Director of Academic Advising and Student Success Advisor

JOB SUMMARY

As the Director of Academic Advising, this position is responsible for developing and facilitating resources to support the delivery of academic advising services through Columbia College’s dual advising model, KoalaPASS.

As a Student Success Advisor to one of the five academic divisions, this position supports a caseload of students with individualized career and academic advising to prepare students academically and professionally for success.

The Student Success department supports the Columbia College mission by providing services and resources that empower all Columbia College students to explore and identify their academic and professional passions while acquiring the skills, experiences and connections needed to thrive academically and graduate prepared for their postgraduation goals. The department is comprised of three functional areas, with a director for each: Accessibility Services, Academic Advising, and Career Services. Staff within each of the areas serve as student success advisors, providing students on their caseloads with academic and career advising. The five student success advisors are assigned a caseload from one of the five academic divisions, and this position will work with students in the Division of Social Sciences. This position reports to the Executive Director of Student Success.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Direction of Academic Advising Services, which includes:
  • Serving on the QEP Committee and providing direct support for the development and implementation of committee initiatives to support KoalaPASS
  • Developing and disseminating resources that student success advisors and faculty advisors use for academic advising
  • Tracking and reporting on student registration for enrollment management purposes
  • Maintaining and reporting data for academic advising
  • Managing early alerts, monitoring assignment and closing of cases
  • Participating in the creation, implementation, and coordination of retention efforts while promoting college completion
  • Serving as a general campus resource on academic advising for students, student success advisors, and faculty advisors
• Professional Staff Advising
  • Academic advising for an assigned caseload of new day college students. Services may include, but are not limited to:
    • • Academic probation recovery
      • Academic success strategies
      • Change of Major/Minor
      • Course Registration
      • Course Withdrawal
      • Early alert recovery
      • General Academic Planning
      • Individual academic consultation
      • Issues in General Education Courses
      • Leave of absence/withdrawal
• • Career advising for an assigned caseload of day, evening, and graduate students/alumni. Services may include, but are not limited to:
    • • Major and career exploration, guidance, and planning
      • Internship and job searches
      • Developing application materials, such as resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles
      • Interview preparation and mock interviews
      • Applying to graduate programs
      • Career and academic success planning
• Performs other related duties as assigned to further the mission of the office, division, and College.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PERFORM WORK: 

• Master’s degree in an applicable field or an equivalent combination of education and professional work experience as determined by the college
• Advanced knowledge of academic advising
• Experience working in higher education academic advising or closely related area; 1-2 years required, and 3-5 years preferred
• Ability to communicate effectively with others and present in-person and virtually to large and small groups
• Coachable and highly motivated with strong attention to detail and follow through
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office. Experience with EAB Navigate, Canvas, Jenzabar, Handshake, and other platforms used in higher education and career services is a plus
• Experience working with adult learners of all ages and backgrounds
• Experience working with diverse populations and ability to articulate the value of diversity and inclusivity
• Effective project management skills with the ability to prioritize simultaneous projects to meet deadlines while multitasking and managing multiple, ongoing programs and services
• Effective customer service and relationship building skills with the ability to work collaboratively
• Ability to work independently and resourcefully with strong analytical/problem-solving ability
• Must be able to work some evening hours and occasional weekends as position may require occasional irregular office hours including after-hours and weekend work to meet with students and attend campus events

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership and communication skills.
• Ability to make sound judgments and think critically about issues that arise.
• Ability to work successfully with diverse populations of students.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent customer service skills; strong work ethic.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment with little direction.
• Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work; attention to detail.
• Ability to meet schedules and timelines.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Requires sedentary work that involves walking, standing, lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling some of the time.  Requires the ability to lift up to 50 pounds and the ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force on a recurring basis or routine keyboard operations.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work environment risks exposure to no known environmental hazards.

EOE M/F/D/V