Dean of Students

Position Summary:
The Dean of Students will lead and advance Franklin University’s student-centered philosophy by providing strategic, results-driven leadership that supports student success, retention, and goal attainment. This role drives high-impact strategies across key student-facing units to ensure consistent, high-quality engagement throughout the student lifecycle, aligned with the University’s enrollment and growth goals.
The Dean will serve as a transformational leader in applying artificial intelligence across Student Affairs, reimagining how high-quality, high-touch student support can be scaled without losing the human connection, while improving responsiveness and delivering measurable gains in student success.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for the Dean of Students Office, including Academic Advising, Current Student Communications, and Community Standards.
• Lead and develop a high-performing, student-centered team focused on measurable outcomes.
• Build collaborative partnerships with Academics, Admissions, Financial Aid, Academic Support Services, and other university leaders to advance enrollment, retention, student success, and satisfaction.
• Own and execute the AI strategy for Student Affairs, identifying and scaling high-impact use cases that enhance engagement, improve responsiveness, and increase efficiency.
• Redesign service delivery models to balance automation and high-touch engagement, ensuring staff focus on complex, high-value student needs.
• Champion the use of data and analytics to drive decision-making, including dashboards, early alerts, and proactive identification of student risk.
• Serve as Co-Chair of the University’s Student Success Initiative (SSI), leveraging retention, persistence, and completion metrics to guide institutional strategy and decision-making.
• Build organizational capability in AI and other automation through staff development, change management, and adoption of new technologies.
• Lead continuous improvement of student-facing and operational processes to increase efficiency while maintaining strong student connection.
• Promote an inclusive campus environment that meets the needs of all student populations; provide leadership in the development, interpretation, and application of student policies and procedures to ensure regulatory compliance, including military and veteran services.
• Serve as the University’s Primary Appeal Officer, overseeing institutional appeals and external complaints, including BBB inquiries.
• Manage the Student Affairs budget and steward resources in alignment with strategic priorities.
• Demonstrates agility and judgement in addressing urgent matters while maintaining a consistent focus on holistic student success.
• Engage in ongoing professional development and remain current with emerging research and best practices, supporting staff in translating theory and assessment into effective daily practice.