Director of Veteran Students Outreach and Support, Technical Advisor for the Student Information

Vassar College

Director of Veteran Students Outreach and Support, Technical Advisor for the Student Information System (SIS)

Department: Admissions and Financial Aid
Duration of Position: Other
Work Schedule:
Employee Type: Administrator
Posting Date: 04/07/2022
Union Representation: Not Applicable
Posting Number: AS207P
Pay Rate:

About Vassar College
Located in the scenic Mid-Hudson Valley, Vassar College is a highly selective, residential, coeducational liberal arts college. Vassar is deeply committed to fostering a community that reflects the values of a liberal arts education and to promoting an environment of equality, diversity and inclusiveness. Vassar seeks to create a pluralistic community for all staff, faculty and students. Vassar College is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity employer, and applications from women, individuals with disabilities and members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged.Vassar College is a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus.Note: Vassar College has a universal vaccination policy requiring a COVID-19 vaccination, including a booster, for all employees except for those exempt for medical or religious reasons.

Position Summary and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Dean of Admission and Student Financial Services, the Director of Veteran Students Outreach and Support will develop and implement a veterans recruitment process as well as collaborate with offices and departments across campus and off-campus to facilitate veterans' transition to and continued thriving at Vassar. The Director will build out the Vassar Veterans Initiative and serve as Vassar's lead point of contact for prospective students who are active duty or who have served in the U.S. military. The Director will also act as a key adviser and advocate for enrolling and enrolled veterans. This role will require regular hands-on, proactive, responsive, and inclusive work. The Director will oversee Veterans Administration (VA) work-study students in support of the Vassar Veterans Initiative. The Director will work closely with students, faculty, and other administrators to support Vassar's commitment to engaged pluralism and an institutional environment that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is a fixed, five-year term position subject to renewal.

Veteran Students Outreach and Support

• Recruit and support veteran students at the College.
• Develop and employ innovative approaches to recruiting and retaining veteran students.
• Counsel veteran applicants on all aspects of the admission process, especially with an eye for unique regulatory issues, GI Bill benefits, and the Yellow Ribbon program. Conduct outreach to community college veterans' centers and on-base educational centers; participate in veteran-specific college fairs and other outreach opportunities.
• Support veteran students throughout their Vassar career by connecting them to Dean of College offices, Dean of Faculty, and other resources as needed.
• Effectively manage the Vassar Veterans initiative budget, and develop and implement long-range strategic planning with the goal of growing the numbers of veterans per class over the next three to five years.
• Serve as the campus veterans certifying official and VA benefits specialist, which includes performing and maintaining official certifications of veteran students' records, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, and performing routine required audits, and keeping up to date with and monitoring federal, state, and local policies.
• Prepare written reports, presentations, campus communications, and student outreach.
• Meet individually and in groups with student veterans to address challenges particularly related to military separation and college enrollment, academics, student employment, well-being, family life, and finances.
• Advise, mentor, develop programming and leadership activities in concert with other offices, and link veterans to campus resources to advance their undergraduate scholarly pursuits and post-graduate planning.
• Plan and oversee an annual pre-orientation program focused on veterans and held prior to the college-wide new student orientation.
• Build networks with faculty, administrative offices (e.g., Student Financial Services, Dean of Students, Student Growth and Engagement, Health Services, Counseling, Student Employment, Registrar, etc.), and academic advisers and departments to advocate for and serve the unique needs of veteran students.
• Serve on appointed College committees including the First-Year Experience Advisory Committee, the Campus Climate Education and Support Team, the Student Support Network, and others as needed.
• Serve as Vassar's liaison with Vet2Vet, the American Talent Initiative's committee on veterans, Service to School's VetLink, Warrior Scholars, and others; local networking with veteran's centers in the area and fellow directors of veteran students outreach and support.
• Build partnerships with community organizations for local projects to support the interests and leadership development of veterans at Vassar and in the Poughkeepsie community.
• Network with alumni affinity groups and other constituencies that can support veteran students' communities and initiatives.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

Technical Advisor for Student Information Systems (SIS)

• Participate on the SIS CIS team to identify needs and solutions for automating Registrar activities.
• Identify and address problems in workflow that need redesign to best perform with new SIS.
• Advocate for Registrar needs in conversion.
• Be part of SIS user testing efforts at all stages of the conversion.

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of leadership experience in working with U.S. military communities and/or veterans affairs
• Ten or more years of experience with all aspects of Registrar’s activities
• Professional work experience in college admission and/or experience in recruitment
• Ability to work effectively in a small, diverse, and engaged community
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice education, equity, inclusion, and diversity initiatives
• Comprehensive knowledge of military benefits, terminology, and programs to include services to persons with disabilities
• Ability to research, understand, analyze, and interpret complex federal and state regulations related to veterans’ benefits
• Successful leadership experience in highly complex environments and experience responding to multiple constituencies, including during moments of crisis
• Familiarity with efforts and best practices in higher education aimed at the recruitment, support, and retention of veterans
• Effective organizational, communication, interpersonal, and facilitation skills
• Exhibit maturity, flexibility, professionalism, and sound judgment
• Ability to work independently and cooperatively within the department and the larger College community
• Demonstrated effectiveness in motivating and working collaboratively in an academic community, including partnering with faculty, administrators, staff, and students.
• Knowledge of and comfort with SIS systems

Education/Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree is required, and a Master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred

Travel Requirements:

• As needed

Special Instructions to Applicants
To complete your on-line application, you will be required to attach your resume, cover letter, and contact information for 3 professional references. All attachments must be in PDF format. Review of applications will begin immediately. If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources, 845-437-5820.

For full consideration applicants should apply by:

All applicants must apply online at: https://employment.vassar.edu/postings/2537.

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