Director, Veterans Success Center

The Director of the Veterans Success Center at Manhattan College will foster the successful transition of each admitted student veteran from military life through the academic process to graduation and to initial post-graduation goals. As such, the Director of the VSC will assist in promoting the holistic well-being of student veterans and GI Bill recipients by facilitating access to benefits, performing outreach for the College’s veteran community, and offering support services.

Success of the Director of the Veterans Success Center will be measured by recruitment, retention, graduation, and positive career outcomes of the student veterans. The fulfillment of these duties requires working alongside the Director of Transfer and Veterans Admissions, the Certifying Officer, the faculty member running the Veterans at Ease program, and other offices assisting the transition of student veterans at this college.

Responsibilities

• Development of student success initiatives designed to retain and graduate student veterans, including mental health support, career services engagement, academic success programs. Provide supplemental academic advising to student veterans to help them plan courses with optimal use of VA benefits. Provide support and connect to support for academic success, including writing and Ensure career readiness, through assisting in resume building and finding internship, fellowship, and scholarship opportunities, as well as employment initiatives

• Serve as the first point of contact with student veterans for the purposes of personal and/or academic crisis intervention. Provide internal and external referrals to resources for academic, legal, and mental health support.

• Develop and maintain both internal and external relationships that provide resources for student veterans including: academic and special resource support, internship/career support, professional recruitment, mental health, legal counsel, disability/benefit review.

• Development of recruitment initiatives in collaboration with the Veterans and Transfer Admissions Director.

• Work closely with the Office of Financial Aid Services to ensure student veterans VA benefits (i.e. GI Bill and Veteran Readiness & Employment) are being processed efficiently. Work with student veterans to ensure they have enough educational benefits to complete their degrees. Develop financial aid plans for those who have exhausted benefits. Work with VA Certifying Official to ensure campus wide compliance with Department of Veterans Affairs Guidelines

• Responsible for sending all electronic messages and other notices to the SVO community as well as to other appropriate college members and to appropriate community members. Marketing and communication of Veterans Programs, including content manager for the website, social media promotion, writing and development of promotional materials

• Plan and operate events, including the opening barbecue, student-veteran panels, participation in Veterans’ Day Parade, Veterans’ Day Appreciation Luncheon, Holiday Party, President’s Speakers Series, Pre-commencement Ceremony, End-of year barbecue. Attend on a regular basis Warriors at Ease retreats, Open Table, SVO Meetings

• Manage the logistics, including travel and lodging, for the Warriors at Ease program in collaboration with the faculty member running the course

• Manage the VSC annual reporting of objectives, annual reports, and budgets. Manage both restricted and unrestricted budgets.

• Serve as advisor for Student Veterans Organization to oversee efforts/events to foster peer support and raise program awareness.

• Supervise VA Work Study workers for employment in the Veterans Success Center and process their paperwork.

• Maintain veterans cohort tagging in Banner, and ensure the cohort is updated with appropriate codes. Work with Institutional Research to submit data to Military-Friendly designations surveys. Maintain records and statistics of all veteran cohorts.

• In collaboration with Alumni Development, engage in fundraising efforts. Write and develop grant proposals for VSC funding. Engage in alumni outreach and development.

• Stay abreast of successful initiatives that serve student veterans at other colleges

• Participation in conferences both local and national, including SVA.

• Coordinate activities with N.Y.C. Division of Veteran Services and Bronx Coalition for Student Veterans

• Serve on appropriate college committees.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s required, MSW preferred.

• Significant experience working with veterans and extensive knowledge of veteran services.

• Extensive knowledge of VA Benefits, GI Bill benefits, and other resources for veterans.

• Social work background preferred.

• Experience with SVA.

• Ability to work both independently and on a team.

• Ability to work with the faculty member in the Religious Studies Department running the Veterans at Ease Program.

Salary Range: 95,000 To 105,027 Per Year

COVID vaccination reccommended