Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs
Broad Function
The Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs (VPASA), under the general direction and leadership of the College President, supports the mission and strategic goals of SUNY Adirondack in leading academic, enrollment, and student affairs areas of the College. The VPASA collaborates with fellow executive team members, faculty, staff, and students and advises the President on matters germane to this senior leader’s scope of responsibility.
The VPASA conducts strategic analysis, formulates policy recommendations, and engages in the college’s annual budget, planning, and evaluation processes, leading departments within this position’s responsibility to do the same. As an exempt employee, the VPASA exercises discretion and maintains a level of confidentiality and diplomacy required for executive leadership.
Major Responsibilities
-
Ensures relevance, vibrancy, and effectiveness of academic and workforce programs, working with faculty leaders through shared governance processes to discuss and implement changes reflective of the College’s mission and regional economic data. Reviews, recommends, and represents curricular decisions to the College President, SUNY, and the NYS Education Department, and
recommends academic policy and workforce education strategy. -
Oversees master course schedule design, development, implementation, and annual assessment as a key driver of academic program vibrancy, student enrollment and progression, and the fiscal health of the institution.
-
Supports an experienced and talented team of student affairs and enrollment professionals to develop, implement, assess, and revise, as needed, research based student success strategies, especially related to academic advising, student development, wellness, basic needs, financial literacy, and transfer and career services.
-
Engages on campus, state-wide and nationally to identify and foster adoption of best practices in enrollment management and student success, including development, implementation, and assessment of a strategic enrollment management plan.
-
Leads strategic enrollment management and student retention initiatives, including analysis and dissemination of key data to foster campus dialogue and effective action.
-
Supervises institutional accreditation processes.
-
Promotes excellence and inclusivity in teaching and student support services.
-
Develops grant and/or philanthropic proposals and monitors implementation of and reporting on sponsored projects relevant to areas of responsibility.
-
Models behavior supportive of the college’s core values; manages and leads all aspects of employment for personnel within areas of responsibility including hiring, professional development, performance management, and evaluations.
Fosters innovation and effective change management. -
Ensures compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies.
-
Participates in collective bargaining processes and ensures institutional alignment with the faculty contract.
-
Collaborates with the College President to develop external partnerships and collaborations that increase the institution’s visibility, capacity, and impact.
-
Coordinates agenda development and presentations to the Academic and Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees; presents to the Board of Trustees as requested by the President.
-
Other duties as assigned by the President.
Required Skills
-
Understanding of, and commitment to, the community college mission and purpose, excellence in teaching and learning, and student success.
-
Demonstrated leadership skills, including the ability to develop leadership capacity in others and maintain a positive team culture.
-
A record of progressive responsibility and demonstrated professional achievements in at least one of the three core areas of leadership responsibility for this position: academic affairs, enrollment management, student affairs.
-
Active listening, strong interpersonal and effective organizational skills.
-
Ability to work both collaboratively and independently to deliver timely results.
-
Effective oral and written communication skills.
-
Sound, ethical professional judgment in decision-making.