Assistant Director, Student Advising

The mission of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is the development of professional health care practitioners through innovation, individualized, and quality classroom, clinical, and distance education.

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Assistant Director, Student Advising manages Student Advising functions and key responsibilities under the oversight of the Executive Director, Student Affairs. Key focus areas for this position include leading centralized advising for the University, implementation of initiatives and programs to increase student success and retention, communicating and reinforcing departmental and university goals, developing and evaluating new initiatives, onboarding and managing the Student Success Advisors.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Advising

• Provide accurate, proactive, and holistic advisement to students at the appropriate level (pre- or post-professional); demonstrate ability to do so across multiple campuses or programs.
• Effectively utilize existing tools and resources; provide recommendations for improvement and/or facilitates streamlining to increase team productivity.
• Facilitate advising model that emphasizes student decision-making, problem-solving, goal setting, and attainment strategies, and make appropriate recommendations/referrals.
• Model expertise in multiple advising strategies as well as core competencies as defined by professional associations; provide suggestions for evidence-based program delivery improvements.
• Manage processes related to new SSA screening, hiring, onboarding, and training.
• Create and maintain standard operating procedures for the SSA role at the appropriate level/program (pre- and/or post-professional) in alignment with University vision/goals and professional standards.
• Assist the Exec. Director, Student Affairs with development and maintenance of departmental policies and procedures.
• Serve as point of contact for students, faculty, and staff in the absence of other SSAs.

New Student Onboarding

• Oversee the new student onboarding process (pre- or post-professional) at all stages of the planning process prior to the start of each new term. Tasks include development of consistent student communication materials/plans, updating resources and documents, coordinating cross-department timelines, oversight of execution across the Student Services team.
• Oversee student programming including new student orientation (or comparable) events for appropriate student population(s).

Academic Support and Administration

• Assist the Exec. Director, Student Affairs with strategic planning and assessment for Student Affairs functions.
• Create and maintain electronic academic records for students/advisees in compliance with all applicable regulations; effectively track student progress to improve student satisfaction and retention efforts, decrease fallbacks, and increase first-time licensure pass rates.
• Assist with testing, rollout, and training related to software platforms and technologies to improve advisor performance and enhance the student experience.
• Maintain highest levels of expertise in academic support and retention strategies and best practices specific to the graduate student population being served.
• Contribute to implementation of new programs and initiatives to improve student success as well as assessment of services.
• Build collaborative partnerships with Program Directors, faculty advisors and other members of academic leadership to clarify roles and encourage seamless advising across the University
• Develop satisfaction instruments and assessment of student success initiatives; coordinate data collection and sharing with internal University stakeholders.
• Serve as liaison with leadership in other departments to provide feedback and data impacting critical initiatives and projects related to the student experience on an as needed basis.
• Collaborate with Student Wellness case management including serving on the University Behavioral Intervention Team

TRAVEL

Travel to other USAHS campus locations required up to 20%.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

May perform other duties and responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time.

POSITION IN ORGANIZATION

Reports to:Executive Director, Student Affairs

Positions Supervised:   Student Success Advisors

TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL & PEOPLE SKILLS REQUIRED

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Incumbents will be evaluated, in part, based on performance of each essential function.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Master's Degree in higher education administration, counseling, student personnel, or related field required.
• Minimum of five years of professional experience in advisement in a college or university preferred
• Evidence of strong organizational, communication, and computer skills, specifically MS Office products
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team
• A student-centered approach to advising

BUSINESS COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Being Resilient - Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.
• Instills Trust - Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Drives Results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Innovation - Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
• Customer Focus - Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Drives Engagement (People Managers Only) - Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
• People Leadership (People Managers Only) - Leads by example when it comes to finding and developing talent, with a focus on talent acquisition strategies, setting performance targets that raises standards and development of high potential talent.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment but may involve exposure to moderate noise levels. Work involves operation of personal computer equipment for six to eight hours daily and includes physical demands associated with a traditional office setting, e.g., walking, standing, communicating, and other physical functions as necessary.