The Associate Vice President (AVP) for Student Success serves as a senior leader within the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Success and provides strategic vision, leadership, and operational oversight for university-wide student success initiatives. Reporting directly to the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success, the AVP is responsible for advancing student persistence, retention, progression, and completion outcomes for undergraduate and graduate students.

The AVP collaborates across academic and administrative units to develop and implement a comprehensive student success strategy aligned with the mission and strategic priorities of the University of West Alabama. This position promotes a student-centered culture that supports access, belonging, academic achievement, and career readiness for a diverse student population, including online, adult, transfer, and traditional students.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Provide leadership for institutional student success planning, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner with academic affairs, student affairs, athletics, enrollment management, institutional research, and faculty leadership to improve student retention and graduation rates.
• Develop and oversee a university-wide framework for student persistence and completion.
• Lead efforts to identify and remove barriers to student success through data-informed decision-making and cross-functional collaboration.
• Support strategic enrollment initiatives that improve student success from recruitment through graduation.
• Other duties and special projects as assigned by the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success. 

Student Success Operations

• Oversee student success programs and services, which may include:
• Academic advising support initiatives
• First-year and second-year student experience programs
• Orientation and transition services
• Retention and persistence initiatives
• Early alert and intervention systems in collaboration with Academic Affairs
• Academic support and tutoring services in collaboration with Academic Affairs
• Student success coaching
• Coordinate proactive outreach and intervention strategies for at-risk student populations.
• Ensure effective development, delivery, and assessment of student support services across on-campus and online environments. 

Data, Assessment, and Reporting

• Utilize institutional data and analytics to monitor student success metrics and identify trends.
• Develop reports, dashboards, and presentations for executive leadership and campus stakeholders.
• Establish measurable goals and key performance indicators related to retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes.
• Collaborate with Institutional Research and Information Technology to optimize student success technologies and predictive analytics tools. 

Collaboration and Campus Engagement

• Foster strong partnerships with faculty, staff, and administrators to create an integrated student support network.
• Serve on institutional committees and represent the division in campus and external partnerships.
• Promote inclusive excellence and student belonging initiatives that enhance the overall student experience in collaboration with Student Affairs.
• Support professional development and training related to student success best practices.

Budget and Personnel Management

• Supervise assigned directors, coordinators, and professional staff within the student success area.
• Manage departmental budgets and allocate resources strategically to support institutional goals.
• Support staff recruitment, development, performance management, and succession planning. 

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution in higher education, student affairs, educational leadership, counseling, administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education student success, enrollment management, student affairs, advising, retention, or related areas.
• Demonstrated success in improving student retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes.
• Experience using data analytics and assessment tools to drive strategic initiatives.
• Strong leadership, communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.
• Ability to build effective partnerships across academic and administrative units. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in higher education administration, educational leadership, or a related field.
• Experience serving diverse, rural, adult, transfer, and online student populations.
• Experience with CRM, student information systems, early alert platforms, and predictive analytics technologies.
• Knowledge of current trends, best practices, and national initiatives in student success and enrollment management.
• Experience leading large-scale institutional change initiatives. 

To Apply:  When you select Apply Now, you will be prompted to provide the following:

• Cover Letter.
• A current Resume or C.V.
• Transcripts of all college work.  Unofficial transcripts will suffice for application.  Official transcripts must be submitted immediately upon employment.
• Email and phone number of three professional references; reference letters may be requested later.

Before hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation, including information obtained from social media and other internet sources.