Sarah Visser

Sarah Visser, PhD, began her role at Calvin College as Vice President for Student Life in July 2015. In her role, she provides leadership of the Student Life division, which includes the Center for Counseling and Wellness, Campus Involvement and Leadership, Campus Ministries, Campus Safety, Career Development, Health Services, Intercultural Student Development, Student Conduct and Residence Life.

Sarah is a 2001 graduate of Calvin College’s communication arts and sciences program and returned to her alma mater with a breadth of experience in higher education.

For the past 12 years, she served in many leadership roles at Pomona College and Azusa Pacific, spanning both the academic and student life divisions. Most recently, Sarah served as chair of the Department of Leadership and Organizational Psychology at Azusa Pacific University in southern California, where she taught both undergraduate and graduate students.

Before APU, she spent the majority of her professional career working in the realm of student affairs, most recently as associate dean of campus life at Pomona College. She completed her doctoral studies in higher education at Claremont Graduate University, where her research focused on diversity and change, exploring how institutions build capacity in the area of diversity. She has a passion for engaging scholarship and praxis related to social justice issues, with specializations in gender studies, organizational culture, identity development, class-consciousness and white privilege.