Gonzaga University is a private liberal arts university established in 1887 in Spokane, Washington. The university is rooted in its unique identity grounded in a Jesuit, Catholic, and humanistic tradition, where students, faculty, and staff seek to serve the common good. The Gonzaga mission encourages an experience that fosters a commitment to the dignity of the human person. The Jesuit-inspired, liberal arts-based tradition of reflection and action ensures the development of the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Gonzaga offers 75 undergraduate majors and programs, 26 master’s degrees, and several PhD programs to over 7,200 enrolled students. Gonzaga calls students to live, learn, and explore, centering community as the cornerstone of the student experience.
Reporting to the dean for student development, the assistant dean for the residential experience provides vision, direction, and leadership for a 3,000-bed, on-campus housing department. This portfolio includes housing operations (assignments, contracts, keys, conferences), residence life (living-learning communities, educational programming, crisis management and response, conduct, student leadership), and financial management. The assistant dean will develop a comprehensive strategic direction inclusive of budget development, programmatic innovation, and risk management approaches informed by Gonzaga’s Jesuit, Catholic mission and the priorities of the division of student affairs. Students at Gonzaga are required to live on campus for their first two years.
Reporting directly to the assistant dean are the director of residence life and the associate director of housing operations. The department has 12 additional full-time professional staff and 120 undergraduate paraprofessional staff. The assistant dean leverages a $4.7 million budget to support a positive residential experience for Gonzaga students.
A master’s degree and eight years of progressively responsible leadership in the field of housing and residence life are required. A demonstrated commitment to creating equitable and inclusive living, learning, and working environments that accelerate the success of students and employees is essential to lead a diverse team in a department with complex functions. Qualified candidates must have foundational budget and finance experience, as well as knowledge of national trends and best practices in campus housing, residence life, and student affairs.
A successful candidate will have an advanced understanding of occupancy management and enhancing revenue opportunities. Additionally, previous experience in Jesuit or other faith-based or mission-oriented higher education, which values the on-campus residential experience to develop the whole student, is ideal. Experience successfully implementing faculty partnerships, residential education models, living-learning communities, and other co-curricular approaches to student learning is strongly favored. A terminal degree is preferred.
Review of applications will begin April 7, 2023, and continue until the position is filled. A resume with an accompanying cover letter may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website atwww.spelmanjohnson.com/open-positions. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Julie A. Leos at jal@spelmanjohnson.com Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.
The salary range for this position is $100,000-$110,000.
Visit the Gonzaga University website at https://www.gonzaga.edu
Gonzaga’s Policy on Non-Discrimination
Gonzaga University does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, military status, or any characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law, or any other non-merit factor in employment, educational program, or activities that it operates.
