Assistant Dean for Student Experience and Community Building

The University of Rhode Island; Kingston (RI); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Rhode Island in Kingston seeks an Assistant Dean for Student Experience and Community Building to lead initiatives that foster belonging and student success across the College of Health Sciences.

This role collaborates with faculty, staff, and campus partners to develop events, mentoring, and co-curricular strategies, driving engagement from recruitment through graduation and contributing to an inclusive, student-centered learning environment.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, leadership, counseling, college student personnel or related field.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with decision makers and stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and assess initiatives that foster a sense of belonging, engagement, and community among students.
• Plan and execute college-wide events and programs that enhance the student experience.
• Build and maintain partnerships with campus offices to coordinate initiatives that enhance the overall student experience.
• Collaborate with student organizations and leaders to support involvement, leadership development, and community-building efforts.
• Lead and oversee the development of peer mentoring and student ambassador programs for the college.
• Develop and contribute to co-curricular strategies that support yield and sustained engagement from pre-matriculation through graduation.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Verbal communication

Collaboration

Leadership

Education

Master’s degree in education, leadership, counseling or related field

Job description

80 Lower College Road, Kingston, RI 02881

Assistant Dean for Student Experience and Community Building

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

Position Information

Posting Number

SF02213

Job Title

Assistant Dean for Student Experience and Community Building

Position Number

108669

FTE

1.00

FLSA

Exempt

Position Type

Professional Staff

Union

PSA/NEA - Professional Staff Assoc

Pay Grade Range Salary Hiring Range

$80,000 - $90,000

Status

Calendar Year, Full-time, Permanent

Department Information

Department

Dean Health Sciences

Campus Location

Kingston

Grant Funded

No

Job Description Summary

Search will be open until filled. First consideration will be given to applications received by 10/28/2026. Applications received after 10/28/2026 may be reviewed depending on search progress and needs but are not guaranteed full consideration.

The College of Health Sciences includes seven departments (Communicative Disorders, Human Development and Family Science, Kinesiology, Nutrition, Physical Therapy, Psychology, and Public Health), as well as the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and the Program in Gerontology. The College offers seven undergraduate degrees with a total enrollment of 2,460 students. The College offers eight master’s degree programs and four doctoral degree programs with a total graduate enrollment of 264 graduate students. There are 90 faculty members in the college. The College operates five on campus clinics and two off campus clinics, as well as two child development centers.

The Assistant Dean of Student Experience and Community Building will work closely with the college leadership, faculty and students, as well as campus partners to develop and implement strategies to enhance the student experience from recruitment through graduation, including supporting admissions efforts and creating community-building opportunities. The Assistant Dean works closely with the CHS student services leadership and staff on joint projects, events, and strategies that promote student success and support an inclusive, student-centered environment. While the major focus will be on student experience, the Assistant Dean will support the planning and implementation of events, communication strategies and other community building activities that foster a college wide sense of belonging, engagement and community among faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and assess initiatives that foster a sense of belonging, engagement, and community among students.
• Plan and execute college-wide events and programs that enhance the student experience.
• Build and maintain partnerships with campus offices such as Student Affairs, New Student Transitions, Office of Community, Equity and Diversity, Residential Life, and the Fannon Institute for Student Success, to coordinate initiatives that enhance the overall student experience.
• Collaborate with student organizations and leaders to support involvement, leadership development, and community-building efforts.
• Lead and oversee the development of peer mentoring and student ambassador programs for the college.
• Develop and contribute to co-curricular strategies that support yield and sustained engagement from pre-matriculation through graduation.
• Identify barriers to student retention and collaborate with campus partners to implement proactive, student-centered solutions.
• Serve as a resource for faculty regarding student engagement and sense of belonging.
• Collaborate with CHS Student Services on student success and student support initiatives.
• Lead or support programming that enhances the student journey and contributes to a positive, inclusive learning environment.
• Coordinate with faculty and staff to support engagement opportunities such as workshops, events, and co-curricular experiences.
• Serve on committees, working groups, and initiatives related to student experience, belonging, and success.
• Work closely with the Office of Community, Equity and Diversity ( CED ) and other university entities to help cultivate an environment that fosters an inclusive people-centered culture at the University of Rhode Island.
• Serve on University Diversity Council ( UDC ). Share best practices across academic and administrative units. Evaluate collective progress toward Focus URI KPIs. Coordinate community building activities to increase impact and eliminate silos.
• Help plan and implement communication strategies to enhance student experience and community building.
• Work with the college leadership to develop strategic direction for student experience and community building initiatives across the College of Health Sciences.
• Provide strategic leadership for college-wide events and signature programs that enhance visibility, strengthen community, and support recruitment, yield, and retention goals.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• When appropriate, teach First-Year seminar as assigned.
• Participate in college committees.
• Represent the College in university-wide meetings and with external partners
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Licenses, Tools, and Equipment

Personal computers, printers, and relevant programs and software.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, leadership, counseling, college student personnel or related field.
• Minimum of five years working in a professional capacity with undergraduate and/or graduate students.
• Demonstrated experience and dedication to enhancing student belonging.
• Demonstrated experience in program development and facilitation.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with decision makers and stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups/populations.
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency in written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with identifying and mitigating issues and barriers associated with student success.
• Demonstrated knowledge of program evaluation and assessment.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of scholarly research and/or best practices regarding issues related to institutional access and community building.
• Demonstrated experience with communication strategies such as newsletters, website and social media.

EEO Statement

URI is unwavering in its commitment to equal opportunity, community, equity, and diversity. In furtherance of its mission to serve and support all learners as the state’s public flagship university, URI continues to expand efforts to recruit and retain a broadly representative workforce as well as to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of those efforts. All employment decisions, including hiring, are made without regard to protected status. Qualified individuals with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation by contacting the URI benefits office at 401-874-2416. For TTY assistance, contact R.I. Relay Services at 711.

Environmental Conditions

This position is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions. Work evenings and weekends as necessary.

Posting Date

09/18/2026