Senior Associate Dean, Academic and Personal Success

Pomona College is seeking an energetic, thoughtful, and collaborative leader to serve as its next Senior Associate Dean, Academic and Personal Success (SADAPS). As a senior member of the student affairs leadership team, the SADAPS will support a student-focused strategy which fosters holistic development by focusing on personal and social responsibility, co-curricular education, and community engagement.  Reporting to Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Avis Hinkson, and serving as deputy in her absence, the selected candidate will lead a talented and committed team of student affairs professionals and will play a significant role in the development and maintenance of an inclusive and supportive campus community. 

 

Established in 1887, Pomona College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The founding member of The Claremont Colleges, Pomona is one of five undergraduate colleges (known as the 5Cs) and two graduate institutions that make up this unique consortium, modeled after Oxford and Cambridge. Pomona is continually ranked among the best colleges in the nation on Kiplinger's Personal Finance, The Princeton Review, and the Fiske Guide to Colleges. In February 2019, Pomona College was named one of the top producers of U.S. Fulbright students and scholars for 2018-2019 among bachelor’s institutions, as reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education. At No. 6 on the list, Pomona is the only California institution in the Top 10. 

The Senior Associate Dean works independently and collaboratively to perform the following essential duties and responsibilities:

  • Lead, develop, coordinate, and oversee the support services the College provides to students in distress, including chairing the on-call weekly meetings and organize trainings and retreats for the on-call team;
  • Oversee the formation of BITs (behavior intervention teams);
  • Through strategic use of data, student feedback, and best practices in student development, conduct risk assessment on student mental health trends;
  • Serve as the primary liaison with the College’s Counseling and Health services, Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services, and all external psychiatric or medical services providing supplemental support the Pomona student body;
  • Supervise, lead, and participate in Pomona College’s On-Call Dean rotation;
  • Shape and develop an innovative, new support network for 3rd and 4th year students;
  • In tandem with the Academic Standards Committee, coordinate and track student follow-up from the Academic Standards Committee, ensuring seamless transitions for students transitioning to and from leave; and
  • Provide a high-level of developmental and academic counseling, support students through leaves of absence, and working with students in distress.
  • Lead with transparency, integrity, consistency, and ethical decision-making;
  • Provide transformational leadership to a team of 6 student affairs professionals with direct oversight over performance management, professional development, and annual evaluation processes;
  • Oversee the assistant deans, case management system (Maxient), training, and assessments;
  • In the absence of the VP and Dean of Students, lead the daily operations of the Dean of Students office;
  • Supervise, shape, and support the newly created Disability/504 Coordinator for students (consulting with health professionals, meet with at-risk students, read test reports and organize academic accommodations); coordinate accessibility programs, policy review, and coordinate with other offices at Pomona and The Claremont Colleges;
  • Lead Deans and Directors’ meetings, All-Hands Meetings; staff education and development; oversee the curriculum for staff trainings and retreats;
  • Oversee, with the Student Affairs Diversity Officer and in coordination with Human Resources as relevant, the diversity and inclusion staff education and training.
  • Advocate for Pomona College’s diverse student community across 7Cs shared services;
  • Alongside the Disability/504 Coordinator, coordinate accessibility programs, policy review, and coordinate with other offices at Pomona and The Claremont Colleges;
  • Serve as a member of Academic Standards Committee; including the process of students on probation with the Class Deans;
  • Coordinate special projects/tasks and provide assistance as assigned.

 

The successful candidate will  posess a minimum of 7 years of experience in the areas of student academic support, student affairs, and/or a related field. Experience at a selective liberal arts academic institution is preferred, along with direct experience with counseling and/or advising in a higher education setting and demonstrated commitment to supporting diverse student populations. A master’s degree is required; and a doctoral degree in psychology, counseling, higher education or related field (or an equivalent combination of education and experience), is required; a doctoral degree in psychology, counseling, higher education, or related field is preferred. This position will work with an exceptionally engaged, activist-minded student body, working with students to support a community at an intersection of diverse identities, perspectives, and backgrounds. 

Pomona College has engaged Amy Sugin, Malissa Brennan and Michelle Bonoan of Koya Leadership Partners to lead this search. Please see the full position profile here.

Pomona College prides itself in being an open, competitive, and equal opportunity employer. The College is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable state and federal laws on the matter. The College does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care leave status, veteran's status, or any other category described in Pomona College’s Nondiscrimination Policy or protected by law.