The University of Southern California seeks an accomplished, student-centered, creative, and dynamic leader as its next senior associate vice provost for student life who will collaborate with the vice president for student life to provide strategic organizational leadership and vision for the university student experience. The position will lead a team of executives cultivating a student experience that builds community and belonging, supports students in exploring and developing skills, and fosters a safe environment that promotes student well-being. The senior associate vice provost is an on-site position; the anticipated start date is summer 2024.
Responsibilities of the Position
Reporting to the vice president for student life (vice president), the senior associate vice provost for student life (SAVP) works to expand opportunities within USC Student Life to support a welcoming community where all can thrive. The SAVP will represent USC Student Life and the vice president on university-wide committees and meetings with campus stakeholders and serve as the proxy for the vice president in their absence. The SAVP will directly oversee several areas core to the student experience, including community support and expectations, student development and residential life, equity and inclusion, and engagement operations.
The SAVP supervises four associate/assistant vice provosts to ensure organizational alignment with the mission and goals of the university. They lead a seasoned team of colleagues and recruit, develop, and mentor teams in pursuit of delivering an excellent student experience grounded in well-being and success. As a leader in the university community, they embrace and exemplify USC’s unifying values and promote collaboration throughout the organization. The SAVP works closely with the vice president and chief of staff to implement the vision for USC Student Life, prioritize weekly meetings and projects, and initiate movement on strategic programs and services. This senior leader will facilitate strong organizational communication, equitable and accessible best practices, and information transparency with the university community and stakeholders, including general counsel, public safety, academic programs, alumni affairs, advancement, government relations, and more.
Additional responsibilities of the senior associate vice provost for student life include:
- Create, facilitate, and cultivate campus-wide partnerships focused on student well-being and alignment of the student experience.
- Support all of USC Student Life through meetings, training, and staff events.
- Design processes, practices, and programmatic interventions to empower the team in Student Life to facilitate a vibrant, world-class student experience for all students.
- Help determine and sustain policies and practices to promote a safe environment for students and support students’ general well-being.
- Lead initiatives, programs, and services to create and sustain a culture of well-being on an organizational level throughout the USC community.
- Cultivate a culture of care and student advocacy focused on student wellness, engagement, and flourishing through the development and support of programs, policies, and activities.
- Keep regular contact with student leaders to maintain a deep understanding of the student experience, help elevate concerns and advocacy issues, and obtain their feedback on Student Life initiatives.
- Interact effectively with parents and families of students as appropriate and in support of student success and retention.
See SAVP portfolio overview for additional details
Qualifications and Characteristics of the Successful Candidate
An advanced degree in an appropriate and relevant field, a minimum of ten years of increasingly responsible leadership and management experience, and a deep understanding of student development are required.
The successful candidate will be an experienced, student-centered leader who embraces forward-thinking strategies to anticipate the well-being and needs of students. The SAVP will also be a proven leader, manager, and collaborator with a high level of political acumen and the relationship-building and entrepreneurial skills required to work successfully with a wide range of individuals and constituencies across the university and the community.
The search committee is particularly interested in candidates with direct experience building and motivating an effective team; demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how these issues manifest in building community, belonging, and well-being; a record of success working in a highly collegial environment with other student life units and university and community constituencies; and extensive knowledge of student and community development as well as risk mitigation, emergency response, and crisis response.
In addition to the qualifications stated above, key stakeholders identified the following capabilities and attributes of a successful candidate:
- A servant leader with the capacity to engage and inspire others.
- Highly organized, with sharp attention to details.
- Skilled in written and verbal communications with all constituencies.
- Experienced diplomat with strong political acumen.
- Knowledgeable about trends and issues affecting student affairs practice, including student well-being, legal issues, and regulatory expectations such as Title IX.
- Committed to practicing open and transparent communication and inspiring trust.
- Well-versed in and committed to student learning and development, with a passion for working with, understanding, and committing to student learning and development.
History of the Position
Dr. Monique Allard most recently served in the senior associate vice provost role before being named USC’s vice president for student life in September 2021. The SAVP’s portfolio has been reviewed and expanded, with the addition of responsibility for the direct supervision of the assistant vice provost for student life, community expectations, a new role created in spring 2022.
Opportunities and Challenges of the Role
In transitioning to the University of Southern California, the senior associate vice provost for student life will encounter the following opportunities, priorities, and challenges, as shared by key campus stakeholders:
- USC is a large and dynamic university. Therefore, the SAVP will be expected to understand and appreciate a high level of complexity, respond to the quickly shifting dynamics of an organization with multiple stakeholders, and prioritize accordingly.
- The SAVP must be highly strategic in supporting over 47,000 students and diverse academic programs and schools. Additionally, they will engage with university partners on expanding services to USC’s many campuses beyond University Park.
- Student success and well-being are critical priorities for USC Student Life and the university. USC is fortunate to have longitudinal data on student well-being, including measures for DEI, for the last six years. The SAVP will be expected to become familiar with the existing data and work with the vice president to implement a comprehensive action plan that utilizes the available data.
- As an internally facing leader within USC Student Life, the SAVP will facilitate connection and communication by supporting all assistant and associate vice provosts and functional area directors and being involved with issues requiring high quality, timely communication and diligence.
- USC recently implemented a new student conduct process. As part of that transformation, the offices of community expectations and academic integrity were launched, along with the new student handbook reflecting the university’s philosophy and approach. The SAVP will partner with colleagues to continue to assess the new model and recommend refinements as appropriate.
Measures of Success
The senior associate vice provost for student life will work with the vice president for student life to determine specific measures of success and related timetables. The vice president and stakeholders offer the following general metrics for the position.
- The SAVP is a reliable, valued partner to the vice president in implementing the university’s vision and priorities.
- The SAVP has partnered meaningfully with USC Student Life senior leadership, staff, and university partners to advance the university’s unifying values.
- The SAVP is viewed broadly as a champion of well-being for students and staff. The SAVP will be expected to demonstrate transparency and accountability, exemplify a collaborative style with all key partners, and provide vision, leadership, and accountability in this process.
- The SAVP has developed impactful and meaningful relationships with academic leadership, enrollment services, athletics, public safety, faculty, staff, and external constituencies.
- The SAVP has assessed the staff’s skills and knowledge and developed a strong sense of teamwork among staff that emphasizes an engaging and collaborative work environment.
- The SAVP will have maintained a proactive, highly visible, well-respected, and established leadership presence on and off campus that is credible and collegial.
- The SAVP’s areas of direct responsibility will be defined as a strong, high functioning, well-regarded, and resilient team that works with synergy and shared purpose, readily collaborating across organizational lines with a demonstrated commitment to supporting a diverse and high-performing group of students who thrive at USC, graduate, and become engaged alumni.
Overview of USC Student Life at The University of Southern California
USC Student Life is devoted to creating an integrated learning experience that helps students reach their educational, personal, and professional aspirations. The team helps create a campus community where students are prepared to contribute to a changing world.
Mission, Vision, and Core Values
Vision
Empowering students to transform the world
Mission
Strengthening a culture driven by student well-being
Core Values
USC Student Life is devoted to supporting, educating, and engaging students. The organization is focused on providing all students the opportunity to reach their educational, personal, and professional aspirations.
To do this, USC Student Life will:
- Support the individual student and student communities through the development of environments, services, and policies that reinforce shared strengths.
- Educate students to discover a deeper understanding of themselves and become change agents in the world.
- Engage students in transformative experiences to challenge their perspectives and become global citizens.
Monique S. Allard
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USC Student Life Leadership
Monique S. Allard oversees a staff of nearly 200 employees devoted to integrating learning experiences for USC’s 21,000 undergraduate and 26,000 graduate and professional students. The student life team helps students reach their educational, personal, and professional aspirations and supports many aspects of student life, including accessibility services, career services, development and engagement, equity and inclusion programs, recreational sports, spirit programs, and student conduct.
Allard has over 25 years of experience in student support programs and services, focusing on leading organizational change and developing strategies anchored in well-being. Most recently, she led USC’s expansion of student equity and inclusion programs and the enhancement of the residential college experience.
Institutional Overview
Founded in 1880, the University of Southern California is a leading comprehensive private research university located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. As a member of the prestigious American Association of Universities, it is recognized for its distinctive research and academic programs. In its comprehensive 2022 ranking, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education ranked USC 19th among more than 1,000 public and private universities. Among the top 25 schools, USC ranked fourth (No. 4) in engagement, which measures student sentiment on how their education prepares them for the real world.
An anchor institution in Los Angeles and a global center for the arts, technology, health, and international business, USC is a constellation of schools, centers, and institutes where some of the brightest minds, working together in a dynamic and collaborative environment, lead the way to the future of education and a healthier, more joyful, and sustainable Los Angeles and world. The university’s six unifying values—integrity; excellence; diversity, equity, and inclusion; well-being; open communication; and accountability—are the cornerstone of USC’s community. Faculty, staff, and students alike work to create an inclusive culture that furthers personal growth potential and societal progress while emphasizing ethical practices and collective trust. The university is home to over 47,000 students engaged in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. A quarter of the first-year class are the first in their family to attend college, two-thirds of all students receive financial aid, and 27 percent of the diverse student body are international students.
Carol Folt
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Institutional Leadership
Dr. Carol Folt serves as the twelfth president of the University of Southern California and holds the Robert C. Packard President’s Chair.
Known for always placing students at the center, she is a collaborative academic leader and an internationally recognized life scientist with faculty appointments in biological sciences, civil and environmental engineering, and population and public health sciences.
Since joining USC in 2019, Dr. Folt has advanced academic excellence and innovation; increased accessibility and affordability; elevated belonging and inclusion; driven significant growth in the USC Health System; made meaningful advancements in sustainability; prioritized shared governance; enhanced USC’s winning legacy in athletics with honor and integrity; increased cross-school collaboration; built a new Capital Campus in the heart of Washington D.C., expanding USC’s role within the national conversation; amplified USC’s research enterprise; and established USC’s most comprehensive academic and research initiative, embedding ethics, analytics, and artificial intelligence across the university’s scholarly and creative work.
Academic Schools
- Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- Gould School of Law
- Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
- Marshall School of Business
- School of Dramatic Arts
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Sol Price School of Public Policy
- Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
- Thornton School of Music
- Viterbi School of Engineering
Experiencing Commonality Through Diversity
“USC strives to create an inclusive and enriching environment on its campuses, where all members of the community feel welcomed and celebrated. By embracing the unique strengths that come with each individual’s lived experiences, USC fosters a culture free from discrimination while promoting excellence through diversity, equity and inclusion.”
USC Office of Inclusion and Diversity
2023-24 Equity and Inclusion Implementation Plan
Student and Faculty Demographic Profile
The Student Body (2023-24)
Total student population: 47,000
Undergraduate: 21,000
Graduate: 26,000
Fall 2022 – Fall 2023 retention rate: 96 percent
Fall 2017 Freshman class six-year graduation rate: 92 percent
Note: Enrollment figures are rounded to the nearest 500
Salary and Benefits Overview
The budgeted salary for this position is $185,000-$235,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.
The University of Southern California offers a broad range of benefits and perks to help protect employees and their dependents’ health, wealth, and future.
Application and Nomination
The University of Southern California has retained the services of Spelman Johnson, a leading national executive search firm, to assist with leading this search. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To apply for this position please click on the Apply button, complete the brief application process, and upload your resume and position-specific cover letter. Nominations for this position and questions about the status of the search may be emailed to Michel R. Frendian at mrf@spelmanjohnson.com. 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 University of Southern California website at www.usc.edu and the USC Student Life website at https://studentlife.usc.edu/.
USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance.