Assistant Director of Student Affairs

Assistant Director of Student Affairs

The Assistant Director of Student Affairs is a key member of the School of the Arts Student Affairs team whose duties are integral to the student experience. The person in this role must be able to exercise sound judgment in the day-to-day administration of Student Affairs operations. The candidate must also be comfortable contributing input and recommendations to the management of the Student Affairs Office on complex, sensitive, and non-routine matters in close consultation with the Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs.

The candidate should have a passion for working with students and thrive in creative and dynamic environments. They should also understand and be committed to fostering a community that thrives in diversity, where all members are equitably supported. The position requires the ability to alternate between planning large and small events, attending to daily tasks, and maintaining privacy with sensitive material. Attention to detail, tact, and discretion are essential.

The Assistant Director of Student Affairs disseminates information on School-wide and University policies and procedures, advises students and refers them to the appropriate offices for assistance, helps carry out the planning and execution of orientation and commencement, helps coordinate and administer housing allocations in accordance with established policies, monitors student registration; collaborates with the School's Finance Office to monitor billing to maximize retention, maintains student databases and files, prepares reports to further advance the goals of the office and determine student needs; prepares surveys for informational purposes as needed, advises student groups; and helps to foster an inclusive community.

Responsibilities include serving as a primary point of contact for School of the Arts students for a variety of questions, planning orientation and commencement, collaborating with the Dean to review incoming student eligibility for Housing, working with the Offices of the Registrar and Student Financial Services to facilitate student registration, collaborating with individual academic programs and the Admissions and Financial Aid Office to track student progress toward fulfillment of graduation requirements, supporting Assistant Dean of Student Support as needed, supervising the day-to-day activities of student groups, coordinating special SOA student events, maintaining student database and files, keeping SOA website current with events and news, preparing vouchers and purchase requisitions for payment, conferring with the Dean to refer students having difficulty to appropriate University services and resources, providing on-call support for Student Affairs Office, participating in various University committees, representing the School of the Arts as a University Delegate, assisting Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs with other related duties, and attending student events often requiring evening and weekend work.

Minimum qualifications include a Bachelor's degree in related field and/or equivalent experience, minimum of three years of related work experience, strong interest in the arts, ability to exercise good judgment and strong ethical standards, tact, discretion, ability to maintain complete confidentiality, demonstrated ability to be flexible and work in a fast-paced environment, excellent interpersonal, organizational, written and oral communication, presentation and analytical skills, strong attention to detail, ability to collaborate within and across teams, ability to develop relationships with the larger Columbia community, proficiency with standard office software, database systems, university reporting tools, and social media platforms, ability/willingness to learn new software systems and platforms, and some travel may be required.

All applicants must attach a cover letter and resume. Applications without these two documents will not be considered.

Preferred qualifications include an advanced degree, a passion for working with students and events programming, and a demonstrated interest in the arts.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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