• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Temporary
• End Date if Temporary: 12 months
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $75,000 - $85,000

Position Summary

The Assistant Director of Student Engagement will report to the Executive Director of Student Life, while also providing support to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for High School & Non-Degree Programs for the spring and summer terms. The Assistant Director oversees various initiatives to enhance the student experience within the School of Professional Studies (SPS). This position provides leadership for co-curricular programming, student clubs, and New Student Orientation, fostering a sense of community and belonging among diverse student populations, including graduate, non-degree, international, and high school students across both in-person and online/hybrid formats.

Additionally, the Assistant Director will be the primary liaison with Columbia Residential, managing housing allocations each term by promoting on-campus housing options and overseeing application reviews for new and continuing students. In support of student well-being, this individual will coordinate safety planning, manage student conduct processes, and address policy violations by serving as a co-hearing officer, conducting investigations, mediating disputes, and revising conduct policies to ensure consistency and transparency. The incumbent will also prepare conduct reports, track case data, and keep senior leadership informed of emerging trends. A vital part of this role involves advising prospective and enrolled students and engaging parents, especially in pre-college programs, to provide essential guidance on university policies, resources, and program options.

Responsibilities

STUDENT CONDUCT

• Serve as a co-hearing officer for all student conduct cases in pre-college and non-degree programs.
• Investigate, manage, and resolve student conduct cases in compliance with institutional policies, ensuring timely and fair adjudication.
• Coordinate with students and parents to schedule conduct hearings within 48 hours of an incident.
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, and administration to address violations of the student code of conduct, including academic integrity, harassment, discrimination, and other behavioral infractions.
• Track and document student conduct cases, maintaining detailed records and case files in a secure, confidential manner.
• Contribute to the development and revision of student conduct policies to reflect current legal standards, campus climate, and student needs.
• Manages the dispute resolution processMediate disputes between students or between students and staff, promoting conflict resolution through dialogue and restorative justice practices.
• Advocate for student well-being throughout the conduct process, ensuring fair treatment and access to mental health, academic, and community resources when needed.
• Analyze conduct data  analysis to identify trends, areas of concern, and opportunities for preventative measures. Prepare regular reports for senior leadership on conduct trends, case resolutions, and the effectiveness of student conduct processes.

SAFETY PLANNING & INCIDENT RESPONSE 

• Work closely with program leadership to update and adapt safety protocols as needed, reflecting changes in program dynamics, student needs, or external factors.
• Update all staff manuals and training materials to reflect the most up-to-date university policies related to safety and emergencies.
• Manage sensitive conversations with parents/guardians in the event of incidents, offering reassurance, detailed explanations, and follow-up steps.
• Ensure continuous communication with program staff, keeping them updated on incidents and any required actions or follow-ups. 
• Organize debriefing sessions for staff after incidents to assess the response, share lessons learned, and identify areas for improvement.
• Serve as the point of contact for staff who may witness or need to report an off-campus incident, which would require an NYPD report being made.
• Work in collaboration with Academic Affairs to plan for safety on class field trips. Serve as a point of contact for incidents that occur during field trips. 

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND CLUB MANAGEMENT 

• Manages the recruitment, selection, and onboarding of Student Life Summer Coordinators. 
• Manages the Faculty Student Engagement Fund.
• Work in Collaboration with Alumni Relations planning and executing our annual SPS Homecoming tailgate event.
• Serve as an advisor to various SPS Student Organizations, providing guidance and support to student leaders to execute club priorities. 
• Meet with the Executive Board members to provide guidance in the areas of university policy, budgeting, programming, officer training, and leadership development. 
• Serve as the advisor to new student groups seeking recognition from one of the university governing boards. Develop and maintain a comprehensive training curriculum for board members of SPS student groups.
• Manages club budgets and processes student reimbursements, vendor contracts, and payments.
• Maintains and publishes a calendar of student activities and a resource manual for clubs and student organizations.
• Develop and execute student leadership workshops for student leaders.
• Manages and hosts the annual SPS Next event.
• Support SPS Orientation and Graduation.
• May be responsible for supervising the work of one (1) or more employees.

RESIDENTIAL LIFE FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS

• Maintains all Residential Life responsibilities, serving as the school liaison for Columbia Residential.
• Facilitate Columbia Residential and Off-Campus Housing resources webinars and workshops.
• Marketing/communication to students, facilitating move-in/move-out, approving student applications, and other duties as needed.

PERFORMS OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED OR REQUESTED

Minimum Qualifications

• 3 years related experience.
• Bachelor???s degree and/or equivalent related experience required.
• A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted for the applicant to be considered for the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master???s degree preferred.
• Experience working with pre-college summer programs preferred.
• Experience working in University or Pre-College residential life preferred.
• Teaching or training experience preferred.

Other Requirements

• Ability to work with multiple stakeholder groups, in a fast-paced collaborative environment. Ability to take initiative and manage a variety of tasks and projects simultaneously, with impeccable attention to detail. 
• Effective writing, editing, proofreading, and presentation skills; ability to write evidence-based correspondence and reports. Ability to manage budgets. 
• Knowledge of advanced functions of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.). 
• Knowledge of Google suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides and other related applications.).
• Proven ability to work effectively within a collaborative team setting.
  Ability to handle confidential information in a mature, professional manner.
• Serves in an on-call capacity during the Summer Session which takes place May-August.
• Staff member will be required to live on campus from June-August.
• This role entails significant evening and weekend work.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

About Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

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