteran status, and in other ways, the Vice Chancellor will be expected to provide a sense of belonging for all students by developing new programs and partnering effectively across the campus and university to support and retain undergraduate and graduate students. With 95 percent of recent student growth attributed to increases in the number of students of color, the Vice Chancellor, with the assistance of a talented and passionate student affairs and enrollment team, is uniquely situated to promote student success efforts from pre-matriculation through graduation to have a lasting impact on the campus community, the region, and beyond.

The Vice Chancellor will be joining the leadership team of a highly collaborative and aspirational university. WSU President Kirk Schulz recently launched a Drive to 25 initiative which calls for WSU to become one of the nation’s top 25 public research universities, preeminent in research and discovery, teaching, and engagement by 2030. He is relying on a strong team of leaders, including this Vice Chancellor, to strengthen the individual stature of each campus, while ensuring policies and plans reflect the “one university” concept. One of the most recent additions to his team is Vice President for Student Affairs Mary Jo Gonzales. The Vice Chancellor will have the opportunity to partner closely with Dr. Gonzales and her team, as well as the other Vice Chancellors across the highly matrixed system, around creating a transformational experience for all students while supporting each other’s enrollment goals.

The Vice Chancellor will play a critical leadership role in shepherding the campus into a new phase of expansion and evolution, providing visionary leadership for WSU Vancouver and the system to help advance strategic goals and ensure WSU Vancouver is on solid financial footing well into the future. In doing so, the Vice Chancellor will be committed to equity-minded policies and structures that ensure opportunities and outcomes and foster a culture of belonging for student populations across all backgrounds.  In doing so, the Vice Chancellor will address the following opportunities and challenges:

  • Provide strategic leadership and vision for Student Affairs and Enrollment
  • Develop and implement a comprehensive vision and strategy for enrollment growth
  • Bring new ideas and partner across the university to pr retention and
  • Help foster a more inclusive culture on campus
  • Inspire, s a passionate and dedicated
  • Provide leadership for student affairs and enrollment objectives system-wide

Washington State University Vancouver has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search.  Screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be submitted via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/6952. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Lindsay Gold, and Camille Sheffield

Isaacson, Miller

1000 Sansome Street, Suite 300

San Francisco, CA 94111

Phone: 415.655.4900

Fax: 415.655.4905

Washington State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action educator and employer. Members of ethnic minorities, women, specially disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era, recently-separated veterans, and other protected veterans, persons of disability, and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply.