Associate Director, First Year Programs

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Position Summary

The Associate Director of First Year Programs provides leadership to our First Year Programs (FYP) under the Office of Student Success Initiatives. They are responsible for planning, executing, and assessing all components of Rice’s undergraduate orientation programming and leading college or university-wide collaborative initiatives for first-year students, including tradition-based programs, new student move-in, and New Families Orientation. The associate director provides leadership in the form of advising and training to 33 O-Week Coordinators and two Student Directors. The associate director is also an instructor of the UNIV 110 course, and assists Rice students by providing general support and advisement on topics related to their personal, academic, and social development.

The ideal candidate has at least five (5) years of experience facilitating the planning, organization, and execution of undergraduate orientation programs and activities that support the successful transition of new undergraduate students by including parents and family members in our campus community. Experience as a supervisor, including providing guidance and support to staff and student leadership teams, is also preferred.

The hiring salary for this position is between $62,000-$66,000 annually and will be commensurate with qualifications.

Responsibilities occasionally may require an adjusted work schedule and evening/weekend hours over the summer to meet the needs of the program development.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• 5 years of related professional experience in a four year college or university setting working with orientation or event planning specific to undergraduate students in a post-secondary academic setting. Additional related education may be substituted on an equivalent year for year basis for up to two years of the required experience.
• Advanced knowledge of theories, including student development, learning and identity development and experience applying those frameworks professionally
• Adept at problem-solving with experience supporting / advising students in personal and / or academic crisis
• Excellent communication and rapport building skills and experience collaborating with faculty, staff, students, families, and administration
• Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects with competing deadlines
• Demonstrates understanding of the experiences of students in transition, the strategies necessary to facilitate their success, and the development of strategies and key interventions to support this student population
• Proven track record of successful support of diverse student populations, including but not limited to first-generation college students, low-income students, and underrepresented student populations
• Strong coaching and instructional skills, organizational abilities, attention to detail, and the ability to quickly assess the effectiveness of an intervention

Essential Functions

• Leads the coordination of campus-wide elements of orientation week, such as college or university-wide collaborative initiatives for first-year students, including tradition-based programs, new student move-in, and New Families Orientation.
• Manages the various administrative and operational tasks that support First Year Programs, including but not limited to managing budget, creating and managing spreadsheets, conducting academic grade checks, etc.
• Communicates and collaborates with residential college Magisters and college coordinators, creating a strong sense of communication between First Year Programs and the residential colleges.
• Supervises first-year programs staff (1), Student Directors of O-Week (2), the O-Week Coordinator team (33 student leaders); spearheads the recruitment and selection process of O-Week advisors, providing support and assistance as they plan the college-specific portion of O-Week through subcommittees in the planning of the campus-wide portions of O-Week.
• Develops and leads pieces of training aimed at educating student leaders on how they can support student transition and preparing them to provide leadership to executing O-Week at their residential colleges.
• Manages and reconciles the O-week budget.
• Provides oversight to FYP web, social media, and marketing efforts, and updates materials, forms, etc.
• Participates in department and division assessment efforts.
• Assists in the course planning, implementation, and marketing for UNIV 110, a first-year student transition course
• Performs other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Identifies and advises students needing additional support and provides sustained, individualized, holistic, developmentally appropriate coaching to assist in their academic, social, leadership, and interpersonal development
• Assists students in developing roadmaps for their success at the university, using varied strategies to facilitate the identification and implementation of their goals
• Assists in the monitoring of student academic performance and their persistence towards graduation, preparing reports, and maintaining student files as necessary
• Examines student data for trends in performance, academic courses or other factors which may impact student success
• Maintains an awareness of best practices in proactive / holistic advising, student success coaching, and the higher education / student affairs landscape, integrating these ideas into his / her advising practices
• Develops and leads student success interventions, workshops, and other programs aimed at facilitating the transition to college
• Develops and leads trainings aimed at educating student leaders, faculty, and staff about the populations supported by the office and they ways in which they can support student transition
• Mentors staff

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree (preferably in college student personnel, counseling, student affairs, or a related field)
• Experience working in orientation or event planning specific to undergraduate students
• Experience employing holistic proactive/intrusive advising strategies
• Experience providing academic support, leadership development, and program development
• Experience supporting student success/undergraduate retention initiatives
• Experience working with faculty
• Experience working at a highly selective college or university
• Familiarity with working in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment
• Ability to work in a collaborative, team-oriented environment
• Ability to create interventions to support diverse learners

Rice University HR | Benefits

https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values

Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Faculty and staff are expected (but not required) to have completed a full vaccination series for COVID-19 (currently defined as full course COVID-19 Vaccine (typically two shots of a WHO-approved COVID-19 Vaccine or one J&J) and a COVID-19 booster. Rice does not require documentation for COVID 19 vaccination at this time for faculty and staff. More information can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies