Program Director, Black/African American Student Success Center

Job Summary

Under the direction of the AVP for Transition & Retention Services, the Program Director of African American/Black Student Success Center in Transition and Retention Services oversees all administrative operations of the center and will develop, coordinate, plan, implement, and assess educational and other programs that serve students of African American/Black descent and celebrate their heritage/culture while ensuring high retention and graduation rates. It will be incumbent upon the Program Director to develop campus and community partnerships that make it possible for activities to be sustained, including high-level collaborations with organizations on and off campus. The Program Director will provide advocacy, support, and leadership development for African American/Black students. The incumbent will develop, implement, and manage policies and procedures relating to scholarship/grant money for African American/Black students, while developing strategies for raising additional funds; he or she will support affinity African American/Black groups and other programs for faculty and staff that celebrate their heritage and assist with creating a positive work climate; will work with Admissions on recruitment of African American/Black students; and will foster relationships at high levels with Student Affairs, Academic Affairs community members, Institutional Research, and other professionals to refer students and provide academic and coaching to students.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the daily operations of the African American/Black Student Success Center.
• Lead the work of staff supporting the center/program, including training and monitoring daily work and providing input on performance evaluations.
• Responsible for recruiting and supervising faculty fellows, graduate students, student assistants and interns.
• Exercise professional judgment and expertise in managing day-to-day operations, services and activities that require direct interaction with other areas on campus as well as a variety of community and other constituents.
• Develop short and long-term strategic plans for the center.
• Design, develop, and implement programs that create a “student success oriented” atmosphere for African American/Black students on campus using data and analytics to drive programming.
• Evaluate comprehensive programs and services that offer education, advocacy, support and mentoring in an effort to retain and graduate students in a timely fashion.
• Responsible for evaluating comprehensive programs and services and overall program effectiveness.
• Develop, implement and manage the peer mentor program for African American/Black students.
• Provide positive leadership development for students, student mentors and professional staff
• Collaborate with campus partners on events that promote multicultural understanding, academic success, alliance, and civic engagement and to provide quality programming, both in and out of the classroom.
• Assist in the development and delivery of high impact programs in relation to retention and graduation.
• Assist with the coordination of outreach efforts with SOAR, Admitted Spartan Day, University Orientation Programs, Black Grad, pre-matriculation programs, and Weeks of Welcome.
• Create a space for social, cultural, and academic engagement for students, faculty, and staff
• Provide consultation and support the needs of students, making referrals to the appropriate resources on and off campus.
• Counsel, collaborate, and support recruitment efforts led by SJSU Admissions and Student Outreach and Recruitment.
• Oversee and manage the center operational budget including forecasting and projecting annual expenses in collaboration
• Participate in meetings and professional development activities, and participate in university and divisional committees

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to compose and appropriately format correspondence and reports.
• Ability to reason logically; ability to collect, compile, analyze, and evaluate data and make verbal or written presentations based on the data.
• Knowledge of technology and software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, database management, and communication tools.
• Ability to plan and execute multiple work priorities, organize events and plan work and projects.
• Ability to quickly learn and apply state, federal, CSU, and SJSU policies and procedures.
• Ability to advise potential students, parents, high school and community college staff individually and in-group settings.
• Thorough knowledge of and skill working with historically underserved student communities.
• Knowledge of multicultural and identity development and frameworks for related diversity trainings.
• Ability to prepare various documents including operations manuals and procedures, program and activity schedules, requisitions, proposals and monitor budgets.
• Ability to conceptualize program functions and procedures and implement those relevant to improving program efficiency.
• Ability to apply high-level analytical skills to take effective action while independently carrying out assigned responsibilities.
• Ability to promote, organize, and facilitate group meetings.
• Ability to effectively prioritize multiple work priorities and organize various projects and to follow safety and confidentiality protocols.
• Ability to recommend initiatives and changes to improve quality of services/programs.
• Ability to travel to conferences and/or retreat sites overnight as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field, including or supplemented by upper division or graduate coursework in counseling techniques, interviewing, and conflict resolution where such are job-related.
• Four years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience which includes experience in advising students individually and in groups, and in analysis and resolution of complex student services problems. A master’s degree in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work or a job-related field may be substituted for one year of professional experience. A doctorate degree and the appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling, guidance or a job-related field may be substituted for two years of the required professional experience for positions with a major responsibility for professional, personal or career counseling.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, or African American/Black Studies
• Experience with developing and implementing retention initiatives for historically underrepresented students
• Experience with coordination, planning and facilitation of programming across multiple identities (i.e. race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, disability, etc.)
• 2-3 years of related experience working with African American/Black Students
• One year of experience supervising student staff and graduate students
• Experience supervising and collaborating with faculty fellows
• Experience managing budgets

Compensation

Classification: Student Services Professional IV
Anticipated Salary: $5,450/month
Hiring Range: $5,351/month - $7,633/month

San José State University offers employees a comprehensive benefits package typically worth 30-35% of your base salary. For more information on programs available, please see the Employee Benefits Summary .

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Interest

All applicants must apply within the specified application period: October 28, 2020 through November 15, 2020 . This position is open until filled; however, applications received after screening has begun will be considered at the discretion of the university.

Contact Information

University Personnel
jobs@sjsu.edu
408-924-2252

Additional Information

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will issue a contingent offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current CSU employee who was offered the position on a contingent basis.

The standard background check includes: criminal check, employment and education verification. Depending on the position, a motor vehicle and/or credit check may be required. All background checks are conducted through the university's third party vendor, Accurate Background. Some positions may also require fingerprinting. SJSU will pay all costs associated with this procedure. Evidence of required degree(s) or certification(s) will be required at time of hire.

SJSU IS NOT A SPONSORING AGENCY FOR STAFF OR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS. (e.g. H1-B VISAS)

All San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University (SJSU) is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, race, religion or lack thereof, sex, sexual orientation, transgender, or protected veteran status consistent with applicable federal and state laws. This policy applies to all SJSU students, faculty and staff programs and activities. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and certain other federal and state laws, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in all education programs and activities operated by the university (both on and off campus).

Advertised: October 28, 2020 (9:00 AM) Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: