2023 Assistant Dean of Students (Summer Role)

Assistant Dean of Students

EXPLO Pre-College, Wellesley College

Dates: June 16, 2023 - August 5, 2023

We're looking for a compassionate leader to oversee a residential team of young adults and ensure safe, meaningful summer experiences for our students.

About Us

EXPLO is a mission-driven, educational non-profit with more than 85,000 student alumni who hail from 90 countries. We offer residential summer programs for students in grades 4 through 12 on three of the most beautiful college campuses on the East Coast of the U.S. We strive to build a collaborative, transdisciplinary learning environment at our programs, where students drive their own learning through exploration.

Our Impact

For many, EXPLO is a life-changing experience. Our students sometimes describe it as the place where they feel like the truest version of themselves. As an organization, we believe learning should be joyful and create experiences with engagement, inclusion, and magic as first principles. Each summer we share these experiences with smart and curious students from all over the world.

The Opportunity

The Assistant Dean of Students collaborates with the Dean of Students to run the Office of Student Life, the center of all student residential life at the Program. The work of the Office of Student Life includes overall responsibility for student health and safety as well as community building in all living groups at the Program. The work of the Office of Student Life includes, but is not limited to: student housing assignments, roommate/suitemate conflicts, personal and emotional issues, health concerns, monitoring safety of activities and behaviors at the Program in general, maintaining community standards and implementing discipline, acting as a liaison with students’ families.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Management

• Assist the Dean of Students with running the Student Life Office, the center of all student residential life at the Program;
• Supervise and mentor staff who have been assigned to work in the Student Life Office, including Residence Directors and Residential Advisors;
  
• Conduct formal mid-summer evaluation sessions during weeks 4-5 of the Program with assigned staff members, as well as giving informal and regular feedback;
• Work with the other Exploration administrative offices to maintain smooth communication and appropriate and effective policies and procedures for the Program;
• Work with the administrative team to plan orientation meetings applicable to the entire staff;
• Attend and participate in daily and periodic administrative meetings;
• Assist with setup and takedown of the Program at the beginning and end of the Program;
• Create a welcoming environment for all EXPLO staff, many of whom are balancing residential advisor duties with programming and instructional duties;
• Serve as a member of the Program’s Leadership Team, including crisis response, extensive collaboration with other EXPLO departments including Student Life and Operations;

Student Life Leadership

• Assigning and ensuring completion of daily administrative tasks to maintain smooth running of the Student Life Office and residential life at the Program;
• Interact with students and families as necessary about student health, safety, issues, questions, or concerns, in person and via telephone and written communications;
• Work with Wellesley College entities pertaining to health and safety, including campus security, facilities, etc.;
• Assist the Dean of Students with planning, facilitating, and attending staff meetings relating to the Student Life Office operations;
• Assist the Dean of Students with planning and facilitating professional development opportunities at the Program for Student Life Office staff;
• Assist the Dean of Students with planning and facilitating orientation and training of all Student Life Office staff;
• Participate in preseason Student Life Office planning, meeting, and mentoring initiatives with the Dean of Students, as well as Residence Directors;
• Maintain thorough documentation of Student Life Office operations, including updated standard Operating Procedures to be completed by the end of the summer and sent back to the Norwood office;
• Maintain thorough critical documentation relating to student, family, staff, and Wellesley College interactions or any other relevant information for the year-round Norwood office, such as journals, notes about students, lists of student on disciplinary status, both on Exploration’s database and/or in separate notes or the student files;

Campus Operations

• Provide leadership in all aspects of t