Location: Various, NY Category: Professional Posted On: Tue Jul 30 2024 Job Description:

Empire State University seeks an innovative and mission-driven Director of Academic Advising (State Title: Director of Academic Advisement) to build and lead an online centralized academic advisement model guided by national standards, strategic priorities, and a strong commitment to student success through data-informed advising practices. The Director will lead and manage a large online professional academic advising team, whose activities include transcript review, recommending appropriate courses, cultivating relationships with assigned students, referring students to appropriate university resources, and helping students build academic degree programs that align with their professional and personal goals. In addition, the director will supervise the Coordinator of First Enrollment, who leads a team dedicated to advising new undergraduate students as part of the orientation process and supporting prospect development with transcript evaluation and relevant degree options. Leadership will also include assessing and ensuring the delivery of high-quality advising services to students and collaborating with faculty, staff, and administrators to develop and implement advising policies, procedures, and programs that support student success and retention. Additionally, the director will play a key role in fostering a supportive and inclusive advising environment that meets the diverse needs of students, including working with learners of all ages from diverse linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The Director of Academic Advising reports to the Associate Provost for Student Success.

Specific Job Duties Include:

• Develop strategic plans and goals for the academic advising unit in alignment with national standards and the institution's mission and objectives.

• Collaborate with university key stakeholders such as faculty leadership, student support offices, etc., to build a high-quality centralized academic advising model and manage the implementation of the model.

• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate advising staff to ensure effective performance and ongoing professional development.

• Oversee the professional staff delivery of comprehensive academic advising services to students, including transcript evaluation, course selection, and degree planning, including, in some cases, offering related credit-bearing studies or supporting students seeking prior learning credit and referrals to support services.

• Continuously identify and implement best practices in advising strategies to enhance student success and retention.

• Collect and analyze data related to advising outcomes, student satisfaction, and retention rates to inform decision-making and continuous improvement efforts.

• Oversee the implementation and utilization of advising technology platforms to enhance service delivery and efficiency.

• Collaborate with the Center for Mentoring, Teaching, Learning and Innovation and key stakeholders within Academic Affairs to develop and deliver training programs for advisors on advising best practices, academic policies, and student support resources.

• Develop outreach initiatives to promote advising services and engage students in proactive advising activities.

• Develop and manage the Advising Center budget, including resource allocation and expenditure monitoring.

• Ensure compliance with relevant institutional policies, state regulations, and accreditation standards related to academic advising, including engaging in shared governance discussions where appropriate.

• As a member of the Student Success Senior Leadership team, participate in regularly scheduled meetings, team building, professional development, governance, and university development.

  Job Requirements:

Required Qualifications:

• A master's degree in higher education, counseling, or another field with significant advising experience.

• A minimum of five years' academic advising experience, with progressively responsible roles, including supervisory experience for multiple years.

• Thorough understanding of academic advising theories, practices, and trends in higher education.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to develop creative solutions to complex issues, including collaboration across departments.

• Experience with assessment of academic advising services.

• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to inspire and motivate a team and employ conflict resolution skills if needed.

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in advising practices and program development.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including effective communication with students, faculty, staff, and administrators from diverse linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in an online institution.

• Experience supervising in a union environment.

• Experience in budget management.

• Certification in academic advising (e.g., NACADA certification).

• Proficiency in advising technology platforms and student information systems.

• Experience with data analysis and reporting tools.

• Prior knowledge of and experience working with bilingual and emergent bilingual learners, particularly in online settings.

• Prior experience working effectively with faculty, staff, and students from diverse linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Special Information:

• Occasional travel may be required.

• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

• Occasional weekend and evening work may be required.

• SUNY Empire provides employees with robust remote and flexible work options to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff in a dispersed work environment.

• This title is in Appendix A of the SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees and, as a consequence, incumbents serving in this title are not eligible for permanent appointment.

  Additional Information:

Rank/Salary: SL5 / $85,000-$95,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Empire State University is an EOE employer.

We are pleased to offer our employees an excellent benefit package which includes NYS health insurance, free dental and vision, competitive retirement options, and generous vacation, sick and holiday accruals; and a strong emphasis on work-life balance. We also offer professional-development activities for professionals and support staff.

IF YOU NEED A DISABILITY-RELATED ACCOMMODATION, PLEASE CALL THE ADA COORDINATOR AT (518) 587-2100, ext. 2240. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TITLE II CRIME AWARENESS AND SECURITY ACT, A COPY OF OUR CRIME STATISTICS IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST BY CALLING (518) 587-2100, ext. 2800. IT CAN ALSO BE VIEWED ON-LINE AT THE SAFETY AND SECURITY WEBSITE AT www.sunyempire.edu/safety-security/ (http://www.esc.edu/safety-security) .