Director of Restorative Practices and Engaged Pluralism

Vassar College

Director of Restorative Practices and Engaged Pluralism

Department: Dean Of The College Office
Duration of Position: Full year / Full time
Work Schedule:
Employee Type: Administrator
Posting Date: 12/20/2022
Union Representation: Not Applicable
Posting Number: AS317P
Pay Rate:

About Vassar College
Located in the scenic Mid-Hudson Valley, Vassar College is a highly selective, residential, coeducational liberal arts college. Vassar stands upon the homelands of the Munsee Lenape.Vassar College is deeply committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community and to promoting an environment of equality, inclusion, and respect for difference. The College is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, and especially welcomes applications from veterans, women, individuals with disabilities, and members of racial, ethnic, and other historically underrepresented groups.Vassar College is a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus.

Position Summary and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Dean of the College, the Director of Restorative Practices and Engaged Pluralism is a new position at the College that will help model Vassar's value of community building and transformation through difficult conversations. Engaged Pluralism at Vassar emerged at the 2022 conclusion of the Mellon Foundation-funded Engaged Pluralism Initiative (EPI). EPI shifted the College's practices toward building cross-campus communities that emphasize belonging. Engaged Pluralism will carry this legacy to create collaborative efforts in which students, faculty, administrators, and staff actively engage across differences.
The new Director of Restorative Practices and Engaged Pluralism will manage projects and initiatives that utilize restorative practices and values in arenas critical to student development. This includes community expectations and conflict resolution whereby students and employees can repair relationships and learn about themselves and others, communication skills, and inter-group dialogue. The integral work of this new role includes promoting personal growth and learning through formal and informal processes that center on repairing relationships, promoting healing, encouraging individual and group accountability for actions, and building individual and communal trust. Centered on both restorative and transformative justice models, this will aid in creating a campus culture that is more actively anti-racist, inclusive, and equitable.
Position Responsibilities:

• Participate in the Engaged Pluralism Leadership Team to help promote and facilitate campus wide EP efforts.
• Design, implement, and manage student and employee practices, policies, and procedures related to restorative practices.
• Facilitate restorative circles and community conferences, as well as informal processes to engage campus community members in healing dialogue.
• Work collaboratively with all areas of the Dean of the College division, particularly the offices of Student Growth and Engagement, the Office of Residential Life, and other campus. constituents to build the capacity of students and employees around restorative practices.
• Take a lead role in reframing work throughout the Dean of the College division of student life in a restorative/transformative paradigm in conjunction with the associate deans of the college.
• Contribute to other campus-wide educational initiatives such as new student orientation, the Health and Wellness Committee, community expectations panel and advance the College's commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion.
• Supervise and manage RP/EP student interns.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field required, Ph.D. preferred.
• Five to ten years of training and experience in restorative practices and transformative dialogue, as well as expertise in student life and inclusion efforts.
• Experience in a self-directed role, demonstrating confidence and initiative to actualize this inaugural position.
• Outstanding organizational, facilitation, and ability to multitask.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to take initiative and realize projects and goals with minimal supervision;
• Experience planning, facilitating, and managing projects and events.
• Ability to affirm, advocate for and relate to students from a diversity of cultural backgrounds, using a high degree of judgment and confidentiality.
• Willingness to continue education and training on various equity topics.
• Ability to manage ambiguity as well as collaborative decision-making structures.
• Demonstrated competency with social media and content delivery.
• Have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with a broad range of individuals internally and externally.
• Significant experience working with diverse constituencies and being able to articulate how privileged versus marginalized positions impact the restorative process and dialogue.

Special Instructions to Applicants
To complete your on-line application, you will be required to attach your resume, cover letter, and contact information for 3 professional references. All attachments must be in PDF format. Review of applications will begin immediately. If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources, 845-437-5820.

For full consideration applicants should apply by:

All applicants must apply online at: https://employment.vassar.edu/postings/3295.



jeid-63110101bb12d94db8d56d1e80f181b9