Assistant Director, Student Success Advising

The Assistant Director, Student Success Advising (ADSSA) is responsible for providing management in Student Success Advising as well as academic and career advising according to degree requirements and students’ abilities and aspirations to help students persist to graduation and obtain desired career outcomes. The ADSSA is an integral member of the Student Success leadership team and reports to leadership in Student Success Advising. This position provides academic and career advising to degree-seeking students in one-on-one and group settings. In addition, the ADSSA provides advice, support, mentoring, and formal supervision to Student Success Advisors (SSA) and Senior Student Success Advisors (SSSA), based on acquired knowledge, prior experiences, and best practices. The ADSSA also leads and participates in initiatives, programs, and systems to support student persistence and success. This position will support students in the Parsons School of Design.    Responsibilities:   Management and Leadership

• Supervise Student Success Advisors (SSA) and Student Success Senior Advisor (SSSA) and contribute to the professional development plan and performance appraisal of that/those individuals
• Contribute to strategic planning and execution
• Using assessment will guide the implementation of enhanced programs and events
• Create team agendas in advance that are in accord with Student Success and Student Success Advising initiatives, lead meetings, and report outcomes on a regular basis to supervisors
• Mentor and supervise graduate and undergraduate student workers who have a professional interest in the field of Higher Education in general or Student Success, in particular, to provide them with career-enhancing experiences
• Maintain membership in at least two professional organizations, attend two internal and one external professional development event/seminar per year
• Give a paper, moderate a panel, or otherwise contribute to a local or national organization/conference
• Become conversant in academic integrity investigations and adjudications and education advisors and students in this area
• Serve as liaison to at least one additional office within the University

 

  Student-Facing Academic and Career Advising

• Developmentally advise 200 or more students in academic, career, and success goal-setting and achievement via scheduled and walk-in appointments
• Design a plan for each academic probationary student to help them overcome obstacles to success
• Teach students to use resources for learning about academic choices and careers, develop interviewing and networking skills, prepare resumes and cover letters, and create online branding
• Incorporate instruments/assessments into advisement to help students understand their personal preferences, strengths, and weaknesses as they pertain to academic and career decision-making (e.g., MBTI, Pace™ Palette, Gallup StrengthsFinder, etc.)
• Supervise programs of mock interviews and resume reviews with students and offer constructive feedback to advisors and students alike
• Solve student problems at a high level through the engagement of Associate Director, Director, etc., as needed
• Be able to use several career-development instruments, e.g., MBTI, Color Palette, StrengthsFinder, DISC, etc.

The ADSSA will use critical and creative thinking skills and exercise broad-ranging decision-making and insightful judgment in order to help students:

• Articulate the values they hold as they change over time
• Define their responsibilities and obligations to family, communities, and on the global stage
• Establish SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant, Time-bound) academic and career goals in alignment with their values and aspirations
• Chart many potential paths to reach academic and professional goals
• Change course, when advisable or necessary
• Find academic, career, and co-curricular experiences that align with their personal path
• Translate academic, career, and co-curricular experiences into the world of work
• Compose and design professional presentation materials in alignment with their goals (i.e., create a personal brand)
• Define and overcome obstacles to achieving academic and career goals through timely intervention and support
• Identify relevant professional organizations and publications
• Build their extended communities or boards of advisors
  
  

Administration

• Exercise impeccable discretion to implement University, school-specific, and program-specific policies with respect to student status at the university by evaluating and adjudicating:
  • Transfer credit evaluation requests
  • Advanced placement and advanced standing requests
  • Exceptions to degree requirements
  • Degree audits to determine student eligibility to graduate
  • Probationary status
  • Dismissal 
• Provide input to dismissal appeals and readmission requests after suspension and dismissal
• Provide ongoing input to policy development
• Chair and serve on multiple committees, both internal and external to the advising unit
• Lead ad hoc committees, working groups, or teams to execute programs or initiatives
• Coordinate and collaborate on initiatives, events, and programs that promote student persistence and academic and career trajectory learning
• Maintain scheduled and walk-in advising appointments with students
• Respond empathetically and accurately to student inquiries in a timely manner
• Maintain and update student records and data, including documentation of student interactions, in relevant institutional systems (Banner, DegreeWorks, Starfish, NACElink) accurately and in a timely manner
• Provide regular reports and accurate data regarding activities
• Sustain an accurate, up-to-date body of knowledge about curricula across the institution and the current career landscape in the relevant fields
• Escalate issues appropriately and speedily
• Work collaboratively with other members of Student Success 
• Attend unit staff meetings, advisor forums, etc.
• Participate in orientation, academic and career services events, recruitment, student life and engagement initiatives, and graduation 
• Represent Student Success at programs and functions outside of normal business hours
• Stay apprised of national developments in the field of academic and career advising 
• Engage in ongoing training and development opportunities, and especially cross-train in at least two other units of Student Success

  Faculty-Facing Program Administration

• Establish and cultivate relationships with administrators and faculty to ensure accurate and timely communication of student needs, obstacles, and questions
• Serve as a liaison to faculty in assigned programs regarding academic planning, curriculum, and career outcomes; attend and participate in regular meetings held by programs and schools
• Create presentations and present them to administrators and faculty about the work of Student Success Advising
• Enhance faculty/advising relationships through concerted cultivation of connections and communications across divisions, schools, colleges, and programs

  Employer-Facing Administration

• Conduct employer site visits with career services
• Co-present with employers on career development and personal branding options
• Attend career fairs and panels, employer meetings, and site visits

Minimum Qualifications:  

 

• Master’s degree and 2 years of experience supervising individuals
• 3-5 years related experience in higher education with a focus on student engagement and advising
• Demonstrates through tangible examples a commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice understanding that is integrated into their advising philosophy 
• Superior student services skills
• Experience implementing policy as pertains to student status at a college or university
• Demonstrated excellence in interpersonal skills, including sensitivity to cultural differences 
• Proven abilities in personal judgment and critical thinking skills to help others make values-based decisions regarding academic, career, and other success paths
• Strong presentation, written, and verbal communication skills 
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to work on multiple projects both independently and as part of a team 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and ability to learn new computer applications 
• Able to lift and carry objects, less than 40 pounds, on occasion 

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Higher Education Administration, or a field related to academic offerings at The New School
• 5 or more years of professional work experience in higher education, with a focus on advising
• Knowledge of Banner, DegreeWorks, and Starfish
• Experience with NACADA, EAB, NACE, NASPA, LinkedIn, or other advising-related professional organizations and tools