home, which might necessitate more living space than previously required. If housing costs are particularly high in your
new location, a one-time or ongoing housing allowance
should definitely be considered and requested. It is not unreasonable to request up to a year of temporary housing for you
and your family, depending on the type of resources available
to the institution and the community to which you are
moving. Relocation and transitional expenses should be clearly
articulated as part of your agreement.
It is essential for you to know what the complete compensation package looks like for senior administrators on your new
campus. If you do not know, ask. Some institutions, both
public and private, have executive compensation packages that
include enhanced health benefits, supplemental retirement
accounts, car allowances, health or country club memberships,
superior life insurance programs, athletic tickets, on-campus
childcare, and trips to sporting events or performances by
students that are part of institutional culture and social
networking. You do not want to forego compensation for
activities that are funded by the institution for other senior
staff. Know what kind of financial contribution to your
campus foundation or annual development program is
expected and include this in your request. Determine the type
of campus allowance for personal or professional entertaining
that is appropriate for the position.
Lengthen Your Contract
One of the most important aspects of negotiation regards the
length of contract. As a senior leader on campus, you serve at
the will of the president, but it is totally appropriate to
request an extended contract, possibly with automatic rollover
renewals. This concept is a challenge for many of us who have
worked with one-year contracts for most of our professional
careers. However, multi-year contracts provide the type of job
security that allows us to make the difficult decisions required
to succeed in our profession. Learn how your new institution
handles arbitration if your employment is terminated. Will
you automatically be given one year’s salary and go to arbitration to enlarge your “not so golden handshake?” Discover as
much as possible about how you can negotiate the end of
your employment if necessary.
you should be a member of the cabinet and have direct access
to the president with the support of your supervisor. If you
will not be reporting to the president, you should report to
the senior vice president for academic affairs/provost, the executive vice president, or the ranking academic officer of the
institution. If you are being asked to report to someone other
than institutional leaders at this level, you must do even more
research to understand how you can be an “institutional
player” without direct access to the highest level of decision-makers on campus. In addition, some SSAOs find it essential
to have office space near that of other campus leaders, especially the president.
Teaching as an Option
If you are interested in teaching, you should begin the process
of academic review for a faculty position that may include
tenure or a clinical/adjunct appointment. Find out early in the
process if you can earn extra compensation for teaching or
supervising graduate students and doctoral dissertations if you
have a graduate school of education on your campus. While
these decisions are made by academic departments and
colleges, they still may be part of the overall package.
You Have Clout
Another broad area of contract negotiation relates to personal
and professional considerations. The student affairs leader is
increasingly helping to guide the strategic direction of the
institution and is involved in all key decision-making. Even if
your reporting line is to someone other than the president,
A Visible Community Leader
As part of your discussion, learn about the culture of the
campus in terms of social expectations and attendance at
campus events. One colleague was surprised to find that the
president expected her spouse to attend every event to which
she was invited. Participation in these types of activities,
which can pay dividends in the future, allows you to meet
new people and represent your institution in the community.
If there are opportunities to use athletics, the arts, university-related travel, and other campus programs to host donors, you
want to be certain that you are included in these activities.
You want access to all of the advantages that are provided by
the institution and your new position. Be sure you understand
the expectations for community involvement as well. Do you
anticipate serving on community boards or being asked to
participate in service activities? Institutional culture often
dictates these and other expectations for campus leaders.
