Pathbreakers Program Coordinator (Student Affairs)

POSITION OVERVIEW

As part of the Student Affairs Team, the Pathbreakers Program (PBP) Coordinator help create and oversee the College’s new Pathbreakers Program. This program effectively turns the College into a multi-year bridge program by meeting students where they are at and providing a wide range of programs to prepare students for the next stage of their academic or professional career.

The Path Breaker program meets students where they are at as they start their academic career with CINC and prepares them to be successful at whatever comes after they graduate with their Associate degree. For many students, that will be transferring to a four-year institution and completing their bachelor’s degree. The Program includes holistic student support, intensive and proactive advising, skills training, three week-long summer experiences, academic year workshops, and follow-up with students post-graduation.

The Coordinator will work with College administration, Pathbreakers staff and faculty, students, and other stakeholders to build the program, establish the inaugural cohort, provide excellent student support to students, develop partnerships, and oversee and manage the program.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

• Build the Pathbreakers Program, from the ground up, according to the project proposal already established by the College
• Propose strategies, evaluations, and goals of the PBP, with assessments, to address student success and deficiencies within the American Indian population and the College as a whole
• Serve as a technical resource for student success and addresses the routine and underlying obstacles in Indian Country by incorporating workshop, services and seminars to coach individually and as a group
• Promote and recruit students into the Pathbreakers Program Coordinate three week-long summer bridge programs, one for each level of student (incoming, continuing, outgoing)
• Organize at least four college-readiness or skills-based workshops each academic term (fall and spring)
• Facilitate at least four follow-up mentoring sessions after the student has graduated from CINC 
• Provide personalized and individualized student support to each CINC student, regardless of whether or not they are formally part of the Pathbreakers program
• Mentor students in the Pathbreakers Program
• Work with tribes and non-profit organizations to conduct needs assessment of the job market in Indian Country and correlate with student desires and outcomes 
• Develop partnerships with local four-year colleges and universities, Tribal organizations, employment agencies, and local and regional companies  
• Provide academic support and general academic guidance, serve as an academic resource, and motivate and encourage students
• Coordinate with faculty in developing plans for student success Support students each day by providing opportunities to learn effective student success skills
• Accommodate reasonable requests for extra assistance by students, within the constraints of program guidelines and scheduling
• Reach out and develop a plan for students who are absent or in academic difficulty
• Coordinate student participation in college and career fairs; organize at least one college or career fair on campus each year
• Identify obstacles to student success and work with the Office of Student Success to develop programs to overcome and address challenges students face
• Assist Pathbreakers program participants in developing strategies for overcoming life challenges, referring students to appropriate campus resources, as needed
• Supervise a small staff, which may include full-time, part-time, and/or student employees
• Create meaningful learning activities that are both active, application and practice based, and reflection-based related to learning outcomes
• Prepare and deliver presentations for various internal and external audiences with high familiarity and respect of the American Indian cultures.
• Support and help publicize campus-wide academic support services, including tutoring, advising, courses and faculty involvement programs
• Collect and analyze data to identify strengths and weakness of the overall American Indian employment and training programs at a national and aggregate level, providing recommendations to Executive Leadership
• Work with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to develop assessments and evaluations of the Pathbreakers Program; participate in assessment activities, including data collection, surveys, and focus groups
• Participate as part of the Student Affairs Leadership Team and in Division of Student Affairs committees, activities, and programs, including weekly team meetings Maintain confidentiality of records
• Submit regular reports (weekly, quarterly, annual), as directed, including grant-funding reports related to the program  
• Follow all College Policies and Procedures Maintain a positive, upbeat manner; promoting and exemplifying College values and representing departmental objectives and interests to staff, students, faculty, and potential students
• Work evenings and weekends as necessary
• Other duties as assigned or needed as the program develops

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited college or university
• Three years of experience supporting students in Student Affairs or a related field
• Excellent verbal, social and multi-tasking skills
• Experience related to event planning, program development, student success skills,  and career exploration
• Experience with and an understanding of the educational, economic, and cultural needs of underrepresented first-generation students transitioning to college

Required Technical / Other Skills and Abilities

• An entrepreneurial approach to the work environment, ability to work independently with little supervision or guidance and lead, support and encourage a staff team
• Ability to work in a holistic, professional, and non-judgmental manner as you are working with a broad range of personalities, needs, cultures, lived experiences and abilities
• Progressive understanding of persistent mental illness, addictions, and other challenges and how these impact people’s overall health, well-being, and quality of life
• Ability to effectively respond and adjust to unexpected events, assess high risk situations, problem-solve, provide crisis intervention, and manage conflict in a culturally supportive manner
• Excellent leadership, team building, organizational and interpersonal skills required
• Effective written, electronic, and verbal communication skills to facilitate interprofessional collaborative practice, healthy and culturally safe environments, and a respectful workplace for community members, staff, guests, students and volunteers
• Positive attitude, dependable and self-motivated
• Ability to maintain confidentiality

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s/graduate degree preferred
• Five years of experience developing or managing programs in a higher education student affairs environment
• Experience with tribal education
• Sound understanding of the intergenerational trauma that occurs because of colonization, Residential Schools, and other oppressive systems as well as the history of Indigenous peoples
• Experience working with college administration
• Familiarity or prior affiliation with leading Summer or College Bridge programs
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Outlook, and Excel and Teams
• Demonstrated experience with first generation students/communities
• Ability to develop engaging presentations and workshops for large and small groups
• Qualified Native American applications strongly encouraged to apply