Retention and Graduation Advisor

Job Summary

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Undergraduate Advising and Success and receiving work lead direction from the Access Center Director, the Retention and Graduation Advisor will work independently under limited supervision to provide academic advising and related student services for undergraduates in all majors in the College, and to significantly improve the College’s 4-year graduation rate for freshmen and 2-year graduation rate for transfers and to close identified achievement gaps. The specialist will provide leadership and coordination of advising and programs in support of student retention, including proactive outreach and support to targeted student populations who do not meet established benchmarks. These efforts will be informed and supported by the research literature and established best practices, program assessment, data analysis and interpretation, and written reports as needed. Finally, the specialist will serve as a liaison to departments in support of their efforts to improve student outcomes and experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing coordination of advising initiatives and programs in support of increasing student retention and graduation rates and reducing achievement gaps
• Developing and conducting complex student service advising sessions, both individually and in group settings, as demanded by the needs of identified student groups, e.g., underrepresented students, first-generation students, probationary, disqualified
• Preparing, implementing, and assessing intervention plans to proactively support the success of students who are academically at-risk based upon academic standing and/or who do not achieve particular benchmarks, including satisfactory GPA, credits earned, major progress, and general education progress
• Providing advising services consistent with CSU, SJSU, and College of Social Sciences policies and procedures. Services may also include management of an assigned caseload in support of the College’s mandatory advising initiative
• Advising students individually and in groups on topics, such as general education requirements, filing petitions, academic and educational planning, graduation procedures, remediation, and academic probation and disqualification
• Aiding students in improving students’ successful educational strategies such as effective study habits, time management skills, and supportive educational environment development
• Aiding students in accessing resources and services to help with addressing issues and enhancing students' likelihood of success
• Corresponding and conferring with faculty, staff and outside office to interpret and explain the frequently changing state, system, and campus degree requirements and academic policies and procedures

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Advanced knowledge with advising students individually and in groups on complex student-related matters; recognizing multicultural, multisexed and multi‑aged value systems and working accordingly
• Working knowledge of retention strategies and data-driven methods of identifying students who may be at risk of not continuing their education
• Working knowledge of the principles, practices and trends of the Student Services field.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a strong command of English grammar, business writing, punctuation and spelling
• Ability to gather and analyze data, to reason logically, draw valid conclusions and make verbal or written recommendation/presentations based on these data
• Ability to carry out a variety of professionally complex assignments without detailed instructions
• Ability to use initiative and resourcefulness in planning work assignments and in implementing long-range program improvements
• Ability to plan, develop, coordinate, supervise, and organize programs, activities, and groups
• Strong abilities to multi-task and work accurately and efficiently within the time constraints and deadlines required of the position

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
• Three years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience. A master’s degree in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a directly related field may be substituted for one year of experience. A doctorate degree and the appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling or guidance may be substituted for the three years of experience for positions with a major responsibility for professional career or personal counseling.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in a related field
• Three years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience in advising college students
• Experience with policies, practices, and activities of academic advising and student support services
• Experience developing and providing workshops or other educational experiences
• Experience collecting, analyzing, and evaluating data

Compensation

Classification: Student Services Professional III
Anticipated Hiring Range: $4,841/month - $5,047/month
CSU Salary Range: $4,691/month - $6,683/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: September 27, 2022 through October 16, 2022 . 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

CSU Vaccination Policy

The CSU requires faculty, staff, and students who are accessing campus facilities to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus (including all booster doses of an approved vaccine for which an individual is eligible per current CDC recommendations) or declare a medical or religious exemption from doing so. As a condition of employment, any candidates advanced in a currently open search process should be prepared to comply with this requirement as well as with other safety measures established on the campus. The system wide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ and questions may be sent to jobs@sjsu.edu .



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. Incumbent is also required to promptly report any knowledge of a possible Title IX related incident to the Title IX Office or report any discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation to the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act and Campus Housing Fire Safety Notification:

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu .

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is also available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf . The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu .

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: September 27, 2022 (9:00 AM) Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: