Community Belonging Coordinator

The Community Belonging Coordinator reports to the Director for Community Belonging and plays a vital role in advancing Austin Peay State University’s commitment to fostering a campus environment where every student feels connected, supported, and positioned for success. This role contributes to a comprehensive, student-centered strategy that strengthens students’ sense of belonging, engagement, and academic achievement

Characteristics of a successful candidate: 

• Demonstrates kindness, integrity, empathy, and sound judgment. 

• Brings creativity and initiative to program development 

• Motivation to create a caring and safe student experience. 

• Ability to serve with agility; important to lead, listen, and serve with empathy. 

• A commitment to practicing open communication and inspiring trust. 

• Desire to collaborate with colleagues. 

• Demonstrated sincere enjoyment from working with students. 

Key Focus Areas of the Role 

• Strengthening student sense of belonging and connection. 

• Enhancing academic belonging through collaboration and partnership with preexisting services. 

• Creating integrated co-curricular experiences that support creating a campus that celebrates its uniqueness and student populations. 

• Building campus partnerships that support student belonging to the APSU campus community. 

Responsibilities include: 

Community Building and Engagement 

• Develop and coordinate programs and initiatives that strengthen students’ sense of 

belonging and connection to the university. 

• Plan and implement campus events that foster engagement, community, and shared experiences. 

• Create opportunities for peer connection, student involvement, and meaningful participation in campus life. 

• Advise and support student organizations that contribute to campus engagement and belonging. 

• Partner with campus departments to deliver collaborative programs that enhance student experience. 

Academic Belonging and Student Success 

• Design and implement initiatives that support students’ academic engagement, 

persistence, and success. 

• Collaborate with academic affairs, advising, and student support services to connect students with resources that promote achievement. 

• Support programs that reinforce the connection between student engagement and academic outcomes. 

• Utilize data and assessment to identify trends, inform strategies, and improve student success initiatives. 

Department and Division 

• Maintain open communications with the Director for Community Belonging to share information and engage in issue-spotting and creative problem-solving to benefit the University community. 

• Work with the Director to coordinate the management of resources of the Center. 

• Under the direction of the Director, assist in the coordination and stewardship of departmental resources and budgets in alignment with university policies. 

• Collaborate with campus and community partners to expand opportunities and support for students. 

• Prepare reports and contribute to assessment efforts that demonstrate program effectiveness and student impact. 

• Stay informed and educate the University community and stakeholders as needed regarding issues, trends, and regulations impacting student belongingness. 

• Engage in ongoing professional development and remain informed of emerging trends in student engagement and success. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and related experience.

• Knowledge of best practices to support students in the university setting

• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement student programs and initiatives.

• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.

• Experience using data to inform decision-making and program improvement.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications**:** 

Complementing the required skills and qualifications: 

• Master's degree, and at least 2 years of related experience as a full-time professional or graduate assistant. 

• Experience supporting student engagement, retention, or success initiatives. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead collaborative efforts across departments. 

• Excellent presentation skills. 

• Excellent writing skills. 

• Experience with leading special initiatives, programs, and strategic planning. 

Physical Requirements:

-Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.

Austin Peay State University is a four-year public, doctoral-level university, with six colleges and four Chairs of Excellence. The University has an enrollment of over 11,000 students and is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, a community of an estimated 150,287 people located approximately 40 miles northwest of Nashville, TN.

Austin Peay State University is a proud supporter of hiring veterans. We hire veterans with equivalent experiences and pay grades from their military service, rather than requiring or preferring only college degrees. Please visit our website for more information on how veterans can qualify for additional employment opportunities at APSU: https://www.apsu.edu/human-resources/hiring-veterans/.

Austin Peay State University (APSU) prohibits discrimination in all employment, programs, and activities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. For Title IX inquiries or complaints, contact: Chief of Institutional Culture & Title IX Coordinator, LaNeeça R. Williams at williamslr@apsu.edu | 931-221-7690, Browning Building, Room 140, Clarksville, TN 37044. For other non-discrimination concerns, contact: Director of Institutional Culture & Title VI & Title VII Coordinator, Dr. Jo Baldwin at baldwinjapsu.edu | 931-221-7178 or Associate Director of Accessibility Compliance & ADA/504 Coordinator, Jayme Glover at gloverj@apsu.edu | 931-221-7160. View APSU’s full nondiscrimination policy at Policy 6:001.