Alverno College is looking for an individual to perform the following primary responsibilities:
Advising/Student Contact
- Provide one-on-one academic advising to new and continuing Weekday College students across all majors.
- Build rapport with advisees of diverse backgrounds by creating a respectful, supportive and non-judgmental environment.
- Assist students with registration planning, creating a schedule and understanding the registration process.
- Collaboratively develop personalized graduation plans with students. Provide accurate information regarding requirements for graduation.
- Facilitate problem-solving with students regarding academic, career and life concerns. Provide holistic support and resources.
- Facilitate the exploration of majors/career options. Assist students to connect their interests, values and strengths to potential career areas.
- Discuss academic progress/academic status with students, especially related to early alert notifications and mid-semester progress reports.
- Create and lead small and large group presentations in classrooms, orientations, and other campus settings.
- Familiarize students with campus resources and refer/connect students as needed.
- Provide accurate and timely information to students about College policies and procedures
Record Keeping
- Maintain and update accurate advising notes following student/advisor interactions.
- Determine when advisees are eligible for the addition of a faculty advisor/mentor and facilitate that process
- Monitor, proactively investigate and update information in the early alert system regarding advisees.
- Track student progress and registration. Update student information system accordingly
Administrative Responsibilities/Planning
- Review new/readmit student transcripts and academic information to determine appropriate course placements. Prepare a registration plan including schedule requirements/recommendations.
- Initiate emails, forms, requests, inquiries and permits in conjunction with student advising follow-up.
- Run reports and enter updates into the student information system as needed.
- Process Student-on-Leaves and Official Withdrawals.
- Become an expert on the Weekday College curriculum and requirements. Maintain curricular knowledge through continuous learning and review. Provide leadership and expertise related to updates to Academic Maps.
- Facilitate/lead projects related to cross-campus advising initiatives and student retention/persistence.
- Participate as a member of various college-wide committees/work groups.
- Serve as the Advising Office liaison with discipline and/or academic support departments. Provide support to Faculty Advisors.
- Prepare for meetings of the Undergraduate Committee on the Status of Students by reviewing student academic progress and making academic status recommendations.
Other Responsibilities
- Support the overall functions of the Advising Office, including staffing the front desk as needed.
- Participate in official College functions when appropriate.
- Be respectful of the College’s visions of a balanced and healthy lifestyle strategy which includes the Seven Dimensions of Wellness: Career, Emotional, Environmental, Intellectual, Physical, Social and Spiritual.
- Comply with College policies, safety procedures, and maintain clean and orderly work areas.
- Perform other tasks as necessary to support the mission of the College and the Advising Office.
Requirements
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 3 years of advising-related work in a higher education setting is required.
- Master’s degree in a higher education or a related field is strongly preferred.
- Spanish/bilingual skills are strongly preferred.
- Required to work on-campus and meet with students face-to-face. With approval, some remote hours are possible. Occasional evening/weekend hours.
- Active and empathetic listener.
- Effective communication skills, including via virtual platforms such as Zoom and Teams.
- Demonstrated ability to interact with a diverse community including a wide range of ethnic, multicultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize competing work demands.
- Must be comfortable with frequent interruptions and professionally respond to variations in schedules/plans.
- Ability to work independently, be self-motivated/self-directed and take initiative.
- Demonstrated ability to utilize creative and critical thinking skills when solving problems.
- Ability to communicate and respond professionally in a timely manner with multiple audiences.
- Must be able to establish and cultivate effective and collaborative relationships with students, staff and faculty.
- Robust attention to detail especially related to the complexities of the Alverno curriculum, systems and processes.
- Willingness to “go the extra mile” for students and to act as student advocate.
- Experience with student information systems (especially Ellucian Colleague, Self-Service & Student Planning and Pharos 360) is extremely beneficial. Proficient with Microsoft Office.
- Prior knowledge of Title IX, FERPA, ADA and other regulatory and accreditation requirements helpful.
Working Conditions
- General office environment.
- Must be able to freely move throughout the campus. Must have the ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Requires the ability to speak and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision.