Vice President, Student Affairs

Westminster University

Vice President for Student Affairs and Athletics

Position Announcement

Westminster University in Salt Lake City, Utah seeks to appoint an experienced, innovative, and strategic student affairs officer reporting to the University’s President. The Vice President for Student Affairs and Athletics will join Westminster at a transformative time, working closely with the president, Bethami (Beth) Dobkin, who is in her sixth year, and with a leadership team that she formed early in her tenure to help lead the University forward. President Dobkin and her cabinet are focused on the pillars of academic quality, diversity, and the student experience, with a new approach to wellness, outdoor learning, and leadership broadly conceived and integrated into the curriculum, the launch of a new undergraduate student experience, “WestX,” and expansion of graduate and professional programs.

In collaboration with President Dobkin, her cabinet, and the wider University community, the Vice President of Student Affairs and Athletics (VPSAA) will serve as primary advocate and spokesperson for student affairs and athletics and promote the University’s value to the community while building positive relationships with community leaders and organizations. The VPSAA is responsible for program development, financial management, and personnel administration for all student affairs and athletic functions.

Westminster University

Situated in a desirable neighborhood in a thriving metropolitan area with an increasingly diverse population, Westminster University offers a unique education for undergraduate and graduate students interested in achieving a “meaningful life through learning.” Founded in 1875, Westminster was originally established as a preparatory school and became a four-year liberal arts institution in 1949. Over the last 30 years, it has added professional programs with the establishment of degrees in business, nursing and health sciences, and education. The University has a strong academic reputation, deep community and alumni support, and a legacy of providing a student-centered liberal-arts and professional education that transforms lives. It offers an intimate, residential college experience to approximately 1,200 students, comprising 900 undergraduates and 300 graduates (2023-24 academic year).

Westminster is the only private, independent higher-education institution in Utah and is located at the heart of the Wasatch Front, a region of the country that marries remarkable natural beauty with a vibrant, growing economy. Situated on a beautiful campus in the charming residential neighborhood of Sugar House, the University offers both baccalaureate and graduate degrees in the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the Honors College. The University provides exceptional education in over 50 undergraduate programs and 14 graduate programs. Westminster employs approximately 110 full-time faculty, 130 part-time faculty, and 200 full-time staff, and boasts an intimate learning experience with an 8:1 student/faculty ratio and an average undergraduate class size of 15.

More than half of Westminster’s student body comes from outside of Utah and from as many as 44 countries worldwide. The University attracts steady enrollment from military veterans. Whether students live on or off campus, they have the opportunity to participate in over 30 active clubs and organizations, informal gatherings at the Shaw Student Center, and a variety of events sponsored by the Associated Students of Westminster (ASW). The University boasts a thriving NCAA Division II athletics program including 17 intercollegiate teams and a competitive intramurals program; Westminster also educates athletes from the U.S. Olympic ski and snowboarding teams that train in the region.

Westminster receives numerous accolades, including a spot on the Princeton Review’s best colleges list for more than a decade. The U.S. News and World Report rankings lists Westminster on four distinct lists: one of the best regional universities in the West, a Best Value College, a Best College for Veterans, and a Best College for Undergraduate Teaching. In addition, Westminster is known for its commitment to sustainability: The Sierra Club has named it a “Cool School” and the Princeton Review includes Westminster on its list of “Green Colleges.”

Vice President for Student Affairs and Athletics

The VPSAA will be uniquely positioned to have a measurable impact on Westminster during a time of tangible change. Working with the President and her cabinet, the VPSAA provides leadership in planning, assessing, and improving student services which meet the University’s mission and strategic plan. The President’s Cabinet is a collaborative and engaged group of campus leaders that includes the Provost, Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Finance Officer, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Information Officer, and Executive Assistant to the President.

The VPSAA directly manages senior staff and programming for student affairs and athletics. This includes the Athletics Director; Dean of Students; Assistant Dean of Students; and the Director of Campus Security. The VPSAA portfolio includes a team of professional staff and departments responsible for student involvement (ASW, clubs/organizations, hall government); housing and residential life; student health, wellness and recreation; Title IX; parent relations; campus security; and student diversity and inclusion; as well as staff and departments responsible for Athletic administration including the athletic directors; coaches; training and compliance staff.

As President Dobkin has considered what the University needs in this Vice President position, she has identified a range of high-impact activities and responsibilities:

• Serve on President’s cabinet and work closely with senior level colleagues to execute the University’s strategic plan while providing leadership in planning, assessing, and improving student services.
• Provide strategic direction for athletics including sports sponsorship; enrollment; budget; fundraising; and new initiatives
• Serve as an advocate for students with responsibility for their overall safety, security, and success at Westminster University.
• Along with the Provost and Vice President for Enrollment, provide staff support for the Board of Trustees Academic and Student Experience Committee and work closely with the academic deans to integrate the curricular and co-curricular student experience.
• Collaborate productively with multiple offices and functions across campus, particularly Enrollment, Academic Affairs, Athletics, Student Retention and Success, Title IX, and Risk Management.
• Create working partnerships with faculty to integrate the curricular and co-curricular educational outcomes.
• Create and use assessment data from student cohorts to inform programming directions.
• Work with the crisis intervention processes both at senior and point of contact levels.
• Execute annual events such as orientation, convocation and commencement with student affairs staff and in collaboration with campus partners.