Executive Director for Educational Excellence & Retention

Executive Director for Educational Excellence & Retention

Westfield State University invites applications for the position of Executive Director for Educational Excellence & Retention.

Campus

Title:

Executive Director for Educational Excellence and Retention

State

Job Title:

Executive Director

Department: Academic Affairs

Job Code: HA6200

FLSA Status: Exempt

Funding:  SUCCESS Grant*

Bargaining Unit: APA

Job Type: Full-Time

Timeframe: 52 weeks/year

Shift: Standard business hours

Regular Days Off: Saturday and Sunday

Supervision Received: Provost

Supervision Exercised: Student Support Offices in Academic Affairs

Salary: $110,000 to $115,000 annually (salary commensurate with education and experience)

* This is a grant‑funded position. Continued employment beyond the grant period is contingent upon the availability of funding and institutional need. Upon the grant's conclusion, the position will be evaluated for potential adoption and funding by Westfield State University.

INTERNAL JOB POSTING: This position is currently open to internal WSU employees only. External applicants may apply for other available positions as listed on the Careers page.

General Statement of Duties: The Executive Director will focus efforts on improving retention at WSU, primarily implementing and assessing institutional plans related to the SUCCESS funding program and supporting at‑risk students.

• Advance the university's values‑based culture by fostering academic excellence and integrity.
• Provide strategic leadership toward the goals of student success, academic quality, and institutional retention.
• Contribute to the creation and adoption of new and the enhancement of existing high‑impact academic practices.
• Oversee and ensure student access to academic support systems, networks, technologies, and campus resources.
• Lead development of data analytics to implement strategies to attract and retain students in collaboration with Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs.
• Work with Institutional Research to increase student retention and graduation rates, and develop effective strategies and methodologies for assessment.
• Oversee the development, implementation, assessment, and reporting of initiatives related to the SUCCESS pilot program.
• Supervise the student support offices in Academic Affairs, particularly the Course Achievement Center and Academic Advising and Transfer Transition.
• Serve as a university expert and thought leader on promoting the success of underserved students.
• Develop assessment plans to measure outcomes of the SUCCESS pilot program and other student success initiatives, and conduct analysis of related data.
• Serve as liaison between WSU and the Commonwealth, Department of Higher Education, and other involved parties in implementing and assessing the SUCCESS grant.
• Prepare reports for the Cabinet, the President, external stakeholders including the Board of Trustees and the Commonwealth. Communicate new initiatives and solicit input from faculty.
• Understand and operationalize best practices in student success, outcomes assessment, and cognate literature as they relate to student success initiatives.
• Utilize current institutional resources to develop models of student success at WSU, particularly the WSU 360 (Starfish) platform, and develop and execute plans to increase usage of these platforms across campus.
• Serve on university committees as assigned by the Provost.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Master's degree required.
• Significant and successful experience in higher education administration, including budgetary and personnel responsibilities.
• Ability to collect, analyze, and report data and develop and implement assessment plans.
• Experience working within a state system of higher education.
• Demonstrated commitment to student success in educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs, especially Excel.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Experience working both independently and…