Adult Degree and Certification Success Counselor

William Paterson University invites applications for the full-time 12 month position of Adult Degree and Certification Success Counselor.

Reporting to the Associate Director for Adult Degree Completion (ADC) Programs, the Adult Degree and Certification Success Counselor serves the adult population of nontraditional students seeking degree completion at William Paterson University. The incumbent assists the Associate Director in working as a link between the School of Continuing and Professional Education (SCPE) professional certification programs, SCPE corporate and workforce development partners, prospective students, University admissions, enrollment services, financial aid, and academic department(s) to recruit, retain and support adult learners.

Department overview:

The School of Continuing and Professional Education, located in the Division of Academic Affairs at William Paterson University is committed to offering high quality programs and services to adults at all stages of their career cycle and to pre-college youth preparing for their future.

Adults who are working toward a new career, moving up or moving on, seeking new job skills or enhancing expertise, or completing undergraduate academic degrees come to the School of Continuing and Professional Education where they can receive assistance, mentorship, and advisement.

For more information about The School of Continuing and Professional Education, please visit https://www.wpunj.edu/cpe/index.html

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Counsels and advises adults through the process of returning to complete a degree or obtain certification through non-credit/credit professional certification programs; provide guidance in terms of selecting major areas of study; make accurate and timely referrals to appropriate in-house certification programs; provides advisement using information technology such as Recruitment App, Banner, Banner 9, Degree Works, TEAMS, WebEx and Zoom.

• Works with adult applicants to obtain and review qualifications to determine if admissions requirements are met; review professional certifications and prior learning qualifications that could be appropriate for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) to create an expedited pathway to degree completion; makes preliminary recommendations to Associate Director.

• Works with faculty advisor or department chair to plan courses for graduation based on prior learning outcomes.

• Contributes to William Paterson University strategic marketing adult learner outreach by collaborating with the Associate Director and consulting with University marketing and public relations and other University stakeholders.

• Participates in Open House programs, Accepted Student Days, Transfer Orientations, New Student Orientations, information sessions, both virtually and in-person, as needed.

• Serves as the adult learner connection to Career Services; providing assistance with job placement in collaboration with the WP Career Development Center and Alumni Relations; establishes and maintains a cooperative and collaborative working relationship with the public, faculty and administrators.

• Supports liaison needs for adult degree completers; working with other units to process change of major/minor forms, credit adjustments, and other student action forms; assists students in resolving general registration obstacles; connects students to appropriate support services to assist with life/work balance.

• Represents the University at meetings, events and conferences.

Required qualifications:

• Master's degree from accredited college or university in a field related to the position.
• Three (3) or more years of experience providing advising or counseling about academic programs and/or degree-completion programs in higher education.
• Demonstrated proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite with emphasis on Outlook, Word, Excel, TEAMS, and PowerPoint.
• Valid Driver's License for occasional travel related to the functions of the position.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule which may include evenings and/or weekends.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience reviewing adult students' transcripts, professional certifications/licenses and other prior learning achievements, admissions information, and resumes.
• Experience using information technology related to student services, including Recruitment App, Banner, Banner 9, Degree Works, TEAMS, WebEx and Zoom to provide advisement.
• Experience conducting training workshops and /or seminars.
• Experience recruiting adult students and/or program participants.
• Experience creating and deploying marketing programs and using social media platforms to promote and recruit adult learners.

Attributes and traits:

• Demonstrated commitment to customer satisfaction.
• Capable of objective listening, understanding and accurately interpreting what someone else is saying.
• Demonstrated understanding of the unique challenges facing adult learners struggling to manage careers, family, and college degree achievement.
• Able to build and sustain collaborative efforts that lead to a common goal across a diverse organization with competing wants and needs.
• Demonstrated ability to accurately analyze all aspects of a situation to gain a thorough insight and act upon that insight in a timely and effective manner.
• Capacity to identify and prioritize activities that lead to an agreed upon goal

Invitation to apply:

Please click to apply for the position.

Interested candidates will be prompted to:

Complete an application

Submit a cover letter and resume

Provide names/contacts of three professional references

Submission of all documents listed above is required for consideration.

Review of applications will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please email talent@wpunj.edu should you have any general questions related to this search.

About William Paterson:

William Paterson University is the third most diverse public university in New Jersey. As a longstanding member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), we have been designated by the US Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. William Paterson University is also proud to be designated as a NASA MSI (Minority Serving Institution). The University offers more than 250 undergraduate and graduate academic programs that range from liberal arts and sciences to pre-professional and professional programs; it enrolls nearly 10,000 students from across the country and from over 40 nations. The University is situated on a beautiful, 380-acre suburban campus in Wayne, New Jersey, just twenty miles west of New York City.

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