Vice President for Campus Life

Overview

Princeton University seeks an exceptional, visionary, and deeply student-centered leader to serve as its next Vice President for Campus Life (VPCL). Few roles in American higher education offer a comparable opportunity to shape the lives of students or to influence how a great university defines the purposes and possibilities of residential education.

As a senior officer of the University and a key adviser and partner to its leadership, the VPCL will help shape the experience of more than 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students during a consequential period for Princeton and for higher education. While the next Vice President will lead a comprehensive portfolio spanning many of the dimensions of university life that most profoundly affect students, the opportunity extends well beyond the leadership of an outstanding student affairs organization. At Princeton, campus life is integral to the educational mission. What students learn from one another in residential colleges, organizations, programs, difficult conversations, moments of challenge, and acts of service is part of a Princeton education. The next VPCL will therefore be an educator, institutional leader, community builder, and strategist who is capable of asking not only how Princeton can best support its students, but what it hopes they will become through their experience here.

Responsibilities

The Vice President for Campus Life occupies a position of unusual breadth and influence at Princeton, with responsibility for many of the programs, services, communities, and experiences that shape students’ lives beyond the classroom. The portfolio brings together functions that at many universities are distributed across multiple divisions, giving the VPCL both a comprehensive view of the student experience and a significant platform from which to advance University-wide priorities. The Vice President is called upon to connect strategy with the realities of campus life, anticipating emerging needs, bringing institutional perspective to complex questions, and helping Princeton navigate issues that cut across organizational boundaries and affect the community as a whole.

The VPCL reports to Executive Vice President Katie Callow-Wright and works closely with the President, Provost, Dean of the College, Dean of the Graduate School, and other senior leaders across the University. As a member of Princeton’s senior leadership, the Vice President brings the student experience directly into consequential institutional conversations and decision-making. The VPCL leads a substantial and highly accomplished organization of more than 650 employees, with a broad portfolio encompassing athletics, health and well-being, undergraduate student life, career development, religious life, diversity and belonging, civic engagement, and the planning and administrative infrastructure that supports the division.

Princeton seeks an exceptional institutional leader of unusual judgment, intellect, humanity, and strategic capacity who understands that the experience of students is inseparable from the excellence of the University itself. The next Vice President for Campus Life will bring a sophisticated understanding of the forces shaping the lives of today’s students and a compelling point of view about the role a great residential university can play in their intellectual, personal, social, and ethical development. They will appreciate both the extraordinary opportunities available to Princeton students and the complexity of creating a community in which students of widely varied backgrounds and experiences can thrive, engage meaningfully with one another, and make full use of all that Princeton offers.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be a leader of institutional stature and broad perspective equally capable of thinking expansively about the future of the student experience and exercising excellent judgment when circumstances demand immediate action. They will be a strategist and culture-builder, an accomplished organizational leader and trusted colleague, a steady presence in moments of crisis, and a visible and authentic member of the University community. They will understand the distinctive dynamics of a decentralized, intellectually rigorous institution and possess the credibility and influence to lead through partnership. Above all, they will approach the work with an abiding interest in students: listening to them, learning from their experiences, understanding the changing context in which they are coming of age, and keeping their development and well-being at the center of consequential decisions.

Princeton is an ambitious community of individuals who expect excellence of themselves and one another. The next VPCL must therefore combine high aspirations with the capacity to execute. They will recognize the opportunity afforded by Princeton’s extraordinary resources while understanding that resources alone do not create an exceptional student experience. They will be discerning about where attention and investment can have the greatest impact, willing to question established approaches when appropriate, and capable of turning ambitious ideas into coherent strategies, strong organizations, and meaningful outcomes.

The Vice President must also possess exceptional judgment and steadiness. Student life increasingly sits at the intersection of some of the most complex questions facing universities, and the VPCL will be required to make difficult decisions amid competing interests, incomplete information, intense scrutiny, and deeply held views. The successful candidate will be comfortable with complexity. They will listen carefully, communicate candidly, and act decisively when circumstances require it, while retaining empathy, perspective, and a deep commitment to Princeton’s educational mission.

While significant senior leadership experience within higher education is expected, Princeton will be attentive not simply to titles or the breadth of a candidate’s current portfolio, but to the quality, complexity, and impact of their leadership. The strongest candidates will bring a record of increasing responsibility and demonstrated success leading people, organizations, and change in demanding environments. An advanced degree is strongly preferred.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This is a full-time, on-campus leadership position based in Princeton, New Jersey. The anticipated salary range is $480,000 to $600,000, commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate. Princeton offers a comprehensive and highly competitive benefits package, together with an extensive array of resources and programs designed to support the physical, mental, and financial well-being of University employees and their families. A residence bordering campus is designated for the Vice President of Campus Life during their tenure with the University. The residence provides a welcoming setting for hosting and engaging with students, faculty, alumni, and other members of the Princeton community through informal gatherings, receptions, and special events.

CONTACT

Princeton University has retained DSG Storbeck to partner in this important search, which is being led by Ruth Shoemaker Wood and Anne Koellhoffer. Candidates are invited to submit a thoughtful letter of interest and resume or curriculum vitae through DSG Storbeck’s Talent Profile.

The search welcomes confidential nominations, referrals, and expressions of interest from prospective candidates and those wishing to recommend others for consideration. These may be directed to [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be handled with the utmost discretion and confidentiality.

For additional details, visit the full position profile.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.

Standard Weekly Hours

36.25

Eligible for Overtime

No

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Probationary Period

180 days

Essential Services Personnel (see policy for detail)

No

Physical Capacity Exam Required

No

Valid Driver’s License Required

No

Experience Level

Director #LI-NR1

Salary Range

$480,000 to $600,000