Associate Vice President, Student Equity (Administrator III), Division of Student Affairs

About the role

The Associate Vice President for Student Success & Educational Equity provides senior leadership for programs that advance student success, retention, persistence, graduation, and educational equity. Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the AVP oversees key student success units and leads efforts to improve outcomes for all students, with emphasis on first-generation, low-income, and underserved populations. The role partners across Academic Affairs and external stakeholders to implement strategies that close equity gaps and support student achievement.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership for the development, implementation, and assessment of programs, services, and strategies that advance student access, success, retention, persistence, graduation, and educational equity.
• Lead the University's student success agenda and Graduation Initiative efforts through strategic planning, assessment, and the implementation of evidence-based practices that improve student outcomes.
• Collaborate with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and university leadership to develop and implement integrated student success strategies aligned with institutional goals.
• Serve as a member of the Student Affairs senior leadership team, contributing to divisional planning, accreditation, institutional assessment, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Oversee student success and equity-focused departments and programs, including EOP, SAIL, Services for Students with Disabilities, Veteran Success Center, Undocumented Student Success Center, Office of Black Student Success, Career Center, and Pre-College Programs.
• Direct initiatives that support first-generation, low-income, and historically underserved students while advancing retention, persistence, graduation, and post-graduation success outcomes.
• Establish and maintain assessment and reporting systems to monitor student success metrics, evaluate program effectiveness, and support data-informed decision-making.
• Build and strengthen partnerships with community organizations, school districts, educational agencies, and campus stakeholders to enhance college readiness, educational access, and student success pathways.
• Lead professional development initiatives that promote best practices in advising, student support services, student development, and equitable service delivery.
• Analyze institutional data and student success outcomes to inform strategic planning, resource allocation, policy development, and continuous program improvement.
• Partner with academic leadership, including Deans, Associate Deans, Department Chairs, and faculty, to advance institutional priorities related to student achievement and educational equity.
• Support the implementation of university strategic priorities, systemwide student success initiatives, and accreditation requirements.
• Provide executive leadership and supervision for management personnel within the Student Success and Educational Equity portfolio, including setting priorities, performance expectations, and workforce strategies aligned with institutional goals, and overseeing recruitment, performance management, and professional development in accordance with University policy.
• Lead the assessment and evaluation of student success and educational equity initiatives, preparing and presenting reports and recommendations to support data-informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Represent the University at regional, state, and national conferences and professional organizations, presenting on student success, retention, educational equity, and student development outcomes and best practices.
• Provide executive oversight of budget development, fiscal planning, and resource allocation across the portfolio, ensuring effective stewardship of institutional resources aligned with divisional priorities and student success goals.
• Lead efforts to secure external funding through grants, partnerships, and philanthropy, collaborating with internal and external partners to obtain resources supporting student success, access, and educational equity initiatives.
• Perform other executive-level responsibilities and special assignments in support of divisional operations, institutional priorities, strategic initiatives, and University-wide goals as assigned.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in College Student Development, Higher Education, or related field, with 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in education, management, and organizational development.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, policy development, and leading organizational change, with strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills to influence decision-making at all levels.
• Expertise in using technology, data analytics, and information systems to support strategic planning, institutional assessment, and data-informed decision-making, including the ability to translate complex quantitative and qualitative data into actionable recommendations.
• Knowledge of federal and state regulations, compliance standards, auditing requirements, and fiscal accountability related to higher education, grants, and sponsored programs, with the ability to assess risk and ensure compliance.
• Proven success in securing and managing external funding, including federally sponsored grants and partnerships supporting student success, equity, and institutional initiatives.
• Experience with student success and opportunity programs (e.g., Educational Opportunity Program), retention strategies, academic advising systems, and higher education policies related to student records and academic operations.
• Ability to effectively supervise and manage student success services, synthesize information from multiple sources, and apply findings to informed management decisions.
• Knowledge of retention and degree-completion initiatives, including the ability to identify administrative challenges and develop effective solutions.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to apply student success research and literature to support first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented student populations, including evaluation of academic advising and learning support strategies.
• Knowledge of the social, cultural, and systemic factors impacting underrepresented, first-generation, and low-income student populations in higher education.
• Ability to perform effectively in a senior-level higher education leadership role, managing complex priorities and organizational demands.
• Demonstrated expertise in project planning, development, implementation, and assessment of student success initiatives.
• Knowledge of CSU budget policies and fiscal management principles, with the ability to make strategic resource allocation decisions in support of student services.
• Familiarity with federal grant regulations and standards and their application to instructional and student success programs.
• Ability to analyze complex issues, develop innovative solutions, and work both independently and collaboratively.
• Strong leadership and management skills with demonstrated success in academic support services and student success environments.
• Experience leading learning outcomes assessment and using data to improve student learning and achievement.
• Working knowledge of higher education systems, including the integration of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs functions.

Qualifications

• Doctoral Degree from an accredited college or university; Extensive knowledge of the CSU, CSUSB, and the Inland Empire; experience in successfully servicing the needs of student populations; demonstrated commitment to championing the division’s mission and vision; and use of evidence-based practices to inform continuous quality improvement.
• Group and individual counseling techniques, ability to assess and implement intrusive advising techniques, and capacity to conduct effective group and individual training sessions with staff.
• Effectively write grant proposals to supplement existing resources.