Dakota Wesleyan University Hiring for Dean of Students at Mitchell, SD Full Time

Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota invites applications for the full-time, twelve-month position of Dean of Students. 

The Dean of Students oversees and works with the student life staff to facilitate and support the student life experience for all students at Dakota Wesleyan University. The Dean works with student life staff and other college employees (i.e., faculty and staff members) to create and implement opportunities for co-curricular learning and student growth and development, particularly in the areas of leadership, faith, and service. The Dean works with the provost and/or other appropriate faculty and staff members to assess this learning and evaluate these efforts (in an ongoing fashion). The Dean oversees and coordinates a variety of activities and efforts focused on student retention and engagement. The Dean also oversees the university’s academic support services (TRIO Student Support Services and the Academic Support and Career Services Center). The Dean serves as a student advocate by responding directly to student needs and issues affecting student well-being.

The successful candidate will:

• Hold a minimum of a master’s degree in a relevant field, preferably student affairs.
• Have relevant, successful, professional experience working in a student life office at the collegiate level.
• Have experience dealing successfully with a range of crises and challenges that are common among college age students.
• Possess knowledge and experience dealing successfully with Title IX policy and procedures.
• Have knowledge and experience dealing successfully with student disciplinary issues, policy, and procedures, including oversight of the Student Handbook.
• Have significant, successful supervisory experience. The position supervises the areas of residential life, student activities (including Student Senate), campus health (including a campus nurse and mental health counselor), campus ministry (including a campus pastor), TRIO Student Support Services (a team of four staff members), and the university’s Academic Success and Career Services (which oversees tutoring services at the university).
• Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively with a range of campus constituencies (e.g., faculty, athletic coaches, academic support staff, and physical plant workers).
• Have experience and/or knowledge to implement successful efforts to assess the growth and learning that takes place in co-curricular learning environments.
• Be comfortable with, or willing to learn, the use of digital technologies to enhance student engagement and learning. For example, the candidate will support a recently implemented student success management software platform. 
• Possess a welcoming and inclusive orientation with deep respect for diversity and difference (e.g., differences around race, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and so forth).
• Have strong relational skills the ability to build strong relationships with college students, faculty, and staff.
• Possess strong organizational skills and the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing. 
• Respect the professional autonomy of those they supervise while being able to cultivate a team ethos and hold individuals accountable as necessary. The Dean should be able to clearly communicate the goals of the student life department and the role each employee plays in working to achieve those goals.
• Demonstrate flexibility and an ability to reorder priorities in response to environmental changes.
• Be a person of high integrity with the ability maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrate commitment to the mission of DWU and to the university’s values of learning, leadership, faith, and service.

Applications for the position should include a letter of interest detailing how the candidate’s qualifications, knowledge, and experience align with the criteria outlined in the advertisement; a curriculum vitae (or resume); and the names and contact information (including phone numbers and email addresses) of four professional references. Original transcripts and background check will be required before the university makes an appointment.

Please submit materials electronically via email to Ms. Janet Hayen, Director of Human Resources, Dakota Wesleyan University at [email protected]. Please write Dean of Students in the subject line. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) is a private, comprehensive university affiliated with the United Methodist Church granting both bachelors and master’s degrees. The University’s mission is to provide a transformative learning experience that cultivates enduring intellectual growth, ethically grounded leadership, intentional faith exploration, and meaningful service. The University serves approximately 1,000 students from across the nation and around the world, including a significant number of first-generation students from the Great Plains region. Dakota Wesleyan’s profile is on the rise both regionally and nationally. U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Dakota Wesleyan as best value school in the Midwest and as one of the best regional colleges in the Midwest. In the past decade, university donors have made possible a new health science center; a black box theater and alumni welcome center; a 90,000 sq ft sport and wellness complex; a new residence hall; and the new School of Business, Innovation and Leadership. In 2018, Dakota Wesleyan introduced its Digital DWU initiative. This initiative focuses on creating learning opportunities for students that will prepare them to succeed in the digital world they will enter upon graduation. The initiative provides all students with iPads and supports faculty in utilizing technology to create a more engaging and inclusive educational experience for all students. 

DWU is located in Mitchell, South Dakota, a community of 15,000, nestled in the heart of one of the country’s finest outdoor recreation areas. Mitchell is the sixth largest city in South Dakota and home to the world’s only Corn Palace. The University is within an hour’s drive of Sioux Falls, one of the Upper Midwest’s largest statistical metropolitan areas. It is within a six-hour drive of several major metropolitan areas (Omaha, NB; Minneapolis, MN; Kansas City, MO).

Dakota Wesleyan reserves the right to modify all job postings and job descriptions.