Academic Advisor II - Registrar's Office

The Registrar’s Office invites applications for an Academic Advisor II to join their team. This position works under the supervision of the Associate Registrar, but exercises independence and judgment relating to the job tasks. This position serves as the primary lead advising specialist to advisors, faculty, and students approaching graduation in regard to university policies and procedures related to graduation and degree awarding. The Academic Advisor II will be responsible for the areas of advising, technology and training, degree auditing/awarding, commencement coordination, and other various administrative tasks.

Key responsibilities of those areas include, but are not limited to:



Advising

• Serves as an advising specialist to University of Montana Mountain Campus and Missoula College students approaching graduation.
• Serves as a source of reference and training related to university academic policies and procedures, general education requirements, and Board of Regent’s policies as outlined in the University of Montana academic catalog.
• Evaluates transcripts using Degree Works for progress toward completion of university, general education, and major, minor, and certificate requirements. major changes and distance-only status changes for Undergraduate continuing students.
• Provides exemplary customer service, problem-solves, and resolves student issues related to degree deficiencies by providing direction and guidance to students, advisors, and faculty members.
• Coordinates graduation related correspondence with students and departmental advisors, including individualized notices of deficiencies.
• Monitors and continually strives to improve the Registrar’s Office graduation advising system, identifying limitations and setting goals.

Technology and Training

• Trains students, advisors, administrators, staff, and faculty on the use of Degree Works, including policies related to petitions and exceptions.
• Assists in the maintenance of Degree Works degree audit software.
• Uses Degree Works to evaluate and make degree award decisions.
• Assists with the maintenance of the university catalog using catalog and curriculum software.
• Uses and maintains software used for ordering diplomas.

Degree Auditing and Awarding

• Receives and enters graduation application information in Banner.
• Performs initial and final degree audits on all undergraduate graduation applications for degrees, undergraduate certificates, and teacher certifications earned through the University of Montana using Degree Works.
• Verifies all degree applicants satisfy all University requirements.
• Assigns appropriate honors based on GPA.
• Processes petitions and exceptions in Degree Works while ensuring compliance with UM Catalog policies.
• Assists with the ordering and distribution of diplomas for undergraduate and graduate degrees, including special orders for replacement diplomas.
• Provides graduation date to administrative offices and assists those offices in the use of the InfoGriz dashboard to obtain graduation information.

Other Administrative Duties

• Deliver analysis and verification of student progress toward degree/certificate for Financial Aid office.
• Reviews post-baccalaureate fee status changes for all graduating students on an individual basis as needed.
• Uses the Olark chat system to answer Registrar’s Office questions.
• Assists the Commencement Coordinator with the formatting, editing, and accuracy of the commencement bulletin.
• Assists the Commencement Coordinator with the ordering and distribution of diploma covers and regalia.
• Assists with the physical setup of the commencement ceremony and commencement day duties as assigned.
• Assists in other areas of Registrar’s Office as needed

Upon completion of training, this position requires incumbent to develop a working knowledge of:

• Degree hierarchy and academic structure of the university.
• University curricula: degrees, majors, minor, and concentrations.
• Computerized degree audit processes, including petitions, exceptions, reports, and others as assigned.
• Degree Works petition process.
• Advising techniques.
• UM’s General Education Requirements, including knowledge of the history of UM’s GER’s in past catalogs.
• Proficiency in reading and deciphering academic transcripts.
• Advanced skill/knowledge/ability to train advisors and faculty in regard to the ever changing general education requirements and UM policies and procedures.

Required Skills

• Understanding and/or experience maintaining confidentiality in all business and student relations.
• Accuracy and attention to detail with ability to work under deadlines.
• Excellent public relations, interpersonal, and communication skills, and the ability to provide positive professional customer service via face-to-face, phone, email, and online interactions.
• Ability to be cross-trained on a variety of Registrar’s Office processes and procedures.
• Ability to work with diverse individuals across campus including students, advisors, administrators, faculty, and staff.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong skills in the operation of personal computers and a variety of software programs, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and the ability to learn new software.
• Ability to develop and maintain recordkeeping systems for various student records.

Minimum Required Experience

• Two (2) years post-secondary education and three (3) years in administrative experience that includes highly detailed work assignments and extensive contact with the public or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• General knowledge of higher ed. curricula, policies, and procedures.
• Experience working with enrollment and degree auditing software and/or relational database.
• A baccalaureate degree or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Banner SIS experience

About the Registrar’s Office , UM , and Missoula

The Registrar's Office is a central component of the academic mission of University of Montana, providing formal validation of teaching and learning on this campus. The Registrar is the official custodian of student academic records, and the office is legally required to maintain past, present and future unabridged academic records. The Registrar's staff plans and conducts student-registration, maintains and updates academic records, interprets and applies academic policies, certifies eligibility for associate and baccalaureate degrees, determines resident fee classification for tuition purposes, schedules all academic classes and classroom facilities, maintains processes and provides support for academic grading and advising, verifies enrollment and degrees awarded, plans and directs commencement ceremonies, and determines eligibility for student participation in athletics, extracurricular and honor society activities. The Registrar's Office establishes a singularly unique relationship with students over the passage of an academic career. Beginning with new student orientation, interactions continue with continuing & returning students during enrollments and graduation, and those relationships reinforce a reliable connection and resource for alumni who request official verification of academic records, degree(s) earned and/or transcripts.

The University of Montana is a flagship, research institution with over 9,000 students. It is located in Missoula, a culturally vibrant community of about 72,000, surrounded by mountain grandeur which was recently ranked in the “ top 20 best college towns with a population of less than 250,000 ” by the American Institute for Economic Research and ranked 9th in Outside Magazine’s “ The 16 Greatest Places to Live in America” in 2014 . Many national publications recognize Missoula for its high quality of life . Abundant recreational opportunities in surrounding state and national forests and nearby Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park complement a thriving intellectual atmosphere. The University of Montana offers eligible employees a generous benefits package that positively separates UM from other local employers and offers many programs and policies to support work-life balance for its employees.

The University of Montana is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and has a strong institutional commitment to the principle of diversity in all areas. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of qualified people who would assist the University in demonstrating its five priorities for action : Place student success at the center of all we do; drive excellence and innovation in teaching, learning, and research; embody the principle of “mission first, people always"; partner with place; and proudly tell the UM story.

To learn more about the University of Montana,, please visit the links below.

• University of Montana
• Video: UM Lifestyles
• University Highlights

Position Details

Position Title: Academic Advisor II

Position Number: 007450

Department: Registrar’s Office

Work Schedule: Full-time, 1.0 FTE (40 Hours a week), Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 12 months/year.

Salary: $16.984/hr –Current employee’s rate of pay for this position will be determined by the staff compensation plan and will minimally be this posted salary. For questions and details regarding the staff compensation plan, email the Compensation Department .

Union Affiliation: FOCUS-MFPE

Probationary Period: Six months minimum

Benefits Include : Insurance package, mandatory retirement plan, partial tuition waiver, and wellness program.

Criminal Background Investigation is required prior to the Offer of Employment In accordance with University regulations, finalists for this position will be subject to criminal background investigations. ADA/EOE/AA/Veteran's Preference Reasonable accommodations are provided in the hiring process for persons with disabilities. For example, this material is available in alternative format upon request. As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, we encourage applications from minorities, veterans, and women. Qualified candidates may request veterans’ or disabilities preference in accordance with state law. References: References not listed on the application materials may be contacted; notice may be provided to the applicant. Testing: Individual hiring departments at UM may elect to administer pre-employment tests, which are relevant to essential job functions. Employment Eligibility: All New Employees must be eligible and show employment eligibility verification by the first date of employment at UM, as legally required (e.g., Form I-9).

How to Apply

Extended Priority Application Date: Thursday, August 18, 2022 by 11:59 PM (Mountain Time)

Complete applications received by the ‘Priority Application Date’ will be guaranteed consideration. The position will remain open until filled. Candidates are required to submit the following materials online via "New Resume/CV" button below.

*Please note, only five (5) attachments allowed per application. Please combine documents accordingly.

A complete application Includes:

1. Letter of Interest – addressing your qualifications and experience related to the stated required skills for the position. A general letter salutation such as “Dear Search Committee” or “Dear Hiring Manager” is acceptable
2. Detailed Resume – listing education and describing work experience
3. Professional References – names and contact information for three (3) professional references

Job Location Missoula, Montana, United States
Position Type Full-Time/Regular