What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement position at Virginia Tech?
Job Description
Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Student Engagement serves as a member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team and the Vice President for Student Affairs’ Council. The AVP champions a collaborative, unrelenting commitment to a robust student experience that prioritizes students’ goals, strengths, and learning. With a visionary, learning-centered, and integrative mindset, the AVP for Student Engagement supervises five offices and talented directors to cultivate a rich experiential foundation for students. These include Student Engagement & Campus Life, the Cranwell International Center, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Living Learning Programs, and VT Engage: The Center for Leadership & Service Learning.
The AVP cultivates a synergistic approach to learning through organizational and community life. Each office, student organization, living learning program, and community offers a unique transformative context where powerful results are possible through goal setting, pathway building, and agency instilling. Although ExperienceVT is the programmatic responsibility for all of Student Affairs and beyond, this AVP and their team serve as champions for the initiative by growing momentum, building an infrastructure, and measuring success.
The AVP oversees and convenes student advisory groups to the Vice President for Student Affairs, including Order of the Gavel and Core Leadership. The AVP is involved in shared governance, and serves as the Senior Advisor to the Undergraduate Student Senate, with advisors and staff that report through VT Engage.
An intentional approach encourages students to grow in the Aspirations for Student Learning. Indicators of the position’s success include measurable increases in student engagement in campus life (across all student demographics), evidence of student engagement, impact on student well-being and success, and the creation of meaningful partnerships with university and community organizations, and Virginia Tech campuses in Roanoke and the Greater Washington, DC Metro area.
Required Qualifications
The selected individual must be a seasoned educator with an unrelenting commitment to student success, learning, and belonging. Experience and understanding of student learning and human development literature is essential. The AVP should be a collaborative and entrepreneurial senior leader with the highest level of communication, supervision, administrative, and organizational skills.
The enthusiastic support of The Division’s Aspirations for Student Learning, our strategic priorities, the mission of Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Beyond Boundaries, and our land grant spirit are required.
Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities and take initiative in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Ability to work collaboratively with a team of colleagues and serve as a representative of the division. Experience leading and engaging a team of professional team members. A criminal background check is required.
A Master's degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling or a related field and significant and increasing levels of responsibility with key facets of the AVP role are required. Applicants must care deeply about students and be comfortable advising student leaders.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in a Student Affairs area, especially at the director level; familiarity with auxiliary and E&G budgets. A doctoral degree in a related field is preferred.
Overtime Status
Exempt: Not eligible for overtime
Appointment Type
Regular
Salary Information
$180k-$195k
Hours per week
40
Review Date
June 23rd 2026
Additional Information
The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.
About Virginia Tech
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.
Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Caroline Wilkinson at cwilkinson1@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Student Engagement serves as a member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team and the Vice President for Student Affairs’ Council. The AVP champions a collaborative, unrelenting commitment to a robust student experience that prioritizes students’ goals, strengths, and learning. With a visionary, learning-centered, and integrative mindset, the AVP for Student Engagement supervises five offices and talented directors to cultivate a rich experiential foundation for students. These include Student Engagement & Campus Life, the Cranwell International Center, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Living Learning Programs, and VT Engage: The Center for Leadership & Service Learning.
The AVP cultivates a synergistic approach to learning through organizational and community life. Each office, student organization, living learning program, and community offers a unique transformative context where powerful results are possible through goal setting, pathway building, and agency instilling. Although ExperienceVT is the programmatic responsibility for all of Student Affairs and beyond, this AVP and their team serve as champions for the initiative by growing momentum, building an infrastructure, and measuring success.
The AVP oversees and convenes student advisory groups to the Vice President for Student Affairs, including Order of the Gavel and Core Leadership. The AVP is involved in shared governance, and serves as the Senior Advisor to the Undergraduate Student Senate, with advisors and staff that report through VT Engage.
An intentional approach encourages students to grow in the Aspirations for Student Learning. Indicators of the position’s success include measurable increases in student engagement in campus life (across all student demographics), evidence of student engagement, impact on student well-being and success, and the creation of meaningful partnerships with university and community organizations, and Virginia Tech campuses in Roanoke and the Greater Washington, DC Metro area.
Required Qualifications
The selected individual must be a seasoned educator with an unrelenting commitment to student success, learning, and belonging. Experience and understanding of student learning and human development literature is essential. The AVP should be a collaborative and entrepreneurial senior leader with the highest level of communication, supervision, administrative, and organizational skills.
The enthusiastic support of The Division’s Aspirations for Student Learning, our strategic priorities, the mission of Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Beyond Boundaries, and our land grant spirit are required.
Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities and take initiative in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Ability to work collaboratively with a team of colleagues and serve as a representative of the division. Experience leading and engaging a team of professional team members. A criminal background check is required.
A Master's degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling or a related field and significant and increasing levels of responsibility with key facets of the AVP role are required. Applicants must care deeply about students and be comfortable advising student leaders.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in a Student Affairs area, especially at the director level; familiarity with auxiliary and E&G budgets. A doctoral degree in a related field is preferred.
Overtime Status
Exempt: Not eligible for overtime
Appointment Type
Regular
Salary Information
$180k-$195k
Hours per week
40
Review Date
June 23rd 2026
Additional Information
The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.
About Virginia Tech
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.
Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Caroline Wilkinson at cwilkinson1@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
Salary : $180,000 - $195,000