The Assistant Director for Campus Life manages the day to day operation of the Office of Campus Life and provides leadership and support to key student organizations including Bates College Student Government, Ronj Coffeehouse, Breaks at Bates, The Bates Student Newspaper, and Senior Week Co-Chairs. They also lead efforts related to senior week programming, the Campus Life Equity and Inclusion Peer Advisors, and student clubs, and oversees a variety of training and orientations that center student leadership development utilizing the Bates Leads framework, including building programs for civil discourse. The Assistant Director for Campus Life works closely and collaboratively with the Coordinator of Campus Life Programming and First-Year Experience to provide leadership and guidance for student club events and program, including event management when appropriate and as needed.
Job Duties:
Campus Life Operations:
Create, sustain and oversee systems for managing the operations of the office and the clubs and organizations supported by Campus Life.
Fosters an open, welcoming, and fun office environment for students, families, and colleagues.
Approves student listservs managed by Campus Life as needed and/or as scheduled.
Manages budgets related to Campus Life, including student organizations and student clubs.
Serve as the primary point of contact for inquiries related to the Office of Campus Life, and provide administrative oversight for the office. This includes receiving and triaging phone calls, mail, and visitors to the office, including families and campus partners.
Complete hiring forms for student and staff employees, including submitting forms to the Student Employment Office and submitting hiring information via Garnet Gateway.
Works with the Associate Dean for Residence Life and First-Year Experience to provide support for the first-year forms process, ensuring all forms have been completed prior to matriculating to Bates.
Provide support for Bates Engage, the college’s student engagement platform, based on CampusGroups. This includes being a content expert for the function and capabilities of Bates Engage, and providing advising support for clubs, organizations, and colleagues in how to best leverage its capabilities to support their group(s).
Maintain comprehensive files and records.
Reviewing and reconciling Campus Life and student club and organization expenditures.
Order office and event supplies, place food orders, process invoices, and manage credits cards and reimbursements for students and Campus Life programs and staff.
Serve as an approver Bates Today, the electronic daily news digest sent to students, faculty, and staff as needed.
Coordinate bus trips and other transportation opportunities offered through the Office of Campus Life.
Oversee the Breaks at Bates Program. This program supports student-led events and experiences during academic breaks.
Post content to the Campus Life website and social media platforms.
Campus Life Student Organization, Clubs, and Leadership:
Hire, train and manage the student staff of the Ronj Coffeehouse and the Campus Life student office assistants utilizing the Bates Leads framework.
Advise Bates College Student Government (BCSG) by providing structure, guidance, and mentorship to student assembly members, the executive board, and other constituents. This includes working collaboratively with the Coordinator of Campus Life Programming and First-Year Experience to advise the Funding and Activities Board.
Advise the Bates Student Newspaper by providing operational support and guidance, including managing fellowships contracts and hiring processes.
In collaboration within the Senior Associate Dean of Students, hire, train, and supervise the Senior Week Co-Chairs and senior week programming.
In collaboration with the Senior Associate Dean of Students, assists with developing and implementing equity and inclusion strategies for all Campus Life systems, structures, programs and policies.
Manages the Equity and Inclusion Peer Advisor Program, including the supervision of Equity and Inclusion Peer Advisor student staff. This entails designing curriculum and training materials for Equity and Inclusion Peer Advisors, and utilizing these student staff positions to support student clubs and organizations in meeting their/our equity and inclusion goals.
Oversees the implementation of Bates Leads, the college’s student leadership framework, by partnering and collaborating with a variety of campus constituencies.
Partners closely with the Associate Director for Outdoor Education and Programs and the Coordinator for Campus Life Programming and First-Year Experience to develop and provide orientation, training, workshops and leadership development opportunities for clubs and organizations.
Holds both traditional and non-traditional office hours (after 5:00 pm and weekends when needed) to meet with campus stakeholders and students. This includes attending student organization meetings that meet in the evenings and on weekends.
Staff, manage, and/or be present at student events on nights and weekends as needed.
Advises and provides support to student clubs recognized by Bates College Student Government. This is a shared responsibility with the Coordinator of Campus Life Programming and First-Year Experience.
Events:
Train as a supplementary event manager for late night weekend events. Can be expected to work approximately one to two late night weekend events per month. During Senior Week, the Assistant Director for Campus Life should expect to staff four or more events, including Commencement.
Co-supervise for part-time Campus Life Event Staff & Event Security that serve as supplemental support for late night and weekend social events. This will primarily consist of hiring and training the event team.
Student Support Advisor:
Serve as a Student Support Advisor to a cohort of students throughout their academic career at Bates.
Advise students managing personal challenges and assist them with accessing support and resources.
Provide supplemental academic advising as needed as students negotiate their academic development.
Assist students with navigating academic policies and processes such as leaves, course deferrals, and other processes.
Student Affairs:
Serve on the Student Affairs “on-call” rotation, providing timely response and support for student emergencies which will include being available up to 7 weeks per year to respond to timely student crises 24/7.
Provide support to Campus Safety Officers and Residential Life Coordinators for emerging crisis situations which will include being on campus after hours and on the weekends, as well as contacting family members and students.
Connect with internal and external resources such as Facilities, Environmental Health and Safety, hospitals, law enforcement, the fire department, and other service providers as needed.
Serve as a Green Dot Bystander Intervention Trainer.
Participate in team projects that enhance the quality or efficiency of Student Affairs.
Support the Senior Associate Dean of Students in other projects as assigned.
Participate in national and regional professional development opportunities to ensure the implementation and assessment of best practices related to student life.
Participate in team projects that enhance the quality or efficiency of Student Affairs.
Participate in national and regional professional development opportunities to ensure the implementation and assessment of best practices related to student life.
Conduct:
Adjudicates conduct cases as needed.
Reviews reports from Security and Campus Safety or complaints from faculty, staff, and students to determine appropriate interventions and actions.
Facilitates developmental conversations regarding substance use and risk as it pertains to college policies.
Maintains consistency in conducting hearings while working to support diverse students from a variety of different backgrounds and experiences.
Approaches conduct meetings through an educational lens, utilizing motivational interviewing techniques to provide students with the opportunity to consider behavioral change.
Minimum Qualifications:
Education
Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 3 years of professional experience is required.
Master’s Degree preferred.
Experience
3+ years of professional post-baccalaureate experience in Student Affairs or other higher education department experience (including professional or undergraduate experience in residence life, student government, student activities, and/or other leadership positions on a college campus).
Demonstrated success in supporting students from underrepresented groups, including students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, first-generation-to-college students, LGBTQ+ identified individuals, and low-income students.
Experience working in collaborative and dynamic office environments with frequently shifting tasks and priorities.
Experience in supporting success of peer to peer educational models, including implementation of assessment practices.
Experience with implementing large-scale events and event planning preferred.
Experience with outdoor education or experiential education is desirable.
Experience working on a first-year experience program prior preferred.
Skills and Knowledge
Commitment to equity and inclusion, and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
Excellent judgment and awareness for interpersonal dynamics.
Extremely detail oriented and organized.
Ability to meet timely deadlines.
Strong interpersonal skills with ability to develop and maintain collegial relationships with clientele such as students, families, staff, faculty, and co-workers.
Excellent communication (written, verbal & listening) skills.
Ability to effectively engage with diverse personalities and manage difficult situations.
Ability to work independently and handle multiple priorities with minimal supervision.
Strong organizational, tracking, and assessment skills including proficiency in basic data management systems.
Strong problem solving skills with the ability to adapt and explore multiple avenues to a solution.
Benefits:
Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, sick leave, 24 days of vacation, 2 personal days, 13 paid holidays, dependent care subsidy, free parking, access to library and athletic facilities & more), and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug and smoke-free workplace.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.
Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at glexow@bates.edu.
About Bates:
Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.
Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.
Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.
Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.
The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine’s second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.
Founded in 1855, Bates is one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, with a long history of commitments to principles of human dignity and diversity.Since its inception, Bates has been a coeducational, nonsectarian, residential college with special commitments to academic rigor and to programs and opportunities by qualified learners of all backgrounds. Historically, Bates students and graduates have linked education with service, leadership, and obligations beyond themselves.Bates has highly competitive admission, graduates over 90% of its entering students, and over half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates has 1,700 students, 200 faculty members and 550 staff and administrative employees.The College is proud of its strong involvements in the Lewiston-Auburn communities, Maine’s second largest urban area, with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 109-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, Maine, a lively small city enjoying an exciting economic and cultural revitalization. With an engaged citizenry, lively arts scene, and historic downtown, this walkable city is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 340 miles north of New York City.