Executive Director of the Student Academic Success Center - Office of the Provost

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world’s most renowned education institutions. With ground-breaking brain science, path-breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn’t imagine the future, we invent it. If you’re passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here!

The Student Academic Success Center (Success Center) is dedicated to cultivating inclusive learning spaces and high-impact supplemental opportunities that enrich how students approach their coursework and overall learning. By delivering holistic support—spanning from success coaching, tutoring, supplemental instruction, accommodations for students with disabilities, written and verbal communication support, language support for multilingual learners, and individualized persistence outreach—the Success Center offers diverse pathways for students to grow as self-aware learners, communicators, and scholars.

The Success Center team is committed to providing a highly supportive, student-centered experience grounded in equity-minded, asset-oriented, and data-informed practices.

Reporting to the Senior Associate Vice Provost for Academic Engagement and Student Success, the Executive Director of the Success Center provides strategic vision and operational leadership for comprehensive programs that advance undergraduate and graduate student learning, equitable access to education, persistence, and academic success. The Executive Director leads a multidisciplinary team, aligns resources and services with institutional priorities, and uses evidence-based practices and assessment to drive continuous improvement.

This role fosters a performance-oriented culture and an empowering environment where team members thrive. Key to this outcome is aligning shared goals, establishing clear accountability, cultivating trust and collaboration, and supporting staff growth and development.

Major duties

• Cultivate, oversee, and monitor a comprehensive academic support program for a campus with a total of 16,000 students (7,700 undergraduate and 8,300 graduate students). The incumbent will foster integrated programming in the following areas:

• Learning Support – provides course-aligned and skill-based programs - tutoring, supplemental instruction, and success coaching (oversight of over 150 student staff who serve more than 10,000 sessions annually).

• Communication and Language Support - supports students in developing effective communication skills (written, visual, and oral) and helps multilingual learners meet their English language learning goals (1000+ appointments annually, oversight of 25-30 student staff).

• Disability Resources - provides programs and services for students with physical, sensory, cognitive, and emotional disabilities, including services for academic and housing accommodations, coaching, and other programming as needed (serves ~2000 students annually).

• Persistence and Success – provides individualized support to students, particularly those on leave or on academic action (~100 students annually).

• Supervise, coach, lead, and foster collaboration across a team of four director-level direct reports, one associate director, and indirectly, 15 additional staff and roughly 200 student workers.

• Provide strategic direction for the Success Center’s operations, including administrative support, human resources processes, budget execution, and daily team functions. Set priorities in collaboration with the Senior Associate Vice Provost, establish effective procedures, and guide infrastructure improvements to strengthen student support throughout the Success Center.

• Provide data-informed direction and advocacy for resource allocation, including creation and management of the Center’s budget.

• Maintain ongoing review of student retention data and other key learning outcomes, revise academic support programs as needed, and implement strategies to achieve optimal student learning success.

• Serve as a critical collaborator with the Senior Associate Vice Provost and campus partners to innovate around education and learning techniques and strategies (including AI) that are grounded in evidence-based research and practices, professional associations, and collaboration across the University.

• Oversee provision of workshops, presentations, and orientations related to student academic support for internal and external audiences, including current and prospective students, colleagues, professional organizations, and other key stakeholders.

Adaptability, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within Carnegie Mellon University. We are in search of a team member who can effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work.

Qualifications

• Completion of a master’s degree in higher education administration, counseling, or related field, with deep knowledge of student development and learning theory.
• Seven (7) years of progressive professional staff supervisory experience in academic support, advising, or student support services.
• Experience creating a student-centered vision and aligning a higher education department around it to deliver academic support and service to students.
• Experience in researching, benchmarking, and strategically implementing best practices to provide academic support.
• Up-to-date knowledge of and adherence to legislation and policies related to student support, including ADA/504 mandated post-secondary academic services to students with disabilities.
• Demonstrated advocacy for and delivery of academic and retention outcomes for diverse undergraduate and graduate student populations, including international students, low-income students, first-generation students, and students with diverse learning needs and abilities.
• Ability to effectively communicate in written and oral forms, including to students, parents, campus partners, and senior-level audiences.
• Experience with teaching and/or instructional design for university-level students.
• Demonstrated experience designing and assessing support programs.
• Experience creating and managing an operational budget of $2.5M.
• A combination of education and meaningful experience from which comparable knowledge is proven may be considered.

Sponsorship: Applicants for this position must be currently legally authorized to work for CMU in the United States. Carnegie Mellon is not a qualifying employer for the STEM OPT benefit: only the 12-month OPT may be used to work at Carnegie Mellon

Additional Requirements:

• Background check and Act 153 CPC's.

Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits.

Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insuranceas well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions. Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance. 

Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and much more!

For a comprehensive overview of the benefits available, explore our Benefits page.

At Carnegie Mellon, we value the whole package when extending offers of employment. Beyond credentials, we evaluate the role and responsibilities, your valuable work experience, and the knowledge gained through education and training. We appreciate your unique skills and the perspective you bring. Your journey with us is about more than just a job; it’s about finding the perfect fit for your professional growth and personal aspirations.

Are you interested in an exciting opportunity with an exceptional organization?! Apply today!

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