What does a director of student affairs do?
A director of student affairs will oversee student clubs, manage student activities and budgetary information, and work with students to provide referrals for counseling and community services. Your duties typically include planning and arranging recreational, cultural, and social activities of different student groups, evaluating programs and providing recommendations for improvements, and scheduling events. As the student affairs director, it is your responsibility to organize and conduct an orientation program for new students and coordinate the publication of the student affairs calendar.
Director of student affairs responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of student affairs resumes:
- Provide resources and professional development opportunities to alumni to ensure engagement and a connection to Rasmussen.
- Develop yearly FERPA training to increase knowledge and compliance with the law.
- Develop CRM, print, website, and social media campaigns to enhance recruitment.
- Open new culinary school from initial build-out to include initial program design and approval.
- Direct campus through application process, site visits, and approval for institutional ABHES accreditation.
- Coordinate events and catering services including divisional meetings, outings, student dinners, and other VPSA events.
- Coordinate and assist with discipline issues, member of PBIS team, and mentor for students with behavior issues.
- Serve as local ethics and compliance officer, handle training, audits, and deal with outside auditors to ensure compliance.
- Perform and supervise roommate mediation.
- Communicate the importance of FERPA regulations to parents/students.
- Transition current students and recent graduates into engaged alumni.
- Promote strategies and programs design to positively impact student persistence.
- Assist freshman in socializing and meeting new people.
- Help successful implementation of new Microsoft CRM and transition of operating systems.
- Complete regular data monitoring checks at each campus to ensure IEP's develop are in compliance with district and state mandates.
Director of student affairs skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Directors Of Student Affairs are proficient in Student Affairs, Student Services, and Alumni. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Interpersonal skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Student Affairs that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Student Affairs, 16%
Transitioned Disability Services from a centralized provider to the Student Affairs department and implemented and refined an annual accommodation letter process.
- Student Services, 7%
Participate in professional development activities to improve workforce knowledge and skills and use available technology resources to enhance student services.
- Alumni, 7%
Initiated first Hispanic Heritage Month Networking Reception as outreach mechanism to Latino alumni and local businesses.
- Professional Development, 6%
Provide exceptional on-site university management with direction and professional development designed to increase management effectiveness, reduce turnover and decrease liabilities.
- Financial Aid, 5%
Supervised graduate admission, financial aid and registration processes and managed information flow for students and faculty.
- Student Organizations, 5%
Foster positive working relationships between student organizations, the university and the community at large.
Common skills that a director of student affairs uses to do their job include "student affairs," "student services," and "alumni." You can find details on the most important director of student affairs responsibilities below.
Computer skills. One of the key soft skills for a director of student affairs to have is computer skills. You can see how this relates to what directors of student affairs do because "postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records." Additionally, a director of student affairs resume shows how directors of student affairs use computer skills: "input and monitored student attendance records daily with hours using proprietary computer database. "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform director of student affairs duties is interpersonal skills. Directors of student affairs responsibilities require that "postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents." Directors of student affairs also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "conducted freshman leadership seminars in time management and interpersonal relationship. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for directors of student affairs to perform their duties. For an example of how director of student affairs responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a director of student affairs: "committed to maintaining confidentiality in all aspects of the admissions processes efficient organizational skills for a wide range of tasks. ".
Problem-solving skills. For certain director of student affairs responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a director of student affairs rely on this skill, as "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what directors of student affairs do: "investigated and addressed student conduct issues; maintained accurate files of conduct proceedings and resolutions. "
The three companies that hire the most director of student affairss are:
- Columbia University in the City of New York8 directors of student affairs jobs
- Sage Therapeutics
3 directors of student affairs jobs
- Tufts University3 directors of student affairs jobs
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Compare different directors of student affairs
Director of student affairs vs. Registrar
A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information. In schools, a registrar is in charge of keeping a student or educator's academic, personal, and financial records. They also have the task of arranging a student's course and class schedules. Furthermore, a registrar may also have other administrative tasks such as responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, producing reports, and process requirements.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, director of student affairs responsibilities require skills like "student affairs," "student services," "alumni," and "professional development." Meanwhile a typical registrar has skills in areas such as "patients," "customer service," "medical terminology," and "patient registration." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Registrars really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $36,641. Comparatively, directors of student affairs tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $56,401.registrars tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of student affairs. In fact, registrars are 13.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.6% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Director of student affairs vs. Dean
A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence. They also handle the department's budget, accurately allocating resources and funds to different activities and educational materials.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that director of student affairs responsibilities requires skills like "student affairs," "alumni," "professional development," and "student organizations." But a dean might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "oversight," "scholarship," "human resources," and "colleges."
Deans may earn a higher salary than directors of student affairs, but deans earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $78,533. On the other hand, directors of student affairs receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $56,401.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Deans tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of student affairs. In fact, they're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of student affairs vs. Chairperson
A chairperson is responsible for managing the overall business team, ensuring everyone's compliance with the company's strategies and processes to reach the highest business goals and objectives. A chairperson's duties also include monitoring the staff's performance, analyzing the committee's performance and decisions, providing reports and updates during meetings, improving the current policies and procedures as necessary, and facilitating committee's programs and special events. A chairperson must have excellent leadership and communication skills to lead the team towards its organizational success.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from director of student affairs resumes include skills like "student affairs," "student services," "financial aid," and "student life," whereas a chairperson is more likely to list skills in "scholarship," "community outreach," "leadership," and "social events. "
Chairpeople make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $122,813. On the other hand, directors of student affairs are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $56,401.chairpeople typically earn lower educational levels compared to directors of student affairs. Specifically, they're 7.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of student affairs vs. New member educator
A New Member Educator is a person who prepares new members to uphold the standards and ideals of a fraternity and sorority and continually strives to improve it especially found in colleges and universities. These positions are; educating initiated and active members on how to support and mentor the younger members to become successful within an organization, recruit new members whose ideals match those of the organization, assist new members to navigate campus, and make use of campus resources.
Types of director of student affairs
Updated January 8, 2025
