Assistant Director, Intercultural Student Success and Engagement

The Assistant Director, Intercultural Student Success and Engagement is assigned primarily to the Intercultural Center (IC) and reports to the Director of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The role coordinates student support, academic coaching, mentoring, student leadership development, intercultural education, student success initiatives, and community-building programs for students.

The Assistant Director supports students who engage with the IC, with particular expertise in the experiences of first-generation students and students from varied cultural, linguistic, religious, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds. The role uses an intersectional approach to strengthen access, belonging, retention, persistence, well-being, leadership, and academic success.

The Assistant Director supports prospective, pre-college, and enrolled students and contributes to selected alumni-engagement activities. Responsibilities include academic coaching, mentoring, student organization advising, peer mentoring, resource navigation, intercultural programming and education, assessment, communications, and campus partnerships. The role also supports education and campus partnerships related to intercultural dialogue, bias awareness, inclusive student engagement, and broader Division of Equity and Inclusion priorities focused on a thriving campus community.

Student Support, Engagement, and Resource Navigation

• Provide academic coaching, mentoring, referral, and follow-up for students who seek support through the IC, with attention to the educational, financial, cultural, linguistic, and family circumstances affecting student success.
• Support student access, retention, persistence, belonging, and success through proactive outreach, resource navigation, academic success planning, and timely connection to campus partners.
• Partner with advising, tutoring, counseling, Residence Life and Housing, accessibility, health services, student conduct, career education, financial aid, faculty, admissions, and other offices to reduce barriers and coordinate student support.
• Track student contacts, referrals, follow-up themes, academic support needs, and student success trends for review with the supervisor and relevant partners.
• Support prospective, pre-college, and enrolled students through programs and short-term projects tied to access, persistence, retention, and success, and contribute to selected alumni-engagement activities.

Intercultural Center Programs, Services, and Events

• Develop, maintain, implement, and evaluate IC services, programs, events, workshops, and student engagement initiatives.
• Coordinate programs grounded in intercultural learning, identity development, leadership, dialogue, belonging, and community building.
• Support inclusive signature programs, heritage and cultural education, recognition efforts, welcome programs, graduation celebrations, academic enhancement workshops, community meals, dialogue programs, and first-generation student initiatives.
• Develop and support intercultural dialogue, bias awareness, inclusive practice, and community-building education for students, student leaders, campus partners, and assigned groups.
• Create measurable program goals, learning outcomes, timelines, logistics plans, assessment tools, and post-program reports.
• Use student feedback and participation data to recommend improvements to IC programs and services.

Student Organizations, Leadership Development, and Campus Partnerships

• Advise assigned recognized student organizations and student leaders connected to the IC, including organizations focused on culture, religion, first-generation student experiences, community engagement, and intercultural learning.
• Maintain regular engagement with assigned student organizations and student leaders through meetings with organization presidents, executive boards, resident assistants, area coordinators, and relevant campus partners. Attend selected evening and weekend events as needed.
• Provide mentorship, continuity, conflict navigation, and leadership coaching for student organization presidents, executive boards, resident assistants, peer leaders, and emerging student leaders.
• Support student leaders with program planning, budget management, university policies, risk management, and organizational sustainability.
• Assist student groups with funding processes, room reservations, purchasing, event preparation, administrative steps, and campus liaison work.
• Partner with Residence Life and Housing to support approved residential communities through student-leader development, education, programming, community meetings, and referrals. Residence Life and Housing retains responsibility for eligibility, selection, placement, and housing policy.

Division Support, Campus Partnerships, and In-Person and Virtual Yield Events

• Support the work of the Division of Equity and Inclusion, including assigned projects that advance broader divisional priorities.
• Attend regular one-on-one supervisory meetings with the Director, Center meetings, Division meetings, and other assigned campus meetings.
• Serve as an active participant on assigned committees, working groups, and campus partnerships related to student access, persistence, retention, belonging, safety, well-being, and success.
• Participate in admissions and yield events, new student orientation, welcome and move-in programs, open houses, admitted-student events, pre-college programs, alumni events, and outreach activities on and off campus.
• Partner with alumni, faculty, staff, students, and community partners on short-term projects that support student access, persistence, retention, and success.

Assessment, Data, Communications, and Reporting

• Collect and report appropriate program, participation, referral, and outcome information consistent with FERPA, university privacy and data-governance requirements, and principles of data minimization. Sensitive student information will be collected only when necessary, maintained with appropriate access controls, and reported in aggregate or deidentified form when feasible.
• Maintain accurate records related to student contacts, referrals, programs, trainings, spending, attendance, assessment results, student support trends, and annual reporting.
• Track referrals, follow-up needs, participation, program outcomes, and student support themes for review with the supervisor and relevant partners.
• Prepare concise reports, summaries, and recommendations based on program outcomes, student feedback, assessment findings, and student support trends.
• Use appropriate program, participation, referral, and outcome information to identify barriers, assess effectiveness, document impact, and improve IC programs and services.
• Assist with social media, website updates, newsletters, marketing materials, and other web-based communications for the IC and the Division.

Operations, Budget, Safety, and Administration

• Help manage daily IC operations, including space use, student-facing resources, supplies, equipment, scheduling, calendars, files, and general office workflow.
• Assist in the supervision and development of undergraduate and graduate student staff and volunteers.
• Track and report assigned spending in alignment with university policies and purchasing requirements.
• Report concerns related to safety, facilities, maintenance, accessibility, technology, and operations.
• Support a welcoming, organized, accessible, and student-centered IC environment.
• Participate in required training and ongoing professional development.

Job Requirements:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• A minimum of 2 to 3 years relevant experience with academic coaching, mentoring, student support, education, or program development, including experience gained through professional roles, graduate assistantships, internships, student leadership, peer education, residence life and housing, new student orientation, admissions, student activities, resource navigation, or related work.
• Relevant experience includes, but is not limited to, supporting student access, belonging, retention, persistence, and success across varied cultural, linguistic, religious, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds, including first-generation and multilingual student experiences, with attention to intersectionality.
• Strong written and oral communication skills across various audiences.
• Experience using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and related tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in higher education, student affairs, education, counseling, social work, sociology, social justice, ethnic studies, gender and sexuality studies, multicultural education, public health, communications, business, or a related field.
• Professional experience in a higher education, nonprofit, education, community-based, or student support setting related to intercultural student services, multicultural affairs, student support, student success, access, retention, or first-generation student support.
• Experience supporting student success or access-focused programs, such as first-generation student programs, recognized student organizations, heritage and cultural programming, student recognition programs, residential-community programming, or pre-college access programs.
• Experience developing or facilitating programs, workshops, trainings, or student engagement initiatives related to intercultural learning, identity development, belonging, inclusive practice, study skills, student leadership, or community building.
• Knowledge in one or more of the following areas: student development theory, racial identity development, intercultural learning, belonging research, intersectionality, trauma-informed practice, and campus policies and practices affecting diverse student populations, including student conduct, bias response, privacy, and campus safety.
• Experience collecting, analyzing, and reporting data to assess student needs, program participation, learning outcomes, student engagement, or program effectiveness.
• Experience supervising undergraduate students, graduate students, interns, peer educators, or volunteers.
• Experience with website maintenance, social media, digital communications, marketing, or outreach.
• Bilingual or multilingual ability, or experience working with multilingual students and families.

At the University's discretion, the education and experience prerequisites may be accepted where the candidate can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the University, an equivalent combination of education and experience specifically preparing the candidate for success in the position.

Additional Information:

Roger Williams University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and committed to a diverse workforce. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other basis protected by applicable state and federal law. For information on our Non-discrimination policy, visit here.

RWU prohibits all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex in its education programs and activities and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and its implementing regulations not to discriminate in such a manner. Complaints of Title IX sexual harassment should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at the contact information listed below. Details regarding the formal complaint process can be found here: Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedures. All complaints of sexual harassment will be taken seriously and responded to promptly. TITLE IX COORDINATOR: Dr. Jen Stanley, 1 Old Ferry Road, Bristol, RI 02809 / Phone Number: (401) 254-3123 / Email Address: jstanley@rwu.edu