Director of Graduate Student Services

Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, is a diverse, energetic liberal arts community where critical thinking and practical idealism go hand in hand.

Wesleyan University is a diverse, energetic liberal arts community located in Middletown, Connecticut. The student body consists of approximately 3,000 undergraduate and 200 graduate students.

As part of the division of Student Affairs, the Office of Graduate Student Services (GSS) serves as a central resource for graduate students, faculty, and other University personnel. The department coordinates support for graduate students and collaborates with offices across the University to respond to graduate student needs. The office provides students with advice, helps with their adjustment to campus life and builds community through programs and initiatives to improve graduate student life.

Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs and working closely with the faculty Director of Graduate Studies, department chairs, faculty, and Academic Affairs, the director manages all aspects of graduate student affairs and promotes a positive graduate culture for 200 graduate students in the PhD, MA, BA/MA, FLTA, and Writing Fellow programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

GRADUATE STUDENT AND FACULTY LIASION

• Serve as the central resource for graduate students, graduate faculty, and other University personnel on issues related to graduate students.
  
  
• Advise graduate students on academic and personal issues; provide robust support and crisis management as needed.
  
  
• Advise faculty on difficulties with graduate students.
  
  
• Respond to student needs and implement programs and initiatives to improve graduate student life and community development.
  
  
• Promote the visibility of graduate programs.
  
  

OPERATIONS

• Manage the administrative operations of the graduate student services department.
  
  
• Supervise a full-time associate director, provide feedback, coaching, training and mentoring, manage performance and provide professional development opportunities related to position.
  
  
• Supervise data entry and organization of graduate data.
  
  
• Manage department budget and oversee department website.
  
  
• Write annual report.
  
  
• Maintain the Graduate Student Handbook.
  
  
• Liaison between the Graduate Community Standards Board and the Director of Community Standards.
  
  
• Serve as a campus Designated School Official (DSO) for international graduate students.
  
  
• Serve on other university committees as assigned.
  
  
• Conduct academic review and track graduate student progress toward degree completion.
  
  

ADMISSION

• Manage applications (currently approximately 500) to the PhD, MA and BA/MA programs across 10 academic departments.
  
  
• Administer the graduate enrollment management system (Slate).
  
  
• Maintain online applications, conduct annual maintenance, perform upgrades, support administrative assistants and faculty in graduate academic departments on use of Slate, maintain a Slate user manual.
  
  
• Coordinate the admission process and communicate relevant deadlines to academic departments.
  
  
• Write and release decision letters.
  
  
• Manage and process all documents (paper and electronic) through various systems (CRM, Docfinity).
  
  
• Partner with academic departments to use Slate for outreach to prospective students.
  
  
• Oversee response to admission-related inquiries. Problem-solve applicant-specific issues related to the application process.
  
  
• Execute best practices in customer service.
  
  

GRAD STUDENT STIPEND

• Administer and manage annual graduate stipend budget (currently approximately $3 million) across eight academic departments.
  
  
• Use Wesleyan Systems (Workday) to hire, assign raises, and terminate employment for students in the PhD, MA, and FLTA programs that receive a stipend.
  
  
• Conduct monthly audit to oversee and manage department stipend spending and ensure stipend budgets are not over-spent.
  
  
• Coordinate the application process to move forward unused budget and, when approved, submit the budget transfers.
  
  

PROGRAMMING

• Expand existing programs and develop new programs to support goals for graduate student development.
  
  
• Collaborate with campus partners in the Career Center, the Writing Center, the Counseling Center, Residential Life, and ITS to provide programming and support services for graduate students.
  
  
• Collaborate with the faculty Director of Graduate Studies on major initiatives to advance the success and functioning of graduate programs.
  
  
• Collaborate on academic issues related to graduate students including managing the Graduate Council and the graduate pedagogy course.
  
  

NEW GRADUATE STUDENT ORIENTATION

• Plan and manage new graduate student orientation and new international graduate student orientation to welcome students and promote university services and resources.
  
  
• Manage communication with new students from time of acceptance to matriculation regarding university requirements for participation in health insurance, permission to work requirements, housing options, etc. Manage all aspects of the graduate exit process and commencement activities.
  
  
• Maintain graduate exit forms, oversee faculty approvals, conduct exit interviews, prepare lists for voting on degrees, plan and host graduate commencement celebration, and prepare graduate students for participation in Commencement activities.
  
  
• Oversee the Graduate Thesis/Dissertation upload process.
  
  
• Work with library and ITS to ensure uploads to university depository.
  
  
• Transfer electronic thesis files to ACME bindery for printing.
  
  
• Oversee charges to academic departments for thesis printing.
  
  

GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION (GSA)

• Collaborate with and support the Graduate Student Association to address graduate student issues and plan programs.
  
  
• Conduct event host training.
  
  
• Plan and host meetings for the graduate housing committee to collaborate with Residential Life and Physical Plant.
  
  
• Oversee the GSA budget.
  
  
• Oversee the Graduate Speaker Series events and the graduate peer connection program.
  
  

This position is required to work on campus.

(Relocation assistance to CT is available for those who qualify).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree and a minimum of seven years of administrative experience in student affairs, higher or secondary school administration, counseling or a related field or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
  
  
• Prior Supervisory experience.
  
  
• Proven ability to counsel, mentor and assist others.
  
  
• Experience with assessing and developing programming or workshops.
  
  
• Experience with statistics and metrics-driven growth analysis.
  
  
• Experience managing budgets.
  
  
• Experience with crisis management.
  
  
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills with cross-cultural sensitivity.
  
  
• Experience with student visas.
  
  
• Ability to meet all the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirements to serve as a DSO.
  
  
• Experience working with HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems), Student Information Management Systems, CRM (Customer Relations Management Systems or other similar systems.
  
  
• Experience with Excel, Office 365, cloud-based software and document storage.
  
  
• Strong organizational and administrative skills with attention to detail and a high level of discretion managing confidential information.
  
  
• Ability to provide excellent customer service while finding solutions to complex problems and managing competing demands.
  
  
• Demonstrated experience and competency working both independently and collaboratively in a professional setting.
  
  
• Demonstrated commitment to work within a diverse environment and work collegially individuals of different backgrounds.
  
  
• Willingness to occasionally work a flexible schedule including nights and weekends for special events and programs.
  
  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with Slate, Peoplesoft or other CRM.
  
  
• Experience working with the graduate student population.
  
  

Position is open until filled. For full consideration please apply by August 16, 2024 when first review of applications will begin.

As part of your application, please upload a cover letter and resume.

Compensation: $74,100 - $88,200

Work Location: On Campus

All offers to external applicants are contingent on the candidate’s completion of a pre-employment background check screening to the satisfaction of Wesleyan University.

Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or non-position-related criminal record. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented minority groups. Inquiries regarding Title IX, Section 504 or any other non-discrimination policies should be directed to Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, Title IX and ADA/504 Coordinator.

Wesleyan University complies with the Clery Act and maintains records of campus crime statistics and security policies. Copies of Wesleyan University’s Clery Act Report are available on request and online at https://www.wesleyan.edu/publicsafety/clery.html .

Experience is taken into consideration in the determination of salary offers. For more information visit https://www.wesleyan.edu/hr/handbook/compensation-practices/index.html

Wesleyan offers a broad range of employee benefits and development opportunities, including comprehensive group insurance plans, wellness programs and incentives, generous paid time off and retirement plans, flexible work schedules, employee and dependent tuition programs for those who qualify.

Detailed information on the benefits of working at Wesleyan is located at: https://wesleyan.edu/hr/careers/prospective-resources.html .

Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or non-position-related criminal record. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented minority groups. Inquiries regarding Title IX, Section 504 or any other non-discrimination policies should be directed to Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, Title IX and ADA/504 Coordinator. Wesleyan University complies with the Clery Act and maintains records of campus crime statistics and security policies. Copies of Wesleyan University's Clery Act Report are available on request and online at http://www.wesleyan.edu/publicsafety/compliance.html.