About Salem Academy and College:

Salem Academy and College is the oldest continuously operating educational institution for girls and women in the country. Since 1772, the institution has engaged in transformational change to innovate women’s education. Founded with the mission of making education accessible to all, Salem has a rich 251-year-old history and a long-standing track record of educating students who are prepared to make a bold impact locally, nationally and globally through liberal arts education. Our graduates are committed to making the world a better, healthier and more equitable place. Salem College is the nation’s only liberal arts college exclusively dedicated to developing the next generation of health leaders.

Salem College has more than 40 full-time faculty and over 150 staff members who support approximately 500 students including full-time undergraduates, part-time students and graduate programs. Salem recently received the largest philanthropic gift in its history with a $5M anonymous donation focused on enabling our health leadership transformation as well as a $3.6M estate gift to support the College. Salem completed its 250th-anniversary campaign this year exceeding a $12.5M goal.

U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 Rankings, ranked Salem College No. 1 among all National Liberal Arts Colleges in America as a Top Performer on Social Mobility. Our institution has rapidly moved up the national ranking for Social Mobility, from No. 10 in 2020 and No. 4 in 2021 to No. 1 in 2022. Salem College is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 2 National Liberal Arts College in North Carolina. Salem has been ranked among the top three National Liberal Arts Colleges in North Carolina for the past seven years. In addition, Salem College was ranked 6th in the nation for college affordability last year.

Salem College is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a vibrant college town known as the “City of Arts and Innovation”. Winston-Salem is a lively academic community, home to six institutions of higher education and more than 26,000 students. Winston Salem has a collaborative and engaged academic community with strong private and public schools, excellent healthcare systems, and affordable housing. The Winston-Salem area also offers a rich variety of cultural opportunities and has a vibrant art and restaurant scene. Within a few hours of campus are mountains for skiing, camping, or hiking; rivers for whitewater rafting; and the beautiful ports and beaches of North and South Carolina.

Position Summary:

The Director of Student Engagement provides the vision and leadership to create a vibrant and engaged campus experience for Salem College students. Reporting to the Dean of Students and collaborating with partners across campus, the Director is responsible for planning, implementing, and assessing programs, events, and activities that promote student involvement, foster a sense of belonging, and support student retention. The Director serves as part of the Dean of Students leadership team, and as a valued member of the Campus Culture Division, overseen by the Chief Campus Culture Officer & Vice President for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Management of Student Activities and Events

• In collaboration with the Chief Campus Culture Officer and the Dean of Students, establish a vision with measurable goals for student engagement;
• Plan and implement a robust calendar of student activities and events to create a vibrant and engaging co-curricular experience;
• Program off-campus activities and events, including the promotion of interaction with students from area colleges;
• Effectively communicate, market, and promote on-campus and off-campus activities and events, including posting on Presence, social media, institutional calendar, Student Center media venues, and web pages;
• Develop assessment plans for student activities and engagement, and provide regular reports and recommendations based on assessment data;
• Coordinate campus partners and student leaders in planning and carrying out campus traditions;
• Support institutional wellbeing goals by contributing student wellbeing programs to the institutional wellbeing calendar;
• Serve on the College Orientation Committee and plan orientation events that foster a sense of belonging and introduce students to Salem College traditions;
• Select, train, and supervise Student Orientation Leaders;
• Plan and coordinate College Family Weekend;
• Hire, train, and supervise undergraduate student workers and Graduate Assistants for the Student Center.

Managing Student Clubs and Organizations

• Advise the Campus Activities Board (CAB), assigned areas of the Student Government Association (SGA), and assigned student organizations;
• Coordinate club and organization officer leadership training, including workshops on managing budgets, event planning, how to run a meeting, risk management, and other leadership development-related topics and programs;
• Support student groups in identifying goals and in planning campus-wide and affinity group organization programs;
• Provide advisor training to faculty/staff advisors, and develop a list of protocols and resources for advisors;
• Coordinate with student organizations, campus partner offices, and campus ministry affiliates to plan opportunities for students to learn about different pathways for engagement, including the Student Activities Fair.

Management of the Student Center

• Serve as building manager for the Student Center;
• Oversee and approve space usage requests for Student Center locations;
• Coordinate with Facilities, IT, and auxiliary services to ensure that Student Center locations and services are well-maintained and functional;
• Through programming, space usage, and building protocols, develop the Student Center into a vibrant center of campus life.

Other Duties

• Coordinate with Salem Academy staff and faculty to identify opportunities for joint programming and to ensure that Academy staff are aware of College student activities that may impact the Academy;
• Participate in Student Affairs professional staff on-call emergency response rotation;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in student affairs or related field;
• Three years of work experience in student affairs administration and/or student leadership;
• Demonstrated mentoring and coaching skills and an ability to foster teamwork;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively with individuals of all backgrounds to promote equity and diversity, to foster inclusion, and to effect positive change;
• Demonstrated experience designing assessments of student experience and using data to make recommendations and programmatic decisions;
• Exceptional written and oral communication and presentation skills, and an inclination to contribute to high-level decisions;
• Positive attitude and desire to support institutional mission, vision, values and strategic directions;
• Excellent computer skills and experience with use of student information systems;
• Ability to work non-traditional hours including evenings and weekends as needed.
• Prior experience in student engagement, campus programming, and supervision is preferred.

Physical Functions:

While performing the responsibilities of the Director of Student Engagement the employee is required to sit for varying lengths of time; occasionally bend, reach, lift, push, and pull up to 25 pounds; occasionally stand, walk, and kneel and regularly ascend/descend stairs; use hands and fingers to handle or feel and manipulate keys on a keyboard; perform extended periods of work at a computer workstation and view a computer monitor; perceive sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and receive detailed information through oral communication; express and exchange ideas by means of spoken word; and work in an office setting or remotely as needed.

Application Process:

To apply, please send a letter of interest addressing your qualifications to hr@salem.edu. The letter of interest may be addressed to the “Search Committee.” The review of applications will begin immediately, with priority consideration given to materials received by October 15th.”

Salem Academy and College is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.