Assistant Vice President for Campus Inclusion and Community

Department: Vice Pres Student Affairs
Salary/Grade: EXS/14

Northwestern University invites inquiries, nominations and applications for its Assistant Vice President for Campus Inclusion and Community (AVP CIC).

Reporting directly to the new Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA), Susan M. Davis, who joined the Northwestern community in April 2023, the Assistant Vice President for Campus Inclusion and Community will serve as a key member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT) and will oversee a $2.5 million portfolio of 25 full-time staff within a suite of units whose aim is to advance student-facing inclusion and justice efforts at the University. The units within the Campus Inclusion and Community team include the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, Multicultural Student Affairs, Religious and Spiritual Life, Social Justice Education and Student Enrichment Services. As the division’s thought leader on diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) best practices, the position will also serve as a strategic and operational partner to other DEIJ campus leaders and committees as well as collaborating directly with University partners within academic affairs to advance student inclusion, success and wellness.

The next Assistant Vice President will be an experienced, collaborative, and nimble leader who builds trust and forms strong partnerships to advance student-centered initiatives that enhance the student experience and support student learning, wellness and development. The AVP CIC will excel at building partnerships in a decentralized institutional environment and demonstrate a deep understanding of the complexities and challenges in the daily lives of students, including undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The AVP CIC will have a deep understanding of the current issues and best practices in diversity, equity, inclusion and justice; experience guiding program development and service delivery for students that advances the vision, mission and goals of the division; and the leadership experience to continue to build and shape a cohesive and interconnected team focused on intersectional, affinity and intercultural programming, events and initiatives. The successful candidate will have a Master's degree in higher education or a related field coupled with at least seven years of progressively responsible leadership roles in higher education or relevant field; a terminal degree and experience supervising full-time, director level staff is preferred.

Northwestern University is global in its scope, with 12 schools and colleges integrated throughout three campuses – the primary campus in Evanston, IL; the Chicago, IL campus; and the campus situated in Doha, Qatar. Ranked in the top 10 among national universities by U.S. News and World Report, Northwestern is a multifaceted AAU global research university that has a distinguished and distinctive interdisciplinary tradition. Northwestern has approximately 4,000 faculty, more than 12,000 staff and more than 23,000 students, including approximately 8,800 undergraduates and more than 14,000 graduate and professional students. For the 2022 fiscal year, Northwestern’s sponsored research totaled $923 million and is on clear trajectory to exceed $1 billion. Northwestern's endowment stands at approximately $16 billion, placing Northwestern among the best endowed institutions in the world.

Minimum Qualifications: Candidates for the Assistant Vice President for Campus Inclusion and Community must possess a Master's degree in higher education or a related field; a Doctoral degree, J.D. or terminal degree in higher education or a related field (preferred); seven or more years of progressively responsible leadership in roles in higher education or relevant field; demonstrated experience with social justice, racial equity and interfaith and religious literacy including in policy development, budget development and strategy; comprehensive knowledge and demonstrated experience of current theory and practice in student affairs as it pertains to student development and diversity, equity and inclusion frameworks and practices; knowledge and skill to apply contemporary best practices in student affairs, student learning outside of the classroom and advocacy; knowledge and successful implementation of strategic plans and assessments.

Northwestern University offers Workplace Strategies which are contingent on business needs.

The target salary for this position is approximately $175k to $190K, with limited flexibility depending on experience, skills, and internal equity.

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile. Professional references are not requested at this time.

WittKieffer is assisting Northwestern University in this search. Application review has begun and will continue until an appointment is made.
Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to:
Jen Meyers Pickard, Ph.D., and Meredith Davis, Ph.D.
NorthwesternAVP@wittkieffer.com

Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the COVID-19 and Campus Updates webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.