Smith College is a distinguished liberal arts college committed to providing the highest quality undergraduate education for women to enable them to develop their intellects and talents and to participate effectively and fully in society. Founded in 1871, Smith College opened in 1875 with 14 students. Today, Smith is among the largest women’s colleges in the United States, with over 2,100 undergraduate students from 49 states and 72 countries. An independent, nondenominational college, Smith remains strongly committed to the education of women at the undergraduate level, but admits both men and women as graduate students.

The Smith Campus Safety Department was created in 2020 when it became a stand-alone department after separation from Mount Holyoke College. To better serve the Smith community, a new state-of-the- art dispatch center was built. The department is comprised of the director, an assistant director (lieutenant), two sergeants, two corporals, eight officer positions, and seven dispatcher positions.

Reporting to the associate vice president for facilities and operations, the director will lead the department creating a strong team culture focused on building relationships, community engagement, and a community-centered approach to campus safety. The director oversees the functions of campus safety and the campus safety team, including warranted/sworn campus police officers and non-warranted officers who work as dispatchers/security staff. In addition, the director leads the response to campus emergencies, ensuring timely warning and community notifications as needed and in consultation with senior leadership as well as administers the college’s RAVE emergency communication system. The campus safety department conducts investigations into violations of the college’s policies, assists outside law-enforcement agencies in their investigations of crimes on campus, and directs, organizes, and provides comprehensive campus safety and emergency response programs, including safety education, for the Smith College community.

The director will collaborate widely across the institution, working with various campus departments (e.g., Residence Life, Schacht Center for Health and Wellness, Dean of Students, and the Office for Equity and Inclusion) in promoting safety on campus and developing educational and informational outreach programs to maintain effective community relations and open communication. It is expected this new director will build strong, collaborative relationships with local officials by conducting joint training and the sharing of emergency preparedness plans.

The director oversees the recruitment, ongoing training, and supervision of the department ensuring that the campus safety team (officers, dispatchers, and staff) demonstrates behaviors consistent with department policies and the college’s mission and values. The director provides supervision and mentorship to officers and staff, manages the department budget, and periodically reviews policies, practices, and training to ensure the department maintains consistency when responding to the needs of a diverse community while respecting the unique culture of Smith.

This position provides a unique opportunity for the new director to build upon the strong foundation of a newly created department while advancing the departmental mission. The successful candidate must have a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, education, criminal justice or related field with ten years of experience in increasingly responsible, high-level leadership positions within police or public safety agencies. It is imperative that the next director have demonstrated success and expertise in working in culturally diverse communities and a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and social justice. Further, candidates must have emergency management experience, specifically utilizing the Incident Command Systems (ICS) or National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) for planning and execution of high-profile events and experience, as well as training, in mental health situations and in de-escalation techniques. The successful candidate will meet, or be willing to engage in the process to meet, all requirements for certification under Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 22C, Section 63 as a Special State Police Officer.

A master’s degree with management and leadership training as well as experience at a college or university (or similar institution) are strongly preferred.

Review of applications will begin February 3, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. A resume with an accompanying cover letter may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website at www.spelmanjohnson.com/open-positions. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Heather J. Larabee at hjl@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895.

Visit the Smith College website at www.smith.edu

Smith College is committed to maintaining a diverse community in an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation of differences.

Smith College does not discriminate in its educational and employment policies on the bases of race, color, creed, religion, national/ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, age, disability, or service in the military or other uniformed services.