Search for MSJC's next Vice President of Student Services
Mt. San Jacinto College has begun our search for the District's next Vice President of Student Services (VPSS). The District is seeking an experienced and visionary educational leader and administrator who understands and is passionate about the community college mission.
The VPSS will have the opportunity to build on the District's reputation for excellence in student success and service to the communities it serves. The VPSS also will face the positive challenge of booming enrollments that require the skillful management of resources throughout a large and diverse geographical area.
MSJC seeks a student-centered, equity-minded, collaborative, courageous, and innovative Vice President of Student Services who can lead a growing, multi-campus college through transformational change. The successful leader will build trust through transparency and authentic engagement; value the expertise of students and employees; advocate with conviction for Student Services and its critical role in the College's mission; break down organizational silos; and use systems thinking, technology, process redesign, and strategic resource allocation to create proactive, accessible, and sustainable Student Services. Joining MSJC during one of its strongest periods of leadership staffing, the next VPSS will have an exceptional opportunity to partner with a talented leadership team to advance institutional priorities while ensuring that Student Services has a strong and influential voice in shaping the College's future.
Vice President of Student Services Leadership Profile
The Opportunity
Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) seeks an exceptional, student-centered leader to serve as its next Vice President of Student Services (VPSS). At a time of significant growth and opportunity, and during one of the strongest periods of leadership staffing in the College's history, the next VPSS will join an experienced and capable leadership team and help shape the future of Student Services across a diverse, multi-campus college.
MSJC seeks a leader prepared not simply to maintain existing systems, but to thoughtfully transform how students experience the College. The VPSS will have an opportunity to strengthen collaboration, redesign processes, anticipate student needs, and build scalable and sustainable approaches to service delivery. Central to this work will be ensuring that growth strengthens—rather than diminishes—the human connection at the heart of student success.
The Leadership We Seek
The next VPSS will be a student-centered and equity-minded leader who understands the varied experiences of MSJC students and demonstrates a commitment to access, belonging, persistence, and success. The successful candidate will embrace MSJC's identity as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and recognize the distinct needs and strengths of first-generation students, working adults and parents, low-income students, historically underserved communities, and the diverse populations served across the College.
MSJC seeks a collaborative, transparent, and trust-building leader who listens before acting, values the expertise of employees and students, and communicates openly and consistently. The VPSS will strengthen relationships across Student Services, Instruction, campuses, and employee groups; explain the rationale behind decisions; and create meaningful opportunities for shared problem-solving.
The next VPSS must also bring courage, fortitude, and a strong voice for Student Services. The successful candidate will understand the essential role Student Services plays in advancing the College's mission and will advocate effectively for the division, its employees, its programs, and the students they serve. The VPSS must be willing to raise difficult issues, champion appropriate resources and capacity, and ensure that the Student Services perspective is meaningfully represented in institutional planning and decision-making. This leader will balance collaboration and collegiality with the willingness to stand firm when student needs, employee capacity, or the effectiveness of the Student Services function require strong advocacy.
The successful candidate will also be an innovative and courageous systems thinker who can translate vision into action. They will bring the ability to examine workflows, improve processes, use technology strategically, eliminate unnecessary barriers, and develop proactive approaches to predictable student needs. Innovation should strengthen employees' ability to provide the meaningful human support students need most.
Priorities for the Next VPSS
Lead growth and transform service delivery. MSJC's continued growth requires Student Services systems, staffing, technology, and processes that can scale effectively. The VPSS will help move the College from reactive service delivery toward proactive approaches that anticipate demand, address bottlenecks earlier, simplify the student journey, and improve the experience from onboarding through completion and transfer.
Create a connected and seamless student experience. Students should experience MSJC as one college rather than a collection of separate offices. The VPSS will strengthen collaboration across Enrollment Services, Counseling, Financial Aid, categorical and affinity programs, Basic Needs, Instruction, and other areas that touch students. This work will require breaking down silos, improving communication, and creating effective connections and "warm handoffs" across services.
Align resources, advocacy, and capacity with equitable student success. The VPSS will strategically address staffing, funding, technology, professional development, basic needs, and program sustainability while serving as a strong institutional advocate for Student Services. The leader will strengthen the visibility and impact of MSJC's many student-support and affinity programs and ensure that the division has the resources, capacity, and institutional voice necessary to respond to changing student needs and advance College priorities.
Why MSJC
MSJC offers an opportunity to lead transformation at a growing college with deeply committed employees, diverse communities, and a strong foundation of student programs and services. The College is experiencing an especially strong period of leadership staffing, creating an important opportunity for the next VPSS to join a talented leadership team, build productive partnerships across divisions, and contribute meaningfully to the College's next chapter. Its Hispanic-Serving Institution identity, multi-campus environment, categorical and affinity programs, community partnerships, and commitment to equity provide a distinctive platform for innovative Student Services leadership.
The next VPSS will have the opportunity to help design the future of Student Services at MSJC—serving as a strong advocate for students and the professionals who support them while building stronger relationships, more proactive and accessible services, and systems that allow every student to belong, persist, achieve, and succeed.
| Date | Event/Milestone |
|---|---|
| August 17 | Sensemaking Session 1 |
| August 18 | Sensemaking Session 2 |
| September 1 – 30 | Active Recruiting |
| October 1 – 8 | Initial Application Screening for minimum qualifications |
| October 12 | Recruitment Committee Meeting 1 |
| October 12 – 19 | Committee Screens Applicants (if applicable) |
| October 21 | Recruitment Committee Meeting 2 |
| November 4 & 5 | First Round Interviews (virtual) |
| November 1 | Invites go out for final round interviews |
| November 18 | Internal Forums |
| November 18 | Internal Forums |
| November 19 | Final Interviews with Executive Leadership |
| December 17 | Appointment & Board of Trustees Approval |