Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

Job Summary

The Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs is a critical management position responsible for all aspects of the student experience at the GSM from first point of contact through graduation, effectively and efficiently delivering a top-tier program with available resources. The Senior Assistant Dean conducts, and manages teams that conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses on all aspects of policies and programs in support of student experience in all GSM academic programs, with a focus on the MBA. The Senior Assistant Dean uses the results of these analyses to plan, develop, administer, manage and implement core functions, including student recruitment, admissions, student records, student advising and co- and extra-curricular programs. The Senior Assistant Dean is responsible for continuous study and improvement of these functions at the GSM, managing and collaborating with all Student Affairs teams. The Senior Assistant Dean monitors all aspects of the student experience at the GSM with respect to academic programs and provides consultative services to Academic Directors and the Dean for the same. While the Senior Assistant Dean has a focus on and direct responsibility for the MBA programs, they are also the steward for all GSM programs to ensure compliance with campus policies in the area of Student Affairs and represents the GSM on campus accordingly. The incumbent is responsible for leading the Student Affairs teams of Recruitment and Admissions and Student Services, and Admissions Operations and Student Records. These teams provide support and programming for students in four MBA programs (in 3 geographic locations and one in an online modality), the Master of Management (both on premises in Davis and online), the Master of Professional Accountancy program (MPAc), the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) and undergraduate offerings. The Senior Assistant Dean works collaboratively as part of the Senior Management Team with staff and faculty as appropriate. Supervision: Senior Director of Admissions, Senior Director of Student Services, Director of Admissions Operations and Deputy Director of Online MBA. 9 FTE in the unit.

Department Overview

The UC Davis Graduate School of Management is consistently ranked among the premier business schools in the United States and internationally. The principal goal of the School's programs is to produce graduates who have the ability, knowledge and motivation to perform effectively as leaders in business. The school has approximately 600 MBA students enrolled in the Full Time MBA and Working Professional MBA programs on the UC Davis campus, in Sacramento, in the San Francisco Bay Area and online, 80 students in the Master of Management program, 60 students in the MPAc and 100 students in the MSBA programs, as well as undergraduate students in the Technology Management and Accounting Minors. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked UC Davis among the top 10 percent of MBA programs in the nation. The school is largely self- funded and relies on student fees from self-supporting programs and professional degree fees for 80 percent of its revenue. Student enrollments are fundamental to the School's financial success and reputation. This position is one of five senior staff administrators in the School.

40%  Recruitment & Admissions

• In collaboration with and in support of the Senior Director of Admissions, develops recruitment strategies leveraging the strength of the UC Davis and GSM brand and our success in international business school rankings.
• Develops, in collaboration with other senior leaders, marketing strategies to attract a qualified and diverse student body.
• Manages the recruitment team and oversees the formulation of student information sessions.
• Establishes performance metrics and ensures the recruitment and admissions teams meet annual performance goals.
• Creates scholarship packages designed to attract top quality students from diverse backgrounds.
• Works with Admissions Committee faculty chair to ensure academic standards are upheld in the admissions process.
• Formulates school admissions policy as part of the GSM Admissions Committee.
• Oversees the admissions and enrollment process.

35% Student Services & Student Records

• Provides administrative leadership and strategic guidance for the Student Services team.
• Oversees all administrative and student programming activities including student registrar services, co- and extra-curricular programming, student clubs, and student data management and reporting.
• Ensures the implementation of curricular and administrative changes are managed to ensure a successful student experience.
• In collaboration with Academic Directors, interfaces with the student leadership team to provide and receive feedback. Interfaces with appropriate campus units as needed regarding confidential student matters or programmatic issues.

25% Strategic Program Development & Implementation

• Serves as strategic advisor to the Dean on matters relating to student services and degree programs.
• As part of the Senior Management team for the School, participates in annual program, financial, and administrative strategy sessions to define and update the five-year strategic plan for the School.
• Manages an annual operating budget of $500K+. Serves as the administrative counterpart on faculty curricular planning committees.
• Serves as the administrative liaison for academic program reviews and other academic matters related to the student experience.
• Creates business plans to expand efforts involving international partnerships.
• Leads planning team meetings to discuss new partnership initiatives with other business schools ranging from diversity initiatives, to student-exchange programs with international partners, to joint degree partnerships.
• Presents strategic ideas in group settings. Interacts with potential partners and develops and assesses new program models.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s Degree
• Ten years of professional experience in higher education.
• Four years of leadership experience within a large, complex higher education institution
• Proven leadership track record in higher education.
• Proven ability to use data to inform strategic planning and decision making.
• Proven ability to supervise staff to perform up to required standards and deliver results in a competitive business environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Managing professional staff in a business school environment. 
• Experience with Recruitment and Admissions processes at an accredited Business school. 
• Knowledge of the Business school recruiting environment and implications for rankings and accreditation.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and workflows simultaneously to achieve tangible results.
• Knowledge of business education and student experience in terms both academic and co-/extra-curricular.
• Skills for continuous improvement of operations in a resource-constrained environment.

Work Environment

• Occasional Travel. May have to attend off site meetings as well as visit our off-site campus locations.