DIRECTOR / STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

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.

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.

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.

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.
Assist 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.

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.

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 the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. It’s part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state’s largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city’s central location in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.

Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

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.

CMU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and institution. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.

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CMU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, including admission and employment, and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a matter.

Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be made to CMU’s Title IX Coordinator, the US Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary, or both.

CMU’s Title IX Coordinator can be reached at:

Phone: 989-774-3253
Office: 103 E. Preston St.
Bovee University Center, suite 306
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Email: titleix@cmich.edu