Vice President for Student Development

Vice President for Student Development

Position Summary

Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SE) invites applications and nominations for the position of Vice President for Student Development (VPSD). Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President’s Executive Team, the VPSD is the University’s senior student development officer and provides executive leadership and strategic integration for student life, student success, enrollment and recruitment strategy, career readiness initiatives, and other student-facing services.

The VPSD plays a critical role in advancing SE’s mission as a regional public university committed to access, student achievement, workforce preparation, and service to rural, first-generation, and Native American students. This position requires a collaborative, student-centered leader with experience integrating student development, undergraduate admissions and recruitment, compliance, grants, and institutional risk management within a complex public higher education environment.

Reporting Structure & Division Overview

The Vice President for Student Development provides leadership and oversight for a comprehensive Student Development division that includes:

·         Student Engagement and Student Organizations

·         Student Conduct, Behavioral Intervention, and Threat Assessment

·         Oversight of institutional risk management, campus safety, and federal compliance processes related to student development (including Clery Act requirements)

·         Health, Wellness, and Counseling Services

·         Housing and Residential Life

·         Disability Services

·         Student Career Services

·         Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment

·         Federally funded and student-facing grant programs, including pre-collegiate programs such as Upward Bound and Talent Search

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as the University’s chief student development officer, providing strategic vision, leadership, and operational oversight for all areas within the Student Development division.

·         Advise the President and Executive Team on student success, campus climate, enrollment trends, student well-being, and institutional risk.

·         Contribute to institutional strategic planning, accreditation efforts, policy development, and shared governance processes.

·         Promote a student-centered culture that supports persistence, degree completion, and post-graduate success.

Undergraduate admissions and recruitment

• Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for undergraduate admissions and recruitment in collaboration with enrollment leadership, ensuring alignment with student success and access priorities.

·         Collaborate with Academic Affairs, Marketing, Institutional Research, and Student Development partners to develop data-informed enrollment and retention strategies.

·         Align enrollment management practices with student success, access priorities, and regional workforce needs.

·         Provide executive oversight of institutional scholarship and tuition waiver programs, ensuring alignment with enrollment strategy, access goals, and student success outcomes.

Student Success, Engagement & Support

• Ensure delivery of high-quality student programs and services that foster belonging, leadership development, and engagement.

·         Oversee student conduct systems, due process procedures, and restorative practices.

·         Support institutional efforts to serve diverse and underserved student populations.

·         Foster strong partnerships with student leadership and governance organizations.

·         Promote alignment between Academic Affairs and Student Development initiatives to enhance persistence, retention, and completion outcomes.

Student Career Services & Workforce Alignment

·         Provide strategic leadership for career readiness and workforce alignment initiatives, including partnerships with regional employers, experiential learning opportunities, and integration of career competencies into the academic experience.

·         Ensure alignment between career readiness strategies, enrollment priorities, academic programs, and regional workforce development needs.

·         Collaborate with campus leaders and community partners to strengthen internship pathways, experiential learning opportunities, and workforce pipelines.

·         Support institutional efforts to assess post-graduate success and use data to inform career readiness initiatives.

Risk Management, Student Safety & Compliance

• Provide executive oversight of Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment processes in collaboration with campus safety, legal counsel, and student development professionals.

·         Support campus crisis response, emergency preparedness, and post-incident review processes.

·         Work directly with the University’s Title IX Coordinator and other Equity and EEO professionals on civil rights matters involving student complainants or respondents.

Grants & Sponsored Student Programs

• Provide executive leadership for student-facing, grant-funded initiatives that advance access and student success outcomes.

·         Ensure compliance with federal, state, and grant-specific regulations and reporting requirements.

·         Support the development, implementation, assessment, and sustainability of grant-funded student success initiatives.

·         Collaborate with Academic Affairs and Sponsored Programs to pursue new funding opportunities that enhance access and student outcomes.

Budget, Personnel & Operations

·         Provide fiscal leadership for Student Development, including budgeting, student fee coordination, grants management, and resource allocation.

·         Recruit, supervise, mentor, and evaluate senior administrators and staff.

·         Promote assessment, data-informed decision-making, accountability, and continuous improvement.

·         Develop and implement a comprehensive leadership development and succession strategy.

·         Cultivate high-potential staff through coaching, professional development, and expanded leadership opportunities.

·         Foster a collaborative, innovative culture that supports professional growth and aligns with institutional priorities.

External Relations & Community Engagement

• Represent SE in regional, state, and national forums related to student development, enrollment, and higher education leadership.

·         Build and sustain partnerships with K–12 districts, tribal nations, community organizations, and state agencies.

·         Support SE’s role as a regional anchor institution serving southeastern Oklahoma and the Texoma region.