Administrative News: Search Updates - Student Affairs and Athletics
April 26, 2019
Dear Members of the Brandeis Community,
I wanted to provide information on two important searches now underway — the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and the Athletic Director. For both of these positions we hope to have finalist candidates on campus this summer for interviews and a new Vice Provost for Student Affairs and a new Athletic Director hired for the fall semester.
Vice Provost for Student Affairs
Brandeis has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, for this search, and we are working with Natalie Leonhard, Managing Associate and Carmen Delehanty, Senior Associate. All inquiries, nominations/referrals, and resumes with cover letters, should be submitted electronically and in confidence.
Brief Position Description
The Vice Provost for Student Affairs (VPSA) will be a visionary and collaborative leader deeply committed to graduate and undergraduate student life, community engagement, and inclusive excellence. As an advocate for all students, the VPSA will be instrumental in engaging the differing and changing needs of the diverse student body at Brandeis. With a highly personalized approach and visible presence on campus, the VPSA will serve as a critical strategic thought partner to advance the student experience at Brandeis. The VPSA will have experience in community building; developing a sense of belonging, inclusion, and connection amongst different constituencies of students; experience with the implementation, assessment, and oversight of student services; budget management; and crisis management. The VPSA division includes: the Dean of Students Office (Student Activities, Community Service, and Student Rights and Community Standards); Hiatt Career Center; Community Living (undergraduate residential housing and Undergraduate Orientation); Spiritual and Religious Life; Hillel; Family Engagement and Communication; and student health and wellness (the Counseling Center, the Health Center, and the Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center).
I am very grateful that the following individuals have agreed to serve on the search committee that I will chair:
Staff: Jamele Adams, Bob Avalle, Jessica Basile, Kate Goldfield, Ravi Lakshmikanthan, Lucas Malo, Erika Smith, Sam Solomon
Students: Aaron Finkel, Rabia Anjum, Sari Fein, Zosia Busé
Faculty: Steve Dowden, Susan Lichtman, Susan Lovett
Trustee: Ellen Lasher Kaplan
Athletic Director
Brandeis has retained the national executive search firm Odgers Berndtson for our athletic director search, and we are working with Greg Santore, head of their U.S. Sports Practice and Jennifer Biehn. All inquiries, nominations/referrals, and resumes with cover letters, should be sent electronically and in confidence to: BrandeisAD@odgersberndtson.com
Brief Position Description:
The Athletic Director will be expected to guide and mentor coaches as well as other athletics staff members with an unwavering commitment to enhancing the student athlete experience and encouraging success of the entire athletics program. The Director also serves as the department’s primary representative in interactions with other leaders on campus. In this role, the Director will articulate the athletics department’s vision and strategy, listen closely to the perspectives of others in identifying opportunities to expand the impact of Brandeis University athletics across the campus, and maintain an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition, they must promote the values of Brandeis University which include; academic rigor, critical thinking/debate and a commitment to using skills and knowledge to repair the world.
I am very grateful that that the following individuals have agreed to serve on the search committee that I will chair:
Staff: Mark Brimhall-Vargas, Dennis Hicks, Gabriel Margolis, William O’Reilly, Jennifer Salmon, Jennifer Walker
Students: Diana Dehterevich, Jacob Judd, Daria Bakhtiari
Faculty: Jennifer Cleary, Michael McKay, Rebecca Torrey
Trustee: Josh Kraft
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about either of these searches.
Best regards,
Lisa M. Lynch, Provost
lmlreply@brandeis.edu