Vice President of Student Affairs Grand Valley State University (Grand Valley) invites applications, expressions of interest, and nominations of candidates in its search for its new Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA). This inaugural VPSA position will report directly to the President and elevate student voices among the senior leadership team. As the landscape of student learners shifts, Grand Valley seeks an experienced practitioner of student affairs who can address all learners within a multi-campus environment while strengthening a learner-centered culture. The next VPSA will be proactive, creative, and devise strategies to facilitate strong bonds among students, divisional and college leaders, and faculty across the university to empower learners in their pursuits, professions and purpose. As a member of the executive leadership team, the VPSA will advocate for students, championing and determining the best programming and initiatives to address students' collective and diverse needs. The VPSA will be a fierce champion in advancing equity, understanding, and a lifetime of learning. The VPSA will collaborate and work collectively with a variety of university leaders to build a more cohesive campus culture that supports residential, commuter, undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learners. The VPSA will prioritize student mental health and well-being as well as uphold inclusion and equity as central components to the success of individual students and the University community. GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY: AN OVERVIEW Grand Valley State University is a strong and vibrant public university with a clear, deeply-held, unwavering commitment to students and the community. U.S. News & World Report ranks it the #1 public regional university in Michigan and top in the Midwest. Grand Valley provides the opportunities of a large, complex university while retaining the personal atmosphere of a small, liberal arts college. Grand Valley was founded in 1960 in response to the need for a public, four-year college in Michigan's second-largest metropolitan region. Grand Valley's creation was driven by local community leaders who recognized the value a university would bring to the area's citizens and economy, leveraging public/private partnerships to make it happen. Since its first year, when there were 226 students and 14 faculty members, Grand Valley has continued a trajectory of growth to become a comprehensive university with over 20,000 undergraduates, approximately 3,000 graduate students, and nearly 131,000 alumni. Grand Valley boasts 1,528 full- and part-time faculty members and over 2,000 staff members. Grand Valley has attracted students from every county in Michigan, 46 states, and 75 countries with its focus on liberal education and its student success. Grand Valley’s main campus in Allendale is situated three hours northeast of Chicago, and two and a half hours from Detroit. In addition to its main campus, the university has campuses in nearby Grand Rapids and regional centers in Holland, Detroit, Muskegon, Traverse City, and the Battle Creek Regional Outreach Center. With the Allendale Campus close to the shores of Lake Michigan and the downtown campuses in the heart of Grand Rapids, the university has experienced remarkable upward momentum during the last 20 years, including enrollment growth of more than 93 percent, substantial expansion of academic programs, and a four-million-square-foot expansion of facilities. Grand Valley State University, Vice President of Student Affairs p.2 In 2021, Grand Valley was named a recipient of the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from Insight into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The award recognizes Grand Valley for its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Grand Valley received the inaugural Seal of Excellence for its commitment to Latinx students in 2019; consistently received the “Most LGBTQ Friendly Campus” in Michigan by Campus Pride, Inc.; and, has received the highest ranking of veteran-friendly schools by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. DEDICATION TO STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY Grand Valley is dedicated to individual student success through excellent teaching, active scholarship, and public service. The university's liberal education foundation is inherent in all its undergraduate and graduate programs and emphasizes critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and cultural understanding, preparing students for life in a fast-changing world and acting as a talent engine for Michigan and beyond. In its learners and employees, Grand Valley values entrepreneurship, risk taking, and interdisciplinary collaboration that solves local, regional, and global problems and advances the common good. REACH HIGHER 2025 Since Fall 2019, President Mantella has engaged internal and external stakeholders in Reach Higher Together; an effort to ensure Grand Valley draws on everyone's abilities, talents, and creativity to reach higher together and accelerate our bold vision to activate the full community to lead the change in the fast-changing world of education. Reach Higher Together engagement has transitioned into a currently active university strategy development process – Reach Higher 2025 – which will result in proposed and refined mission, vision, and values statement, strategy, and key performance indicators in Fall 2021. Under the sustained leadership of the Reach Higher 2025 Steering Committee, this effort has identified three university commitments that are under consideration by the university community: An empowered educational experience: At Grand Valley, we help you develop your pathway and guide and support you in your choices. Your passion and curiosity spark our work, and we will learn from one another along the way. We’ll help you personalize your approach to determining your educational purpose, should you want or need that. Then, we’ll help you fulfill your dreams. It’s your path, your purpose, and your mission. A lifetime of learning: We integrate learning and experiences across your lifetime. A culture of equity; We create transformative equity and a sense of belonging. Reach Higher 2025 is Grand Valley’s inclusive and iterative approach to establishing a new strategy to propel the university forward over the next four years. The university’s current strategic plan will be wrapping up at the end of the 2020-21 academic year, and leadership is excited and ready to continue to chart a path with the entire community’s involvement to guide innovative action and achieve impactful outcomes. In today’s dynamic higher education environment, establishing a keen strategy is essential for positioning the university for now and the future. See www.gvsu.edu/reachhigher2025. The university’s current mission, vision, values, and strategic plan are available at www.gvsu.edu/mission. ACADEMICS Grand Valley's approach to teaching and learning integrates liberal and professional education in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary ways, and is directly relevant to the worlds learners Grand Valley will shape. It emphasizes critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and cultural understanding. It also Grand Valley State University, Vice President of Student Affairs p.3 fosters a commitment to economic, social, and environmental sustainability and inclusive campus that values diversity. The average class size at Grand Valley is 26, allowing for more one- on-one interaction between professors and students. Grand Valley faculty members love to teach, and they believe that research mentoring is the greatest form of teaching. Through active, engaged scholarship in student- directed research projects, faculty members inspire students' passion for learning, self-discovery, and incorporating academics with professional work thus creating a more personal, interactive, and meaningful learning experience for students. Plus, the vast majority of classes are taught by faculty members, not teaching assistants or graduate assistants, ensuring first-rate learning opportunities. Grand Valley students have the opportunity and choice of over 96 undergraduate and 46 graduate degree programs offered in seven colleges. See all academic programs at https://www.gvsu.edu/acad-index.htm. ACADEMIC UNITS • Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies • College of Education and Community Innovation • College of Health Professions • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences • Kirkhof College of Nursing • The Padnos College of Engineering and Computing • Seidman College of Business • University Libraries ACCREDITATION Grand Valley is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), and underwent a successful comprehensive evaluation in November 2018. The HLC is a regional accreditation agency that accredits degree-granting institutions of higher education that are based in a 19-state region of the United States. In addition to its accreditation, Grand Valley receives numerous awards and recognition for its outstanding service to its students and community. For recent awards and recognition, please click here: https://www.gvsu.edu/identity/awards-and-recognitions-35.htm FACULTY Grand Valley's 1,528 faculty members are teacher-scholars committed to teaching excellence and strong community partnerships. They involve their students in their active scholarship and service. Grand Valley faculty serve as learners’ guides, commit their expertise, and enrich the learner network through an active community valuing the development and exchange of knowledge,