Associate Vice President, Engagement and Equity

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), an institution among the California State University (CSU) system’s 23 campuses and a leader in high-quality, accessible, student-focused higher education, seeks a collaborative leader to serve as the Associate Vice President, Engagement and Equity (AVP). The AVP will be joining CSULB and a dynamic Student Affairs leadership team at a pivotal time to implement strategic planning and adapt services to best support their extraordinarily diverse student body.

Founded in 1949, CSULB is ranked as one of the top institutions in the country and is the most applied to campus of the California State University (CSU) system. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the CSU system and is located 25 miles from Los Angeles in the heart of Long Beach California. Enrollment at CSULB is 38,273, and the university serves an incredibly diverse population of students. It is designated as both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Minority serving institution (MSI), and over half of bachelor’s degree recipients are the first in their family to receive a university degree. The university ranks #1 among national universities in promoting social mobility and is in the top 10% of schools nationwide for return on investment.

The AVP will join the CSULB as it prepares to celebrate its 75^th anniversary while making significant progress on the university’s strategic plan, Beach 2030. By overseeing the units of Community Partnerships (including the Women’s & Gender Equity Center, Womxn’s Collective, and the Dream Success Center), the Office of Multicultural Affairs (Including the Men’s Success Initiative), Student Life & Development and Club Sports, Veterans Services, and Housing and Residential Life, the AVP will have the opportunity to play a central role in advancing progress on key initiatives within the Division. This will include engaging across campus and building coalitions to advance the strategic plan priority of building a diverse and equitable community that is characterized by a strong sense of belonging. 

The AVP will be a visible presence on campus, working constructively with students from all backgrounds to serve as a bridge between the student community and the university administration. They will keep a pulse on student needs, especially those from traditionally marginalized backgrounds, and continue to build the infrastructure necessary to best support CSULB’s diverse student body. This will include continuing to develop programming, building relationships across Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, and ensuring intersectional collaborations are formed across the university. Considerable progress has been made in creating spaces to facilitate cross-cultural learning, and the AVP will build on this momentum to ensure the continuation of a campus-wide dialogue and action around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. 

The new AVP will also play a key role in transitioning CSULB to a more residential campus. This is already underway as the residential community at CSULB has significantly expanded in recent years, with the opening of a new residence hall two years ago and a hall currently in the design phase to accommodate a larger percentage of students on campus. The university currently houses just over 3,000 students with plans to add additional beds through the renovation of existing student housing and the construction of new housing complexes in the coming years, with the goal of housing 5,000 students. As the campus becomes increasingly residential, the AVP will be tasked with opening new halls and ensuring that on-campus housing serves as a hub for community building and connection to the university at large.

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process/until the position is filled. For more details, including the full position profile and to submit inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications, please see below. Electronic submission of materials is required.

Lindsay Gold is leading this search with Drew Nichols and Julia Hochner. 

California State University Long Beach is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, genetic information, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, medical condition, age, disability, covered veteran’s status, or any other protected status.