Vice President and Dean of Students

Sarah Lawrence College

Vice President and Dean of Students

Bronxville, New York

Sarah Lawrence College is seeking a Vice President and Dean of Students to lead significant institutional initiatives and enhance the College’s mission to prepare students to solve the problems of, and to thrive in, a complex and rapidly evolving world.

Reporting to the president and serving as a member of the College’s senior leadership team, this leader will hold a central role in advancing and implementing an innovative and unifying strategic vision, enhancing and cultivating a holistic student experience rooted in belonging and wellbeing, expanding vital initiatives that engage all stakeholders in student success, and managing a complex portfolio while developing and supporting their team. The vice president and dean will collaborate with students, staff, and faculty to create a welcoming, supportive, and intellectually engaging environment that builds community and maximizes opportunities for student learning, engagement, and success.

Founded in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College established a reputation for innovation and creativity in its model of residential undergraduate education and commitment to life-long learning. The College has steadfastly maintained its commitment to the liberal arts over its history, continually offering a BA in the liberal arts, the single undergraduate degree at the heart of its endeavor. The College has never been burdened by traditional departmental and curricular structures, and the education has always been infused with a focus on the whole student, in recognition of the essential need for a multi-disciplinary perspective.

The College has consistently ranked among the leading liberal arts colleges in the country and includes a community of approximately 1,400 undergraduate students, 300 graduate students, and 265 faculty members. Sarah Lawrence students share an enthusiasm for intellectual rigor, academic risk taking, creativity in all disciplines, and original and interdisciplinary work. The College is particularly committed to having a faculty, staff, administration, and student body that reflects the social, racial, and economic diversity that characterizes our society. The College’s undergraduate students come from nearly every state and from 50+ countries; more than 80 percent of undergrads live on campus.

This role requires a bachelor’s degree; a graduate degree is preferred. The ideal candidate will have a history of successively increasing leadership responsibility and management experience in a student-centered higher education environment that will serve as a basis for understanding and supporting Sarah Lawrence College students. College teaching experience and a terminal degree in a discipline taught at Sarah Lawrence is desirable. The next vice president and dean will be self-motivated, proactive, resourceful, high-energy, enthusiastic, present and approachable, empathetic, collegial, service-oriented, and focused on the organization over self.

Sarah Lawrence College invites nominations, expressions of interest, and applications as part of the search for their next vice president and dean of students. Please visit the link https://www.equadvisors.com/slc-vp-dos to submit a nomination, express interest, and/or apply as well as to review the Search Profile which outlines the role and agenda for the position. 

For full consideration, candidates should submit a) a letter of interest outlining their experience relative to the role and agenda for the position and b) a resume by Wednesday, December 21, 2022. Additional information regarding references and due diligence will be requested from semi-finalists and finalists later in the process.

Sarah Lawrence College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and has as one of its goals the recruitment and retention of a racially and culturally diverse administration, staff, and faculty. To that end, every job opening is seen as an opportunity to increase diversity and every effort will be made to expand the applicant pool in accordance with these goals.