Stanford University invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of assistant vice provost for accessible education. This hybrid position requires at least three or more days of onsite work per week to meet student and departmental needs. The anticipated start date is early summer 2024.
Responsibilities of the Position
The assistant vice provost for accessible education (AVP) is the strategic leader of the office of accessible education (OAE). The AVP is instrumental in setting vision and direction, leading and working collaboratively with a dedicated multidisciplinary team and colleagues, and engaging the campus community in creating, strengthening, and maintaining a culture of access, holistic well-being, and belonging that supports students with disabilities at Stanford.
Reporting to the senior associate vice provost and dean of students (SAVP/DOS) and working closely with the director of diversity and access and ADA Section 504 compliance officer, the AVP will promote an accessible and inclusive environment for students with disabilities. The AVP must be innovative and offer a demonstrated capacity for effective change management, have a complex understanding of the many challenges facing students, and be prepared to engage in all aspects of the university to ensure a broad and coordinated strategy to address student needs. The AVP will guide and support the OAE leadership team, collect and analyze metrics to forecast trends and assert resource needs, and remain current in industry best practices. The successful candidate will identify, clarify, and resolve complex, highly visible issues with university-wide scope and strategic impact and demonstrate a keen and authentic ability to establish credibility and effective working relationships, particularly with faculty and academic schools, as well as across the department, division, and institution.
The AVP provides guidance and expertise to campus leadership around disability-related issues, oversees comprehensive accommodation support for about 30 percent of Stanford undergraduate and coterminal degree students and 24 percent of graduate and professional degree students annually, and manages a dynamic professional team of 24, including four direct reports.
Additional Core Responsibilities:
- Direct efforts of managers; develop those in leadership positions and in the leadership pipeline; make hiring decisions; provide coaching and mentoring; manage performance; determine staffing needs; and develop and ensure succession planning within areas of responsibility.
- Provide strategic direction for and manage the OAE, including responsibility for programs, budget, facilities, and staff. This includes developing and evaluating the professional education required for the OAE staff.
- Provide counsel and collaborate with senior leadership in long-range planning, policy development, compliance, and monitoring of the regulatory landscape impacting the OAE. Collect and analyze metrics to forecast trends and assert resource needs. Keep abreast of best practices.
- Work independently to make decisions regarding projects, programs, and initiatives, with limited or no review by senior management; commit university resources with limited or no review by senior officers.
- Manage exceptions to university, program, or unit policies and procedures; determine appropriate responses to settle grievances.
- Lead OAE’s academic and administrative policy development for programs and operations. Negotiate and influence matters of university-wide impact.
- Serve as senior advisor to the vice provost for student affairs, director of diversity and access, and ADA Section 504 compliance officer on programmatic and policy development. Recommend new internal policies, guidelines, and procedures.
- Manage, interpret, implement, and ensure compliance with an organization or program’s legal, financial, university, academic, and administrative policies and external regulations. Develop and implement training required for the campus community.
- Direct complex, high-visibility process redesign and innovation projects; champion major initiatives; develop and drive implementation of project initiatives including but not limited to areas such as exam accommodation, emotional support animals, and housing assignments.
- Partner with key individuals across the university to determine new and ongoing business and technology initiatives.
Qualifications and Characteristics of the Successful Candidate
A bachelor’s degree and ten years of relevant progressive experience in promoting disability access or in a student affairs or student services office with a specific emphasis on disability support services are required. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. An advanced degree and experience in a higher education setting are strongly preferred. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience and knowledge of critical issues related to disability access and support resources; experience leading a large and diverse professional staff team, including hiring, supervision, and professional development; proven ability in leading organizational transformation, with the capacity to effect change in institutional culture and operations; and strong communication, organizational, fiscal, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with key campus and community partners. A demonstrated commitment toward accessibility, equity, inclusion, and belonging, as well as cultural competency in all aspects of campus life, will be important considerations in the selection of the next assistant vice provost for accessible education.
In addition to the qualifications stated above, key stakeholders identified the following capabilities and attributes of a successful candidate:
- Demonstrated commitment to eliminating barriers and a willingness to advocate on behalf of the community of students with disabilities.
- Empowering management style, providing clear expectations and accountability with a commitment to foster collegiality, transparency, clarity, and honesty.
- Available and responsive to students, faculty, Stanford administration, and other key stakeholders.
- Ability to establish and maintain a cooperative work environment demonstrated through open discussion, active listening, and decisive and reasoned responses.
- Understand disability models (e.g., medical, social) and reflect on how those models impact OAE’s practices, decision-making, and, ultimately, a student’s experience.
- Demonstrated history of establishing and nurturing effective partnerships with faculty and staff across a university.
- Strong future-thinker and collaborator committed to advancing accessibility services throughout the division of student affairs and the entire campus community.
- Compassionate, accessible, transparent, and ethical leader with excellent communication skills to articulate vision, direction, and purpose and earn the respect and confidence of the faculty, staff, and students.
- Exceptional credibility, competency, and currency in the field, engendering trust and confidence.
- Demonstrated experience developing and leading the campus-wide dialogue on accessibility support services, ableism, universal design, and policy development.
- Ability to translate laws and regulations into practical terms and applications.
- Experience leading change processes in a complex, decentralized environment.
- Strong entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to generate new ideas and see the concept through implementation.
- Experience supporting accessibility in STEAM education.
- Knowledge of technological advances, best practices, and their utilization to further assist students.
- Thoughtful and intentional ability to connect the work of OAE with other offices on campus.
- Demonstrated experience in developing and sustaining a positive working environment and team culture.
History of the Position
Teri Adams served as executive director of the office of accessible education for over seven years. The position has been elevated to assistant vice provost for accessible education (AVP), reporting directly to the senior associate vice provost and dean of students. Shelley Hou, director of technology, serves as the interim executive director while a national search is ongoing.
Opportunities and Challenges of the Role
In the spring of 2023, the Students with Disabilities Task Force presented a final report that outlined six significant themes and recommendations to support better accessibility, including the establishment of a centrally managed testing center. The two to four-year pilot phase of the centralized testing center (CDC) study kicked off in the spring of 2024 and is happening in tandem with the academic integrity working group (AIWG) and their study to evaluate the proctoring of student exams.
The new AVP will join OAE and the Stanford community at an exciting time and will encounter the opportunities, priorities, and challenges listed below.
- The new AVP has an excellent opportunity to lead change that will impact students and campus culture for years.
- As the pilot programs of the CDC and the AIWG progress, the new AVP will have an unprecedented opportunity to share and leverage important data with campus stakeholders to create sustainable and supported accessibility practices for testing campus-wide.
- The new AVP will work with campus stakeholders to broaden campus understanding of best practices for supporting students with disabilities and meeting related compliance requirements and related resources.
- The AVP will establish a vision and direction for the department with goals, expectations, and priorities that align with the vision and mission of the division of student affairs and the university’s strategic plan.
- Work to forge strong relationships with faculty and deans to enhance understanding of laws and compliance issues and collaboratively find solutions to best meet students’ needs.
- Work to educate the Stanford community about the office, its mission, services, and functions, and encourage authentic engagement with faculty, staff, students, and the community.
- Review all policies and procedures, ensuring they are current, relevant, and efficient.
- The new AVP will nurture a strong and vibrant data-driven, outcomes-focused decision-making culture.
- The new AVP will bring expertise to designing and implementing policies and procedures in partnership with divisional leadership, impacting students with accessibility needs. The AVP will identify gaps in services and work with programs and departments to address the identified gaps to create a more consistently welcoming and inclusive climate.
- The AVP will empower students, helping them better understand their disabilities and learn how to effectively self-advocate while simultaneously working with campus leadership to address systemic inequities for students with disabilities.
- Earn the respect of the campus community through accessibility, visibility, and transparency.
- The new AVP will support and sustain an outstanding team through a dynamic understanding of each staff member’s position and responsibilities, enhance staff evaluations and professional development opportunities, and create a culture of honest information sharing and input solicitation.
- The AVP will continue to find ways to engage with Stanford students, collect student feedback, and advocate on behalf of student needs and concerns.
Measures of Success
At an appropriate interval after joining Stanford, the following items will initially define success for the new AVP. The new AVP will have:
- Learned the culture of student affairs and Stanford, and how to effectively navigate both for the ultimate success of the OAE and the students.
- Assessed the current environment and, with the OAE staff, established a vision, mission, and plan for the center’s future.
- Forged positive relationships with the students utilizing the center.
- Evaluated the ongoing CDC pilot and worked to improve student services.
- Built a cohesive team that works together toward effective problem solving, advocacy, and support.
- Become a well-known, visible leader on campus who is knowledgeable on current and emerging trends and issues and is considered a strong partner and collaborator.
- Established key relationships with academic and non-academic units and initiated work to strengthen the credibility of the OAE with these partners.
- Made strides to enhance staff supervision, including providing appropriate feedback and conducting performance evaluations; supported staff professional development and growth; and worked to make the staff feel valued and respected.
- Infused a sense of innovation and forward-thinking into all collaborative efforts and new initiatives.
Overview of the Office of Accessible Education
The OAE is the campus entity designated to work with Stanford students with disabilities at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The OAE provides an array of support services, accommodations, and programs to remove barriers to full participation in the life of the university. In reaching its determinations about appropriate accommodations, the OAE considers factors such as the documentation from professionals specializing in the student’s diagnosed disability, the student’s functional limitations, and the student’s input and accommodation history regarding particular needs and limitations. Accessibility resources that the OAE offers include:
- Event Accessibility & Inclusion
- Digital Accessibility
- Disability Language
- Creating Accessible Content
- SCRIBE
- Speechify
The OAE is part of the university’s student affairs division, committed to educating students to make meaningful contributions as citizens of a complex world.
Mission Statement
“The mission of the OAE is to promote an accessible and inclusive environment for all students with disabilities. Through both academic and housing accommodations, we work to mitigate physical and attitudinal barriers that students might face. We are dedicated to supporting students with disabilities to allow them to perform at their highest academic potential. We also strive to promote the inclusive environment they need to experience full membership in our diverse Stanford community.”
More Information About the Office of Accessibility of Education
Overview of the Dean of Students Office
The dean of students office provides strategic leadership and management in the care and experience of students through individual support and case management services, in oversight of graduate and undergraduate programming, in policy and programmatic decision-making related to student community life, and in supporting the health, well-being, and inclusivity of the student population.
Core responsibilities include designing and operationalizing the student residential experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including parts of the university’s vision for a reformed undergraduate residential experience (ResX), and overseeing the implementation and programmatic design for adding over 2,000 on-campus graduate student beds. The dean of students office is also charged with developing policy and accountability standards to ensure that all students and communities thrive at Stanford; ensuring that student support processes are highly responsive to the diversity of our students, including learner variability; maintaining standards of student and student-organization conduct; and overseeing divisional compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), state and federal laws and university policies.
Reporting Units
- Dean of Students Office
- Graduate Life Office
- Office of Accessible Education
- Office of Community Standards
- Residential Education
Mona Hicks
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Divisional Leadership
As senior associate vice provost and dean of students at Stanford University, Mona Hicks leads residential education, the graduate life office, the office of accessible education, and the office of community standards. Prior to joining Stanford, she worked at Saint Louis University where she built the dean of students office from the ground up, focusing on student well-being. Throughout her career, Hicks has collaborated with students, faculty, staff, and community partners. She was instrumental in helping guide students and the university community in responding to the Michael Brown shooting in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014.
Hicks’ experience serving as a resident associate for one of Rice University’s 11 residential colleges afforded her valuable insight into building residential communities with a focus on student agency. Her cumulative experience informs and supports her work at Stanford overseeing residential education and contributing to the implementation of the ResX vision.
Hicks received the 2019 Donald Brennan Humanitarian Award from the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis and Saint Louis University. In addition, she was named Woman of the Year by the Saint Louis University Women’s Commission in 2017. Hicks served on the board of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and was the equity, inclusion, and social justice division director.
Institutional Overview
Stanford was founded almost 150 years ago on a bedrock of societal purpose. Stanford believes strongly in higher education’s role in supporting a thriving society. Stanford provides students the opportunity to engage with big ideas, cross conceptual and disciplinary boundaries, and become global citizens who embrace diversity of thought and experience. The university offers students broad and deep academic programs across seven schools and multiple fields – including the arts and humanities, natural and social sciences, engineering, sustainability, medicine, law, education, and business. Consisting of a campus of 8,180 contiguous acres and over 600 buildings, the university is virtually a community unto itself and even has its own zip code, though it calls the City of Palo Alto home. Downtown Palo Alto is a short walk from campus and includes many public attractions, shops, and restaurants.
The Student Body
Total Enrollment: 17,529
Undergraduate: 7,841
Graduate: 9,688
Men: 49%
Women: 51%
White: 28%
African American: 7%
Asian: 25%
Hispanic: 18%
Two or More Races: 10%
Non-Resident: 11%
Richard Saller
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Institutional Leadership
Richard P. Saller became Stanford University’s 12th president on September 1, 2023. He is a scholar of Roman history who has previously served in several academic leadership roles, including as dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford, provost of the University of Chicago, and dean of the Social Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. A dedicated teacher, Saller has also published widely on Roman social, economic, and cultural history.
Saller earned his undergraduate degrees in history and ancient Greek at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and his PhD at the University of Cambridge. He was a research fellow at Cambridge and has held faculty positions at Swarthmore College and the University of Chicago, where he was awarded the Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1992.
Saller came to Stanford in 2007 to serve as dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences. He held this position through August 2018, when he stepped down to return to teaching. As dean of Stanford’s largest school, Saller strongly advocated for the humanities, arts, and sciences. He recruited and retained world-class faculty, bolstered enrollment in humanities courses, increased endowed chairs and graduate fellowships, and focused on providing researchers with the resources needed to make significant contributions to their fields. He also oversaw the construction of major new arts and sciences facilities.
Diversity Statement
“Higher education has the mission to advance human welfare in a rapidly changing world. Institutions that are truly inclusive and embrace and advance diversity everywhere – in every program, every school, and every area of operation – will be the most successful. Stanford must become one of those institutions!
Recognizing this, we must clearly articulate why diversity and inclusion are important to us, how these values support the mission of the university, and what goals we have set to advance our commitment to them.”
Stanford IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in a Learning Environment)
Salary and Benefits Overview
The expected pay range for this position is $175,000 to $219,000 per annum. Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.
Stanford University offers a wide range of health and life benefits to help meet the needs of employees and their families. For more information on the benefits offered at Stanford University, please click here.
Stanford University requires all staff to be fully vaccinated for Stanford COVID-19 requirements, unless granted a medical or religious accommodation.
Application Process
Stanford University has retained Spelman Johnson, a leading national executive search firm, to assist with this search. This hybrid position requires at least three days of onsite work per week or more to meet student and departmental needs.
Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled. A resume with a cover letter that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described in the position specification may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website at https://spelmanandjohnson.com/search-open-positions/. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.
Visit the Stanford University website at www.stanford.edu.
The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.
Consistent with its obligations under the law, Stanford University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of their job.
Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.