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Posted: 27-Oct-23
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Type: Full-time
Salary: $80,000 to $98,000
Categories:
Preferred Education:
The VCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs welcomes applications for a Director of Academic Advising & Student Services. Academic Affairs & Student Services provides exemplary proactive advising practices and support services to help ensure that all of our students are prepared for success in alignment with the mission and goals of the Wilder School and VCU.
The Wilder School's vision is to be the premier resource for public policy expertise and social equity in public safety, governance, and economic and community development. The 2023 U.S. News and World Report rankings confirm the Wilder School among the top 15% of graduate programs in public affairs at No. 35 and tied for No.1 in Virginia. The Wilder School is also ranked No. 16 in Social Policy, No. 17 in Urban Policy, and No. 19 in Public Management and Leadership. The Wilder School has over 1,500 students and more than 11,000 alumni, with an established environment where diverse perspectives thrive and where a common interest in public service and the betterment of society unites these perspectives together. Our academic excellence attracts the highest quality faculty, staff, and students, and our graduates are leaders in their professions.
The Wilder School's mission is to:
- Engage, teach and inspire students and leaders to understand and solve challenges in our world.
- Advance research that informs public policy and decision-making to improve our communities.
- Collaborate with communities through innovative partnerships to enhance the quality of life.
The Wilder School’s location in Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, combined with our proximity to Washington, DC, provides numerous opportunities for engaged scholarship, teaching and community engagement activities. A creative, interdisciplinary School with both academic programs and training/research centers in the social sciences and professional arenas, we reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, providing students and faculty with the knowledge, skills, opportunities, and experience necessary for success.
For additional information about the Wilder School, please visit our website at https://wilder.vcu.edu/.
Chief Purpose of the Position:
The Director of Academic Advising & Student Services reports to the Assistant Dean of Student Services. The central responsibilities of the Director of Academic Advising & Student Services consist of managing inquiries, admissions, advising, orientation, special requests on student records, enrollment management, and graduation. In this role, the Director supports students, faculty, and undergraduate and graduate programs with policies, data analysis, academic advising, procedures, and academic milestone documents from matriculation to degree certification and commencement. To facilitate academic advising, the Director coordinates the use of technology for advising such as Degree Works, SSC-Campus, eService, and Banner, and for admissions such as Slate for graduate admissions and Noodle for marketing and enrollment. To support student success, the Director supports timely degree completion by helping students, faculty, and staff navigate university policy and resources.
The Director coordinates undergraduate and graduate student graduation and application approval processes for units of responsibility. This includes review and approval of degree audits in Degree Works and ongoing communication with the University Graduation Office. The Director also coordinates school-wide undergraduate and graduate student success programming, upon-request workshops, and co-sponsored events. In tandem with other Wilder School staff, the Director coordinates competitive graduate teaching assistantship awards. The Director interacts with VCU’s Graduate School, Director of Recruitment, Sr. Program Assistant for Admissions & Recruitment, Wilder School degree program leaders, and the Office of Student Success. The Director cultivates an environment to meet the student’s needs, program requests, and enrollment goals.
Position Responsibilities:
- Works closely with deans, director of recruitment, academic advising, degree programs, and communications team to implement strategies, support strategic plans, and evaluate progress toward goals.
- Supports the Assistant Dean in enrollment management reporting, data collection and analysis, including admissions procedures, student record special requests, and graduation application processing.
- Supervises academic advisors and creates a culture of teamwork and support which includes advisor training, the use of advising technology, and supports the linkage between advising with other support and academic units on campus.
- Prepares and disseminates statistical data to include application, registration, and enrollment information that aligns with key metrics of student success as well as maintains accurate records of student retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Designs and implements retention strategies for driving diversity, excellence, and student success.
- Serves as a Wilder School representative on school, college, or University governance committees to meet the needs of undergraduate and graduate students, program faculty, Wilder School and Graduate School administrations.
- Understands and comply with University and Wilder School policies that govern or have an impact on undergraduate and graduate programs and students.
- Assumes signatory responsibility for the Director of AA&SS on all applications that meet admissions criteria, and requests for special action form (SAF) including program/degree changes, attendance, transfer credit, graduation, enrollment, and registration in the graduate program areas; and exercises judgment and negotiates with academic departments in cases that are exceptions to established criteria.
- Collaborates with the Student Success team to guide recruitment and admissions strategies that promote a strong enrollment of a diverse undergraduate and graduate class.
- Works with the Assistant Dean of Student Services, coordinates and manages project tasks to ensure efficient admission and application processes for future students, directs new student orientation and graduate assistant orientation, assists with course scheduling and class overrides, advises on thesis and dissertation preparation, and provide timely graduate information to current and graduating students.
- Remain aware of and address any implicit biases that negatively impact Wilder School undergraduate and graduate programs, students, staff, and faculty.
In addition, the Director of AA&SS is expected to:
- Serve as a representative on governance and university committees, including University Graduate Council, and Graduate Dean Advisory Council, as well as the undergraduate advisory committee to the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Advising.
- Design and implement an advising curriculum, assessment plan, and annual calendar of communications and data reporting academic advising in units of responsibility. Meet with students on a case-by-case basis as needed to address special circumstances and to support units of responsibility.
- Supervise academic advising team and support staff; create a culture of teamwork and support by coordinating academic advising and outreach units of responsibility to manage New Student Orientation for undergraduate and graduate students and Graduate Teaching Assistant Orientation.
- Assist in designing advising materials and office communications. Communicate relevant matters to the program faculty or its committees as needed; informs the faculty of undergraduate and graduate education-related policies, deadlines, and programs as appropriate; and forwards recommendations, nominations, and other information from the faculty to the appropriate program as well as undergraduate and graduate school administrators.
- Serve as a lead analyst in maintaining and analyzing periodic reports on the program and student enrollment data to the Wilder School deans; Enforces regulations of the University, relevant program unit, and undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Oversees the maintenance of undergraduate and graduate student records and the annual student evaluation process; and, Provides periodic reports on each academic program and data to the academic programs and Wilder School Dean.
- Review and evaluate applications for compliance with academic standards for undergraduate and graduate admissions, and determines additional requirements and actions for admission; Provides written criteria to each student, upon entry, of what constitutes acceptable progress through the program and the grounds for the student’s termination from the program.
- Manage the comprehensive exam process for the doctoral program; audit, update, and manage doctoral student files to ensure all program requirements are met and that students comply with school regulations; and, assists doctoral students with academic forms and provide guidance for the dissertation process.
- Align activities with VCU policies and procedures in partnership with the School and other university offices; Makes recommendations and keeps informed regarding policies and procedures governing admission to VCU; and, assists in monitoring and providing input for catalogs, brochures, website content, and other promotional materials for the school
- Other duties as assigned by the Wilder School Dean.
Minimum Hiring Standards:
- Master’s degree in one of the disciplines in the School of Government & Public Affairs, student personnel, college counseling, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and professional work experience.
- Minimum 5 years of demonstrated experience providing academic advising in a college or university setting.
- Ability to demonstrate confidentiality and an ethical understanding of compliance related to educational records.
- Minimum one year in a supervisory or leadership role.
- Demonstrated experience using Banner, SSC Campus (or Foundation) and Degree Works.
- Demonstrated experience working with students on student appeals and petitions.
- Demonstrated ability to manage academic processes within and across academic units.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion, to fostering a diverse faculty, staff and student environment as a staff member at VCU.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in one of the disciplines in the School of Government & Public Affairs.
- Five to seven years of progressive experience, including supervisory or management experience.
- Demonstrated experience in recruiting graduate students.
- Demonstrated experience advising undergraduate and graduate students.
- Demonstrated experience using Slate, Navigate, Banner, Apply Yourself, and Degree Works.
- Demonstrated experience working with students on student appeals and petitions.
- Demonstrated ability to manage academic processes within and across academic units.
- Demonstrated experience using Insights, Data Warehouse, Reporting Center, Crystal Reports, or similar university data reporting repositories to pull retention and progression data on student populations.
- At least one year of experience processing graduation applications.
University Benefits:
All full-time university staff are eligible for our generous benefits package that includes choices for health, vision, and dental coverage, life-insurance, short and long-term disability coverage, retirement planning, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, flexible spending accounts, tuition benefits, significant paid-time off, 12 paid holidays, and more. Explore our benefits further here.
Application Process/Other Information:
Applications should be submitted to https://vcu.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/4639?c=vcu and include a cover-letter and a detailed resume with the names and contact information of three references.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, with priority review beginning November 6, 2023.
“Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability”.
Search Contact: Ross Losapio, losapior@vcu.edu / 804-827-0364
