Job Opportunities

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU's mission, vision, and leadership standards. You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position. Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee. This position will remain open until filled. The university reserves the right to close the recruitment process once a sufficient applicant pool has been identified. For best consideration, please submit application materials by July 7, 2026.

Position Title: Director / Student Involvement

Position Summary: Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, the Director of Student Activities and Involvement (SAI) provides oversight for the administrative leadership, fiscal management, and strategic planning of the department. The Director is adept in aligning SAI priorities with institutional goals related to student engagement, holistic development and wellness, community building, and achieving learning outcomes among registered student organization (RSO), fraternity and sorority, and campus program student leaders. The Director leads a dynamic team of professional and student staff using a humanistic approach, fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation throughout the unit, ensuring that students feel supported, empowered, and connected to the broader mission of student success. The Director works with students and staff to ensure the development of high-quality programs, services, and campus events. The role involves collaboration with campus and external partners to support RSO registration, RSO recruitment, officer training, engagement, peer mentoring, and event planning. With an entrepreneurial spirit, the Director is responsible for securing and maintaining external funding through advancement initiatives. Additionally, the Director serves as the institutional representative on various university and community committees, promoting awareness and advancing the institution's commitment to student involvement, leadership, and agency. This role also facilitates and supports professional development opportunities for staff, which includes professional association involvement, training programs, certifications, and one-on-one staff evaluation/coaching. This position supervises departmental staff, including but not limited to two Assistant Directors, one Administrative Office Assistant, and two Graduate Assistants. The Director also contributes to university-wide engagement efforts and is responsible for securing external funding through advancement initiatives.

Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree preferably in higher education, educational administration, student affairs, or related fields. Five years of progressively responsible higher education experience. Extensive experience with crisis management, risk reduction, conflict resolution, and restorative practice. A personal understanding of holistic student development in higher education settings. Demonstrated experience with cultivating a culture of creativity, care, and concern using a student-centered approach. Demonstrated experience with strategic planning, implementation, and proven results in cultivating robust learning environments and opportunities that align with institutional priorities. Must possess personal integrity, high ethical standards, and the ability to demonstrate decorum and diplomacy with all audiences. Must be a strategic visionary with sound technical skills, analytical ability, good judgment, strong operational focus, and demonstrate the ability to successfully implement initiatives and projects. Demonstrated ability to build and manage teams in a large, decentralized environment. Prior experience responding to sensitive inquiries, reports, and concerns. Demonstrated experience with student development, community engagement, and event planning. Demonstrated experience with the successful implementation of student learning outcomes, assessment, and evaluation. Demonstrated experience coordinating and managing signature programs and services. Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with other university and external partners, while remaining approachable and accessible to a wide audience. Leverage highly effective and engaging verbal and written communication skills. Demonstrated experience with publishing assessment reports, briefs, and presentations. Knowledge of computer software programs and operations. Ability to work evenings, weekends, and travel as necessary.

Preferred Qualifications: Master's degree, preferably in higher education, educational administration, student personnel, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience in several of the administrative areas (seven years related professional experience). Experience providing executive leadership in managing compliance and minimizing risk, advancing student engagement efforts, and building a structured advising network. Knowledge and experience with the frameworks of psychological safety, restorative practice, sustained dialogue, and social location theory. Demonstrated commitment to the creation and implementation of holistic student development opportunities.

Duties & Responsibilities: In alignment with the mission and priorities of SAI, leads the department in fostering an environment that promotes student success, belonging, and leadership development through intentional structured learning objectives and supportive supervision. Advocates for the vital role of student engagement in student and life-long success. Recruits, hires, and supervises SAI staff, including the Assistant Directors, Graduate Assistants, and undergraduate student employees; responsible for the selection, training, and performance evaluation of departmental personnel. Develops and implements an efficient and effective staffing model, ensuring that individuals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities are in place to support strategic priorities. Facilitates a team-oriented approach to developing substantial partnerships across campus and throughout the broader community. Establishes, reviews, updates, interprets, and administers departmental and university policies that inform an educated student body, support healthy student organizations, and foster a positive, welcoming campus climate. In collaboration with the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, creates a structure for ongoing improvement and accountability that reviews broader systems and processes which lead to barriers to student involvement and success. Serves as an on-site point-of-contact for campus events and crisis response. With the support of a graduate assistant, provides day-to-day support to and oversight of registered student organizations and fraternities/sororities, including registration, expansion, recruitment, and hazing prevention. Develops and manages a comprehensive risk management strategy, including hazing prevention, for student activities, student organizations, and fraternity and sorority life. In partnership with the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, develops the annual budget, setting appropriate targets for revenue and expenses. Assists the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs with the management of student payroll, RSO funding allocations, campus programming fund allocations, budget management, student-body elections, and advisement of Student Government Association. Develops rigorous training programs that provide applied learning experiences for students and advisors, preparing them for effective engagement, social responsibility, leadership, and self-authorship. Oversees the implementation of all major campus events, including Mainstage, Homecoming, Greek Week, and Siblings Weekend. Collaborates with the Office of Student Conduct to consult and provide sustained support for behavioral concerns, investigatory needs, and upholding the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures. Provides support and resolutions for conflicts which may arise. Manages the Engage student engagement platform (by Encoura, formerly Anthology), including the vendor contract and relationship, student data administration, and analysis of engagement data to inform decision-making. Assesses programs and services offered by SAI to operationalize a data-informed approach to achieving unit-based learning outcomes and university goals with purpose and intentionality. Serves on campus committees, task forces, and steering groups, as appointed. Represents University Engagement and Student Affairs on behalf of the AVPSA, as needed. Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Supervision Exercised: Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others in our teams. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve leadership abilities and demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU, we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMU's culture of excellence.

Employee Group: Professional & Administrative -Salary

Staff Pay Level

Pay Range: $60,000 - $75,000

Division: University Engagement and Student Affairs

Department: Student Activities & Involvement

Position Status: Regular

Position End Date

Employment Status: Full-Time

FTE: 1.0

Position Type: 12 month

Weekly Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. / weekends, evenings and travel as needed

Location: Mount Pleasant, MI

About the Department

About CMU: Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives. We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master's, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence. CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more. Central is home to 17 men's and women's Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in