What does a student dean do?

A Student Dean is focused on responding to students' needs at a college or university. They plan and direct university activities related to student services and campus life.
Student dean responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real student dean resumes:
- Implement recruitment efforts with local schools and colleges.
- Assist with tours of various HBCU and non-HBCU colleges and universities.
- Foster a positive school culture through oversight of social activities including talent shows, prep rallies and community meetings.
- Provide comprehensive oversight and direction.
- Foster positive campus climate for very diverse student population.
- Work cooperatively with other administrators to promote student success and a positive campus climate.
- Establish a career resource network/center to advertise and connect potential employmentopportunities with students, alumni, and community partners.
- Work cooperatively with other offices and student groups in the implementation of various campus-wide multicultural activities and other major events.
- Coordinate and work cooperatively with teachers, counselors, parents/guardians to improve social skills for the freshman class.
- Maintain and update syllabus and course package templates for curriculum.
- Collaborate with faculty and university departments to expand residential programming into a freshman seminar.
- Evaluate the emotional and academic needs of minorities and other non-traditional students for a federally fund program.
Student dean skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Student Deans are proficient in Behavior Issues, Staff Development, and Crisis Intervention. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Student Deans that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Behavior Issues, 9%
Improved lines of communication with parents regarding student behavior issues, creating a positive home-school partnership.
- Staff Development, 7%
Facilitated staff development for proper testing procedures and accountability for each test.
- Crisis Intervention, 6%
Provided individual and group counseling for students including crisis intervention, behavioral and empowerment therapy and several other therapeutic methods.
- Student Achievement, 5%
Facilitate community meeting to uplift and celebrate student achievement* Schedule and participate in mandatory parent conferences and reinstatement meetings.
- Progress Monitoring, 5%
Trained teachers on the development of Personalized Education Plans and progress monitoring procedures as a PEP Administrator.
- Student Services, 4%
Provide direct supervision to student services personnel.
"behavior issues," "staff development," and "crisis intervention" are among the most common skills that student deans use at work. You can find even more student dean responsibilities below, including:
Computer skills. One of the key soft skills for a student dean to have is computer skills. You can see how this relates to what student deans 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 student dean resume shows how student deans use computer skills: "assist in the distribution of remediated computers to the ace program 8. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform student dean duties is organizational skills. Student deans responsibilities require that "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff." Student deans also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "envisioned, developed and drove organizational culture focusing on student achievements and success. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of student deans is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday student dean duties, as "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "coordinated the resolution of all student discipline problems in a fair and just manner and maintained records of any action taken. "
The three companies that hire the most student deans are:
- Tucson Unified School District6 student deans jobs
- AMS Charter Schools3 student deans jobs
- Albuquerque Academy3 student deans jobs
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Student dean 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, student dean responsibilities require skills like "behavior issues," "staff development," "crisis intervention," and "student achievement." Meanwhile a typical new member educator has skills in areas such as "customer service," "phone calls," "role model," and "cash handling." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
New member educators tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $47,301. In contrast, student deans make the biggest average salary, $50,535, in the education industry.On average, new member educators reach lower levels of education than student deans. New member educators are 22.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Student dean vs. Co-chair
A co-chair is responsible for supporting the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of a chair. Co-chairs help with the implementation of effective plans and programs that would benefit the organization. They handle fundraising events, marketing campaigns for promotional programs, audit reports, and evaluating the committee's suggestions and recommendations for its success. A co-chair must have excellent communication and leadership skills and critical-thinking on developing strategies to supervise meetings and events alongside the chair.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, student dean responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "behavior issues," "staff development," "crisis intervention," and "student achievement." Meanwhile, a co-chair has duties that require skills in areas such as "community outreach," "alumni," "plan events," and "facebook." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Co-chairs earn lower levels of education than student deans in general. They're 17.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Student dean vs. Admissions officer
An admissions officer is responsible for recruiting new students from various venues and channels. You will connect with students and answer their questions about the college or university, and conduct interviews to better understand the students' objectives and background. As an admissions officer, it is your duty to evaluate potential applicants, and advise and guide students about the admission procedure, programs offered, costs, and eligibility. Other duties include reviewing and evaluating student applications, arranging orientation programs for new students, and developing innovative recruitment and communication strategies.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a student dean is likely to be skilled in "behavior issues," "staff development," "crisis intervention," and "student achievement," while a typical admissions officer is skilled in "admissions process," "recruitment efforts," "student recruitment," and "powerpoint."
Admissions officers earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $43,309. Student deans earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $50,535.admissions officers typically earn lower educational levels compared to student deans. Specifically, they're 14.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Student dean vs. Vice chairperson
Types of student dean
Updated January 8, 2025











