Vice President of Student Services

Meet the Vice President of Student Services

Dr. Jeff Stephenson has more than 25 years of higher education experience and is currently serving as Vice President of Student Services at American River College (ARC). He began his career in higher education as a faculty member at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois.

During his time at American River College, Dr. Stephenson also served as Dean of Counseling and Transfer Services, Interim Dean of Equity Programs and Pathways, and Associate Vice President of Student Services. Due to his significant body of knowledge in the field of Funeral Service Education (FSE), Dr. Stephenson was the founding faculty member and program coordinator of ARC’s FSE Program.

Before serving as an ARC administrator, Dr. Stephenson was a tenured faculty member where he held faculty leadership positions on the Academic Senate and chaired the Curriculum Committee. He also served as a member for the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative and on numerous peer review teams for the Accrediting Commission for Colleges and Junior Colleges.

Dr. Stephenson has been the administrative lead for Guided Pathways, has been the principle on multiple federal grants including the Strengthening Institutions (Title III) and the Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander-Service Institutions (AANAPISI) grants. He also served as the administrative lead for the Student Equity and Achievement Program (SEAP). In addition, he has been the fiscal lead for the statewide CCC LGBTQIA+ Summit and serves as the Region 2 Representative and Treasurer for the Chief Student Services Officers Association.

Dr. Stephenson holds associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in mortuary science from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, a master’s degree in education from Western Illinois University, and a doctorate in leadership for higher education from Capella University.