Responsibilities of the Position
Reporting to the vice president for finance and operations, the director of campus safety services holds responsibility for the leadership and administration of the campus safety services (CSS) department. Their key duty is to ensure the safety of the college community through collaborative engagement with stakeholders, along with a deep understanding of the unique needs of each department. This position must be exceptionally attuned to the needs and experiences of Williams’ broadly diverse community and adept at supporting and enhancing the campus experience of all those with whom they work—building confidence and authentic relationships with students, faculty, and staff.
The director also maintains productive working relationships with student leaders and administrative stakeholders throughout the campus, including the dean of students office, facilities, athletics, dining services, the office of campus life, the office of institutional diversity, equity & inclusion, and the office of accessible education, among others. The director must also build and maintain meaningful working relationships with local law enforcement agencies, community associations, and partners.
The director for campus safety services will:
Lead and Manage
- Supervise three direct reports and provide executive oversight of all campus safety services department personnel, including selection, training, evaluation, and discipline.
- Manage $620K discretionary departmental budget and work closely with VP to steward the $3M personnel budget.
- Lead departmental diversity initiatives and partner with others on campus to facilitate a broader understanding of CSS’ role in more comprehensive institutional initiatives around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Oversee and manage all public safety and emergency response operations, communications, dispatch operations,electronic access control systems, and parking administration and enforcement.
Outreach to Campus and Community Partners
- Collaborate with internal and external partners to care for and support students, including wellness checks and outreach programs educating students about personal
- Support the dean’s office with investigations of on-campus student conduct and/or criminal complaints.
- Collaborate with college partners and external agencies, including local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, the local fire department, and regional emergency responders.
- Closely collaborate with the office of accessible education and other college partners to focus on accessibility as a strategic and operational priority, including updating and improving accessible options for transportation and safety.
Safety and Emergency Response Design, Planning, and Execution
- Supervise emergency response planning, preparation, and maintenance of the college-wide emergency response plan and ensure ongoing fine-tuning of the emergency response plan.
- Manage compliance with federal government crime reporting requirements (Clery Act) and other relevant regulatory obligations.
- Design and oversee the implementation of campus community safety programs, including the construction and ongoing iteration of campus policies, protocols, and practices relating to safety and security.
- Provide leadership to develop risk reduction programs and emergency response plans in collaboration with others.
Vice President of Finance and Operations Senior Leadership Team
- Function as a strategic leader in the finance and operations division, supporting the vice president in short- and long-term resource planning.
- Serve on college committees and assist with college-wide initiatives.
- Function as a campus leader and subject matter expert in emergency management and all safety and security
- Advise senior leadership in planning campus safety initiatives and responding to crises.
Qualifications and Characteristics of the Successful Candidate
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience, progressively responsible administrative management experience in safety and security or law enforcement, and a deep understanding of campus safety in higher education are required. The director must have experience in understanding and addressing the interests and needs of multiple stakeholders, maintaining effective working relationships with students, colleagues, faculty, and community partners, and excellent communication skills.
Candidates must possess experience building, working with, and supporting a diverse and inclusive community, particularly regarding race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion. An advanced degree or demonstrated expertise in criminal justice or another relevant field is preferred.
In addition to the qualifications stated above, the following are additional capabilities and attributes of a successful candidate:
- Able to critically assess and understand the culture and dynamics of Williams College’s internal and external communities and their influence and impact on policy and procedure.
- Possess considerable relationship-building skills, seeing opportunities to intentionally build new relationships, cultivate existing partnerships, and strengthen vulnerable relationships.
- Demonstrate an authentic and deep knowledge of social justice issues and be capable of modeling and leading innovative and equity-based practices in campus safety services.
- Empowering supervisor, able to support and guide a highly accomplished team of safety professionals.
- Be the subject matter expert and thought partner with campus leadership and stakeholders, demonstrating the ability to accomplish goals and objectives through influence and collaboration.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the distinctive safety aspects in a campus environment.
- A strategic leader who maintains perspective and focus on strategic priorities, implements collaborative and data-informed decisions, and adapts to changes in the campus environment.
- Display skills in nuanced, intentional, and thoughtful communication with a variety of audiences.
- Demonstrate excitement for working with students.
History of the Position
Williams hired the most recent director two years ago following the retirement of an individual who was in the role for over 20 years. The most recent director accepted a new position at another higher education institution.
History of the Position
Williams hired the most recent director two years ago following the retirement of an individual who was in the role for over 20 years. The most recent director accepted a new position at another higher education institution.
Opportunities and Challenges of the Role
The director must cultivate substantial collaborative relationships across the Williams College and Williamstown communities. In transitioning to Williams College, the director of campus safety services will encounter the following opportunities, priorities, and challenges, as shared by key campus stakeholders:
Progressive campus safety in a tight-knit community
Williams College is a highly collaborative community, unique to a relatively low number of small private liberal arts institutions. Ideal candidates will demonstrate proficiency in similar environments—be highly visible, model engaged leadership, utilize shared decision-making practices—and guide the department staff to ensure campus safety services is recognized as committed to the safety and care of the students and the entire community.
Candidates must demonstrate a broad and deep understanding of modern and progressive campus safety models and how to advance equity initiatives at a small residential higher education institution in a rural area.
Residence life at Williams focuses on student autonomy and leadership development
Student volunteer leaders staff the Williams College residence halls and are responsible for facilitating a positive and developmental residential experience for the 98 percent of the student body living on campus. There are no professional staff in the residence halls, and residence life does not have a disciplinary role. While a part of the intentional learning process at Williams, it creates some gaps in emergency response and other potential safety risks. Candidates must be comfortable with the ambiguity innate in Williams’ model and prepared to work within the culture to close gaps and mitigate risk.
Supporting social justice activism on campus
The murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement catalyzed a strong response from students who were deeply concerned and vocal regarding some of CSS’ practices. Candidates must work with diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice partners within the campus community to continue integrating socially just practices into departmental recruitment, training initiatives, and programs and services.
Partnering to ensure mental health support for students
Campus safety services is actively shifting from a department focused on protecting people and their things to one more focused on protecting students’ well-being and what will serve the overall well-being of the campus. CSS iscritical in creating a model of integrated wellness.
The new director must be adept at preparing staff to continue strengthening responses to mental health issues and establishing partnerships with campus counterparts to create a web of support and safety. Additionally, the new director must continue to enable an evolving organizational structure designed to adapt to the institution’s changing needs.
Measures of Success
The items listed below will define the new director’s success throughout the first year of employment:
- CSS has an articulated mission and objectives as well as a purposeful, measured, and adaptive process to advance goals.
- CSS staff and stakeholders perceive a unified CSS with high morale and a shared purpose.
- CSS successfully recruits and retains high-quality CSS staff.
- Students are open to support from CSS, and CSS staff are trusted resources for students, faculty, staff, and the community.
- The director is visible on campus and is known for intentional and active engagement, and there is evidence that the director has established solid relationships with all stakeholder groups.
- The director is known as humble and open to learning and has taken the time to learn about Williams to build on successes and move forward.
- CSS is a trusted resource in the middle of a Partners and resources are known, resulting from a deepunderstanding of campus culture.
- The campus community feels comfortable providing feedback and sharing concerns.
Overview of the Division of Finance and Operations
The vice president for finance and operations and treasurer works closely with the provost’s office to oversee a broad scope of campus functions.
Finance and Operations Organizational Chart
Finance and Operations Leadership
Michael F. Wagner, Vice President for Finance and Operations and Treasurer
Michael F. Wagner joined the Williams staff on August 31, 2021. In this role, he oversees the offices responsible for financial planning and budgeting, treasury management, accounting, and financial systems; facilities planning, design, and construction; facilities operations, dining services, real estate, risk management, and auxiliary services such as printing and mail; and the children’s center. Wagner is also a member of several committees on campus, including priorities and resources, benefits, retirement governance, risk management, and trust and estate administration.
Prior to joining Williams, from 2001-2021, he served in a variety of financial roles at Dartmouth College, including controller, chief financial officer of the Geisel School of Medicine, vice president for finance, and chief financial officer. Before Dartmouth, Wagner was in the audit practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Boston, primarily serving clients in higher education, health services, and investment management.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Amherst College in 1986 and his master’s of science in accounting from Northeastern University in 1987.
Institutional Overview
Williams College is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts (population 7,750). Nestled in the Berkshires of northwest Massachusetts, Williamstown is a rural area with a vibrant array of nearby cultural institutions. Williams is a coeducational, residential liberal arts institution with a distinguished reputation for outstanding and inclusive teaching and scholarship, academic excellence, and exceptional alumni loyalty. The college is committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning community of approximately 2,100 students and over 1,200 faculty and staff.
College Mission
Strategic Plan
Williams College Organizational Chart
The Student Body
- Undergraduate students: 2,129
- Graduate students: 52
- Total enrollment: 2,181
- Male: 46%
- Female: 54%
- Undergraduate Non-U.S. enrollment: 9%
- Undergraduate U.S. minority enrollment: 39%
Diversity Statement
Williams College is committed to building and sustaining a community of students, staff, and faculty that is broadly diverse and respectful of all social identities. Diversity refers to all the many ways in which people differ, encompassing the characteristics that make one individual or group different from another, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, socioeconomic status, language, culture, national origin, religion/spirituality, age, (dis)ability, and military/veteran status. Williams College believes in the importance of understanding how aspects of a person’s identities impact their lived experiences.
Institutional Leadership
Maud S. Mandel, President
Maud S. Mandel joined Williams College in July 2018 as the 18th president. President Mandel engaged the Williams community in articulating a vision for the college’s future through a strategic planning effort involving faculty, staff, students, alumni, families, and friends. As one of the early outcomes of the process, Williams became the first school in the nation to launch an all-grant financial aid program. The process also gave rise to strategic academic initiatives that will prepare students for a changing world in a manner reflective of Williams’ liberal arts excellence. With Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom, Mandel supported a major re-envisioning of residential life as a core aspect of students’ education and personal development.
Benefits Overview
Williams College offers a variety of benefits, including medical, dental, flexible spending and health savings, vision, well-being, dependent tuition grant, and more. For more information on the benefits offered at Williams, see the 2023 benefits guide.
Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. To apply for this position please click on the Apply button, complete the brief application process, and upload your resume and position-specific cover letter. Nominations for this position and questions about the status of the search may be emailed to Kara Kravetz Cupoli at kkc@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.
Salary Range for this position is $140,000 to $150,000.
Visit the Williams College website at https://www.williams.edu/
Williams College is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive community in which members of all backgrounds can live, learn and thrive. In compliance with state and federal law, Williams does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, or military service.
Diversity at Williams https://diversity.williams.edu/diversity-at-williams/
