Associate Vice Provost, Student Success

Make a difference at one of Florida’s premier institutions for education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Florida Polytechnic University, ranked the No. 1 public college in the region by U.S. News and World Report, offers a unique working environment that encourages faculty and staff to be part of a culture that prizes collaboration, innovation, and the willingness to go above and beyond to ensure our students and University succeed. Florida Poly offers a small campus academic environment where students form connections with their faculty and peers as they pursue high-value degrees in engineering and applied sciences.

The University is equipped with cutting-edge facilities and equipment and two award-winning, architecturally distinct academic buildings. Its evolving curriculum, designed to meet the needs of industry and provide a life-long educational foundation for students, has helped the institution grow in prominence since its opening in 2014. Florida Poly’s deliberately small classes, affordability, and outstanding graduate outcomes have helped it earn recognitions such as being named a top value school, in the top 25 nationally for affordability, and in the top five best universities in the South for tech students. Accredited by ABET and SACSCOC, Florida Poly is educating some of the brightest minds in Florida and attracting standout talent from across the nation.

JOB TITLE

Associate Vice Provost, Student Success

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

Florida’s only public university exclusively teaching science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is looking for exceptional candidates to serve as the Associate Vice Provost of Student Success in the Division of Academic Affairs.

Reporting to the Provost, the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success (AVPSS) will lead the Student Success Center (SSC) and facilitate activity across other university units to create a collaborative success strategy focused on curricular advising along with guidance that supports academic success and personal growth for our students.
The AVPSS will lead the SSC, as a working manager/leader for three to four other success coaches and as the direct liaison between the SSC and other university units. The SSC team provides support through academic advising and holistic programming for new students through their first year at the university. The AVPSS responsibilities will included creating a drop-in resource center for all students to assist with routine academic advising and policy questions, and referral resource for non-academic support services on campus, such as financial aid and health and wellness. Reporting to the Provost, with a strong tie to the newly formed Freshman Council (faculty-led), the AVPSS will lead the Student Success Center and efforts that connect students to appropriate academic and other support services.

JOB DESCRIPTION

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Management and Leadership :

• Direct and lead the SSC staff, including training, expectations, and metrics for each of the Success Coaches,
• Serve as a primary contact for the SSC to best showcase support resources available at Poly to the university community, with focus on new first year students.
• Create opportunities for growth and professional development in coaches in expanding their knowledge base of nuances in academic programs and well as needs and views in the student body.
• Carefully manage the communications success coaches have with students to assure messaging is consistent with other university units. Ensure that information from meetings with students is appropriately distributed to the appropriate elements of Academic Affairs.

Communication and Collaboration :

• Work collaboratively with academic departments to ensure that academic support services are in place for the students in all the departments,
• Create and nurture collaborative partnerships with other university stakeholders (including but not limited to academic departments, Admissions/Financial Aid, Student Affairs, Graduate Programs, Registrar, and Business Services) to assure informative and consistent messaging to all.

Operational Planning and Execution :

• Create and execute a plan to engage with all entering students, before entry, and then for multiple check-ins per student in their first semester at Florida Poly. Position the SSC to be the central information hub for all students in terms of academic and non-academic issues.
• Develop activities that support the whole student, both academic and in the growth and development of professional and life skills with a focus on students in their first year at the university. These activities must support academic benchmarks/metrics/ assessment of students with a focus on first year retention and then on timely graduation, in a way that complements efforts from the Freshman Council, faculty advisors and Registrar’s office.
• Work with the Registrar’s Office, the academic departments, and student affairs and academic affairs to create robust early alert systems that are effective at Florida Poly.
• Support continuous improvement efforts with programming to support student success with high-impact practices, and mindfulness toward student learning and equity.
• Build and implement a communication plan that includes a well-organized approach to connect the Florida Poly community with a shared understanding of Student Success initiatives.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated experience and excellence in academic management, staff and student supervision, program development, and assessment.
• Proven ability to work with and implement appropriate academic policies, regulations, procedures, and initiatives that further the mission of Student Success while aligning with the University's mission, vision, and culture.
• Evidenced achievement of implementation of programs and/or planning that has resulted in documented student retention and graduation rate improvement.
• Ability to develop tracking and reporting systems, and coordinate and facilitate training required.
• Ability to engage, motivate, and innovatively lead others to develop and implement programs.
• Strong analytical and reporting/writing skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate, establish rapport, maintain relationships, and interact positively with students, faculty, staff, community partners, and internal and external stakeholders required.
• Demonstrated experience working with diverse student, faculty, and administrative populations with the ability to foster collegiality and collaboration.
• Ability to deal with difficult and sensitive situations with confidentiality and discretion.
• Experience in project management.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Masters’ degree required with at least 5 years of experience working in Academic Affairs and advising,
• Minimum of two years of experience in higher education advisement, academic programming, and/or retention-related initiatives.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• BS, MS, or doctoral degree in a STEM field.
• Doctorate or terminal degree in education, counseling, social work, or any STEM field and at least seven years of progressively responsible experience with higher education advisement, academic programming, and retention-related initiatives.
• Experience as a supervisor for permanent academic affairs advising staff.

REQUIRED LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND/OR OTHER SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF LAW:

• Must possess a valid driver’s license.
• This position requires a criminal background check, which may include a Level II screening as required by Florida Statute §435.04.
• This position is subject to federal and state privacy regulations.

NORMAL WORK SCHEDULE: This position is salary exempt. The normal work schedule is Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., however, occasional overtime (weekends and evenings) may be required.

TARGET HIRING SALARY: $95,000 - $130,000, commensurate with education level and experience.

APPLICATION DEADLINE DATE: The position is open until filled, however review of applications will commence immediately.

APPLICATION PROCESS: In addition to completing the online application, all Applicants are required to upload the following as an attachment to the application (preferably in PDF format):

• Cover Letter
• Resume

DIVERSITY STATEMENT:

Florida Polytechnic University is an equal opportunity/equal access institution. It is the policy of the Board of Trustees to provide equal opportunity for employment and educational opportunities to all (including applicants for employment, employees, applicants for admission, students, and others affiliated with the University) without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or genetic information.

FLORIDA POLY BENEFITS INFORMATION

Florida Poly qualified employees have the opportunity to take advantage of a variety of health benefits (through the State of Florida) to help meet their specific needs, as well as the needs of their family. This comprehensive coverage includes flexible spending accounts, medical and life insurance, and workers compensation.

· Health benefits are administered through People First , on behalf of the State of Florida, as pre-tax insurance plans. People First handles all new hire enrollments, coverage changes, premium administration, and dependent eligibility.

· Their Service Center is staffed Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. EST, at 1-866-663-4735.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING ATTACHMENTS:

Required attachments are listed on each posting. Please be sure to attach all required documents in the Resume/CV field before continuing through the application. Once your application has been submitted, no changes may be made and additional attachments will not be considered.

An unofficial copy of the degree/transcript is acceptable during the application process. For positions requiring a degree, the official transcripts are required upon hire.

Foreign Transcript: Transcripts issued outside of the United States require a equivalency statement from a certified transcript evaluation service verifying the degree equivalency to that of an accredited institution within the USA. This report must be attached with the application and submitted by the application deadline.

All document(s) must be received on or before the closing date of the job announcements.

This position requires a background check, which may include a level II screening as required by the Florida Statute §435.04.