Assistant Director, Academic Community & Alumni Engagement

Grand Valley State University; Allendale Charter Township (MI); On-site; USD 55,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

Grand Valley State University is seeking an Assistant Director of Academic Community & Alumni Engagement to lead strategic engagement between alumni and the university’s colleges in Allendale. You will partner with deans, faculty, and academic staff to design accessible, meaningful, and sustainable alumni involvement across disciplines.

The role focuses on strengthening connections, supporting advisory boards, and connecting colleges with alumni and community contributors to enhance programs and

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 to 3 years of full-time, post-graduate experience in academic program support, alumni engagement, community partnership development, or related higher education roles.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• Strong ability to build collaborative relationships with deans, faculty, staff, alumni, and external partners.
• Ability to design and maintain clear processes, tools, and shared resources for engagement across academic units.

Responsibilities

• Lead academic community and alumni engagement strategies aligned with university priorities.
• Build relationships with deans, faculty, and staff to deepen alumni involvement in curricular initiatives.
• Create shared tools and processes to involve alumni in classroom engagement and experiential learning.
• Support advisory boards with recruitment, onboarding, and volunteer cultivation.
• Collaborate to identify opportunities for mentoring and connect faculty to campus resources.
• Coordinate tracking of engagement activity and align events with the alumni calendar.
• Lead strategic initiatives that strengthen engagement across colleges and departments.

Skills

Stakeholder relationship

Project management

Communication skills

Data-informed planning

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

CRM tools

List management

Job description

Grand Valley State University is seeking an Assistant Director of Academic Community & Alumni Engagement to lead strategic engagement between alumni and the university’s colleges in Allendale. You will partner with deans, faculty, and academic staff to design accessible, meaningful, and sustainable alumni involvement across disciplines.

The role focuses on strengthening connections, supporting advisory boards, and connecting colleges with alumni and community contributors to enhance programs and