Associate Director of Black/African Student Engagement and Success

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Black/African Student Engagement and Success is responsible for assisting students who identify as Black or with the African/African American culture as they transition to and enroll at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver). As part of the Center for Multicultural Engagement and Inclusion (CMEI), the Associate Director plays a key role in fostering a sense of belonging, providing comprehensive support and encouragement, and guiding students to utilize academic, cultural, and personal resources to achieve success. This is accomplished through initiatives focused on student engagement, academic success, cultural pride, empowerment, volunteerism, and leadership development.

This role promotes a supportive, affirming, and inclusive environment, concentrating on awareness and understanding, and strengthening the academic, professional, personal, and cultural experiences of students. The position is responsible for creating and delivering a range of support services, including workshops, leadership development, peer and professional mentoring, and cultural awareness programs, all designed to promote student success, retention, and persistence to graduation.

The Associate Director leads the Black Student Success Initiative (BSSI) at MSU Denver and applies innovative leadership to ensure the initiative aligns with current trends and challenges within the Black/African American communities on campus and in the broader society.

IND208

Duties/Responsibilities

Leadership and Program Development

• Serve as a key member of the CMEI leadership team, contributing to the creation, development and implementation of the BSSI's vision and mission, ensuring alignment with CMEI and the University's overall goals.
• Hire, supervise, support, develop, and evaluate 1 full-time staff member, while overseeing a team of student staff, interns, and graduate students.
• Create, expand, and assess new and existing programs that support Black student success, including leadership programs, signature events, K-12 outreach, and mentorship initiatives.
• Convene campus and external partners to collaboratively design and deliver comprehensive services that support Black student success, ensuring a holistic approach by leveraging expertise from various departments, division and community organizations. This includes fostering partnership across academic advising, student support services, and other university resources to create integrated and robust programs tailored to meet the needs of Black-identifying students.
• Lead with a lens that centers on Black, African American, and multiracial students, advocating for equity, inclusion, and social justice on campus.
• Develop and implement programs that address the intersectional identities of Black students, considering mental health and partnership with the counseling/student care team, financial literacy, and other resources for student well-being in order to empower students to be active participants in their own academic journey
• Lead initiatives to build out additional mentoring and leadership development opportunities for Black/African-identifying students, including collaborations with student organizations and campus partners.

Student Advocacy and Retention/Persistence Support

• Act as a key advocate for Black/African American students, addressing their concerns both inside and outside of the classroom and liaising with faculty and staff on their behalf.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with academic advisors across the university to foster awareness and understanding of the unique challenges and needs of Black and African-identifying students
• Foster a sense of belonging for students by creating welcoming spaces and initiatives that celebrate Black/African cultural heritage and identity, while supporting students' academic, personal, and professional development. This includes various identity celebrations, activities, and programs.
• Establish a network of faculty members across various departments who can serve as key connections for black-identifying students, fostering mentorship and academic support, and also facilitate intentional conversations between students, faculty and advisors to promote student engagement and success
• Utilize student success and advising platforms (e.g.: Navigate) to proactively track academic progress, identify students at risk of not being retained, as well as "off-path" to graduation, and implement timely interventions. Regularly analyze data to measure retention and graduation outcomes enduring a strategic, data driven approach to improving Black-identifying student success. Schedule meetings with students to provide advisement and support that strengthen their academic persistence.
• Actively participate in advising system discussions to advocate for the inclusion of culturally responsive advising practices to enhance the overall support structure for Black-identifying students
• Identify speakers, internships and opportunities to introduce and develop entrepreneurial experiences to our black/African American identifying students

Campus and Community Engagement

• Partner with external community leaders, organizations, and alumni to create support networks for Black students. Build relationships with local schools and community organizations to support recruitment and outreach efforts in collaboration with different colleges, schools and campus departments.
• Collaborate with departments, academic programs and colleges/schools on campus (e.g.: Africana Studies Program) to provide key points of engagement, support and major/minor selection for students.
• Develop transitional programming and leverage existing campus positions and initiatives in support of transfer and incoming first year students focused around navigating the college experience, making the most out of the classroom setting, addressing potential challenges within the academic setting, and pre-college support programming.
• Partner with university advancement to identify and secure funding through grants and partnerships to support the BSSI's initiatives.
• Initiate alumni engagement programs that build connections between current students and Black alumni, facilitating mentorship and networking opportunities.
• Collaborate with campus mental health resources (e.g.: Counseling Center, Care Center, Dean of Students Office, etc.) to create programs addressing the unique mental health needs of Black/African American students.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Develop and manage the BSSI budget, in coordination with the Executive Director of Student Life and Belonging. Ensure proper allocation of resources to support programming and operations.
• Conduct ongoing assessment of BSSI initiatives to measure impact and effectiveness. Use data-driven insights to refine and enhance programs.
• Oversee the CMEI lounge space, ensuring it is a welcoming and representative environment for Black-identifying students. Implement policies and procedures that support a vibrant, inclusive student community with staff and student leaders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• A minimum of three years of professional, full-time experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion work or academic success, with significant contributions to student engagement initiatives, particularly for underrepresented populations such as racial/ethnic minorities and first-generation students.
• Proven experience in developing, executing, and assessing programs with a culturally responsive and equity-minded approach.
• Proven experience in convening and leading cross-functional working groups to collaboratively develop and implement strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment and building trust across departments and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering equitable outcomes and promoting diversity within a higher education environment.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and articulate both the historical and current needs and concerns of Black and African American communities through a social justice lens, including the intersections of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, class, disability, gender, and other significant aspects of identity.

Important Note: Successful applicants will ensure their resumes clearly demonstrate that their work experience describes how they meetALLrequired qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant field.
• Demonstrated experience in working effectively with Black/African American students, and the ability to build strong collaborative relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, campus partners, and community members.
• Experience coordinating, planning, and facilitating social justice educational programming that addresses intersectionality, power, privilege, and oppression across multiple identities.
• Proven ability to envision and execute strategic initiatives, with a record of program development and the ability to cultivate partnerships both within and beyond the university.
• Experience in building and fostering a supportive community focused on advocacy and empowerment, providing advisement, mentoring, educational programming, and resource referrals for Black, African American, and multiracial students.
• Demonstrated, ongoing commitment to social justice advocacy at individual, group, and/or community levels.
• Proven experience working with alumni relations and donor/fundraising efforts.
• Experience with program assessment/evaluation centered on learning outcomes.
• A demonstrated personal and professional commitment to equity and inclusion, as evidenced by persistent effort, strategic planning, resource allocation, and accountability for the success of Black/African-identifying students.

Work Hours

• Full-time, 40 hours per week, Exempt
• Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm
• Evenings and weekend work: As needed
• This position is an in-person role
• Travel: 5-10% of the time, specifically for recruitment and high school visits

Instructions to Apply

For full consideration, please submit the following documents:

• Resume
• Cover letter describing relevant job experiences as they relate to listed job qualifications and interest in the position

Official transcripts will be required of the candidate selected for hire.

If you are an Internal applicant, please apply via the Career tab within the WorkDay Menu

Important Note: Successful applicants will ensure their resumes clearly demonstrate that their work experience describes how they meetALLrequired qualifications.

Open Until Filled

The University's benefits package is comprehensive and offers medical, vision and dental, free RTD pass, tuition reimbursement, as well as a life and supplemental insurance plans, retirement plans and other programs, such as accessto a long-term disability (LTD) plan.Visit MSU Denver'sbenefits websiteto learn more.

For a brief overview, please see: https://www.msudenver.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/MSU-Benefit-Summary.pdf.

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at totalrewards@msudenver.edu.

Metropolitan State University of Denver is a unique, access-oriented campus community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms. Our student population consists of nearly 58% first generation students and over 50% students of color. We are a designated Hispanic Serving Institution located in downtown Denver.

We create an equitable learning and working environment in concert with individuals who consistently demonstrate commitment to equity and inclusion. We greatly value the diverse identities and perspectives of our students, faculty, and staff and recognize that in order to achieve a just and equitable society, diversity must go beyond simple representation. It requires critical inquiry and dialogue and a commitment to action. We strive to provide a culture of belonging for all community members to achieve personal and professional success.