Dr. Joe Hayes serves as the assistant dean of students and director of Campus Center and Student Experiences. He became director of the Campus Center in June 2012 and has since led the merger of the former Office of Student Involvement and the Campus Center into one unit. As director, Hayes provides administrative leadership for 13 professional staff, a team of graduate assistants, and more than 70 student employees. He is responsible for developing and managing budgets used for the general operating and repair/replacement of furniture and technology in the facility as well as fostering effective relationships with facility partners, student leaders, and other campus and community constituents.

Prior to joining the Division of Student Affairs, Hayes served for seven years as the assistant director for the Missouri Student Unions at the University of Missouri, and before that served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy on active duty and in the reserves where he completed multiple oversea deployments, achieving a rank of Lieutenant Commander.