Responsibilities of the Position
Reporting to the provost, the dean of campus life and vice president for student engagement (DOCL/VP) will provide strategic and visionary leadership for the university’s campus life division, and work closely with the president, deans, and other senior university leaders to advance the institutional priority of enhancing the student experience by fully integrating the work of campus life and the academic mission of the university.
The DOCL/VP will provide inspiring leadership to staff, faculty, administrators, and students across all areas of campus life that support undergraduate and graduate students, including programs and services, student health and wellness, daily operations, athletics, and civic engagement. This individual will also ensure a seamless transition for students moving from the Oxford campus to the Atlanta campus. In addition, the DOCL/VP will be responsible for developing and implementing enhancements to programs for engagement with the graduate and professional student body.
The DOCL/VP provides leadership for athletics and recreation; belonging and community; community standards and student support; health, wellbeing, access and prevention; residential student life; student centers and engagement; campus life business operations; and communication and strategic initiatives. The division of campus life has an annual budget of $71 million and a team of 293 dedicated professionals.
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
- Work closely with academic leadership to ensure full engagement and alignment between campus life and the university’s academic mission.
- Demonstrate a clear commitment to students’ holistic experiences and ensure that students thrive, are safe, and are supported at Emory.
- Encourage collaboration and work with senior leadership to develop infrastructure that supports collaboration across campus life, academic affairs, and other university divisions.
- Work with the campus life committee of the Board of Trustees to communicate and realize the university’s goals for the student experience.
- Refine and implement strategic goals and initiatives for the division of campus life that align with the university’s short- and long-term priorities.
- Provide visible leadership to students on campus and to external constituencies.
- Build productive relationships with alumni and donors to support the goals of the campus life division and the university.
- Cultivate a dynamic campus environment that encourages innovation and cutting-edge programs and services.
- Interact productively with student leaders and a broad range of student organizations across campus.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the provost, president, and other senior leaders on campus life issues.
- Collaborate with the student life teams at each school to enhance integrated services for all students.
Qualifications and Characteristics of the Successful Candidate
An advanced degree and significant senior leadership experience in campus life within a complex higher education institution, preferably supporting both undergraduate and graduate students, are required. An earned doctorate is strongly preferred.
The ideal candidate will bring a demonstrated history of working with academic units and faculty to integrate academic and campus life missions; proven experience in developing leaders and supervising teams within complex settings, demonstrating a strong ability to inspire and guide others effectively; strong management skills, including budget development and implementation, and strategic planning; and the ability to work respectfully, creatively, and collaboratively in highly complex and challenging environments.
Successful candidates will thrive in the dynamic setting of a highly selective, urban university, engaging meaningfully with a culturally diverse and international student population that is enterprising and energetic. Well-honed communication skills, including listening, writing, and speaking effectively in both small and large groups, are essential. Candidates should resonate deeply with the mission and values of Emory University.
In addition to the qualifications stated above, key stakeholders identified the following capabilities and attributes of a successful candidate:
- Possess a leadership approach grounded in empathy, deliberate engagement, and active listening that invests in staff development and wellbeing and champions students, staff, and their programs.
- Unite campus life and academic affairs into a seamless, student-centered ecosystem that supports the full journey of all undergraduate and graduate students.
- Cultivate meaningful relationships across the institution through intentional engagement, partnership building, and a high-touch, relational leadership approach.
- Ensure fiscal discipline and accountability; align resources to student needs and institutional priorities to maximize impact.
- Articulate a clear vision and direction with a focus on defining the student experience and how it aligns with the academic mission.
- Design and lead thoughtful, systems-informed change by bringing a holistic perspective to organizational structure, strategy, and execution.
- Communicate with authenticity and transparency in ways that build confidence, invite trust, and ensure people feel heard, valued, and respected.
Opportunities and Challenges of the Role
In transitioning to Emory University, the dean of campus life and vice president of student engagement will encounter the following opportunities, priorities, and challenges, as shared by key campus stakeholders:
- The DOCL/VP has a platform to imagine, articulate, and bring to life a bold, unifying vision for the Emory student experience that seamlessly integrates academic life, campus life, and the world beyond Emory.
- The DOCL/VP must bring stability, care, and confidence to a dedicated community that has undergone significant administrative change, helping restore trust and a sense of shared purpose.
- The appointment of a new provost in November 2025 signals a strong institutional commitment to a reset of campus life, centered on elevating the student experience and deepening faculty engagement across the division.
- The DOCL/VP will have the opportunity to develop a senior leadership structure for campus life and build a team of professionals to implement the division’s strategy.
- The role offers an exciting opportunity to shape the next chapter of Emory by cultivating a thriving, connected, and confident community where people feel valued, supported, and proud of their work.
- The new DOCL/VP must be committed to the holistic development of students to help Emory continue evolving toward more integrated, proactive, and compassionate models of student success, wellbeing, and belonging.
- The DOCL/VP will strategically work to align resources with purpose, use data, and advocate effectively for their team and work.
- The next leader will have the opportunity to position campus life as a central, strategic force in the life of the university by building deep partnerships with faculty, deans, and senior leaders and by elevating the division’s voice and impact across the institution.
- This new DOCL/VP will build an extraordinary leadership team, empower talented professionals to make or implement strategic decisions, design sustainable systems, and lead change that strengthens the institution for generations of students to come.
- The new DOCL/VP must work to define the unique experiences of undergraduate and graduate populations and align campus life programs and services to effectively support each group by enhancing their success and engagement.
Measures of Success
The items listed below will define the dean of campus life and vice president of student engagement’s success throughout the first year of employment:
- The DOCL/VP has built strong, trusting relationships with staff, faculty, and students and is widely regarded as a credible, visible, and valued campus leader.
- The DOCL/VP has prioritized faculty engagement, resulting in new initiatives and partnerships that are more integrated and better coordinated across services, and that demonstrably improve the student experience.
- Financial resource alignment is strengthened, as evidenced by transparent budgeting, data-informed decision-making, and clear connections between funding, strategic priorities, and impact.
- The DOCL/VP has worked to define and create a clear, shared vision for the Emory student experience that is understood and embraced across the institution.
- Trust, morale, and stability are visibly restored, reflected in improved staff engagement, stronger retention, and a renewed sense of pride and positive momentum within campus life.
Overview of Emory Campus Life
Vision Statement
“Emory Campus Life (ECL), a community recognized internationally for advancing education into action and delivering world-class programs and services, promotes a healthy and sustainable environment where students live what they learn and learn what they live for self and society. ECL catalyzes a distinctive, caring, inquiry-driven, ethically engaged, polycultural, and socially just community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, and visitors who imagine and lead positive transformation in the world.”
Mission Statement
“Emory Campus Life cultivates a welcoming and dynamic community committed to developing skills necessary for lifelong success and positive transformation in the world.”
Credo
“We believe our role in human development involves ensuring that all community members have the support and motivation to manage their challenges and opportunities.
We believe it is our duty to provide a high standard of care for students, community members, colleagues, and ourselves.
We believe engagement in the residential experience contributes powerfully to the completeness of a liberal arts education resulting also in an affinity for the institution, a heightened value for the community, and a thirst for lifelong learning.
We believe our vision will be achieved when we lead with integrity and transparency. We succeed when we engage our community, embrace differences, act generously and humbly, and pursue only excellence.”
Theme
“Embrace your passion. Unleash your potential.”
Division of Academic Affairs
The division of academic affairs includes Emory’s nine schools and colleges as well as a broad range of academic and administrative units that comprise the office of the provost.
Their mission is to advance Emory’s academic progress and nurture its intellectual life by engaging, promoting, and supporting its vibrant community of faculty, students, and staff.
Through programs, policies, support services, and initiatives, academic affairs works to foster excellence in teaching and mentoring, scholarship and research, and student learning and experience.
Divisional Leadership
Badia Ahad
Badia Ahad is the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English. As the institution’s chief academic officer, she ensures the quality of undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and advances Emory’s progress as an eminent research university. The deans of Emory’s schools and colleges report to the provost on all academic matters. Additionally, Ahad provides leadership, guidance, and support for academic units across the office of the provost, working closely with other senior leaders within the division and across the university to continue advancing important efforts to build strong schools, foster faculty eminence, ensure operational excellence, and deliver an exceptional student experience.
Previously, Provost Ahad was the dean of Emory’s Oxford College, where she was responsible for crafting the overall vision and establishing the strategic priorities of the college. She served as Oxford’s chief academic, administrative, and fiscal officer while maintaining a wide portfolio of responsibilities, including academic affairs, campus life and housing, finance and operations, communications, enrollment services, technology, advancement, and human resources.
Mission, Vision, & Key Concepts
Institutional Overview
Emory University is a leading research university, recognized internationally for its outstanding liberal arts colleges, graduate and professional schools, and one of the nation’s most comprehensive academic health care systems. Founded in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia, Emory moved to Atlanta in 1915 with a transformative gift from Asa G. Candler, founder of The Coca-Cola Company. Today, Emory has two campuses: one in Atlanta and one in Oxford, Georgia, home to Oxford College. With 480 student clubs, sports teams, and performing arts groups, Emory is the place for those who want to be a part of it all. People are greeted by the beautiful Haygood-Hopkins gate at the front of the Atlanta campus, opening up to 600 acres of sprawling green space and Italian Renaissance–style architecture. Made up of nine colleges and schools, Emory offers more than 80 undergraduate majors, over 60 minors, and ten+ preprofessional choices.
The Student Body (Fall 2025 Enrollment)
Institutional Leadership
Leah Ward Sears
Leah Ward Sears began serving as Emory’s interim president on September 1, 2025, bringing to the role a deep love for the university and a connection that spans nearly half a century. A proud alumna of Emory’s School of Law, she first arrived on campus in 1977 as a law student. Since then, her relationship with Emory has been one of continual service and devotion, first as a student, later as an adjunct professor at the law school, and, for the past 15 years, as a member of the Emory Board of Trustees.
She has been a trailblazer throughout her professional life. In 1982, she was appointed to the City Court of Atlanta by Mayor Andrew Young. Just three years later, she made history as the first African American woman to serve as a superior court judge in Georgia. Her distinguished service continued with her 1992 appointment to the Supreme Court of Georgia by Governor Zell Miller, the first woman to hold that position. Over 17 years on the state’s highest court, including four as chief justice, Justice Sears earned a reputation for her steady leadership, integrity, and unwavering commitment to justice.
University Organizational Chart
University Mission & Principles
Land Acknowledgment
“Emory University acknowledges the Muscogee (Creek) people who lived, worked, produced knowledge on, and nurtured the land where Emory’s Oxford and Atlanta campuses are now located. In 1821, fifteen years before Emory’s founding, the Muscogee were forced to relinquish this land. We recognize the sustained oppression, land dispossession, and involuntary removals of the Muscogee and Cherokee peoples from Georgia and the Southeast. Emory seeks to honor the Muscogee Nation and other Indigenous caretakers of this land by humbly seeking knowledge of their histories and committing to respectful stewardship of the land.”
Benefits Overview
Below are a few of the many comprehensive benefits available at Emory. Further details may be found on the Benefits webpage.
- Health Insurance (Medical, Dental & Vision Plans)
- Retirement Savings Plans (with an excellent matching program)
- Life Insurance (Basic & Supplemental)
- Short- and Long-term Disability
- Courtesy Scholarship (tuition discount at Emory for faculty/staff and their dependents)
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Paid Time Off and Holidays (ten holidays per year, plus two floating holidays)
- Paid Parental Leave
- Resources for Child Care, Adult Care, and Emergency Back-up Care
- Adoption Reimbursement
- Fitness and Personal Wellness Programs
- Workplace Flexibility
- Public Transportation Subsidies
Application
Review of applications will begin immediately, 2026, and continue until the position is filled. To apply for this position, please click the Apply button, complete the brief application process, and upload your resume and a position-specific cover letter. 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 Emory University website at https://www.emory.edu/home/index.html
Emory is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by state or federal law. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in university programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, federal and state regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action (for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities). Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Department of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Building, Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone: 404-727-9867 (V) | 404-712-2049 (TDD).
RELATED LINKS: