Academic Advisor

Benefits of Working at UNCW

Want to become a soaring UNCW Seahawk and work at one of the best universities on the East Coast? Want to put your toes in the sand after a day of work? The University of North Carolina Wilmington offers a wonderfully vibrant university community along with a beautiful location just miles from the beach. Employees of UNCW are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other programs, resources, policies, and practices that help to support a work/life balance.

Recruitment Range

Determined based on qualifications and/or experience.

Vacancy Number: E1560

Location of Workplace: Main UNCW Campus

Home Department: Center for Academic Advising - 30120

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit

Academic Affairs is the central division for implementing the mission of the University of North Carolina Wilmington. ... The primary focus of the Center for Academic Advising is to ensure that students make a successful transition to UNCW, are retained in good academic standing, and identify and declare an appropriate major.

Brief Summary of Work for this Position

The Academic Advisor supports approximately 225-250 new and returning students in support of the Center for Academic Advising's strategic goals regarding orientation, transitional support, enrollment, retention, persistence, progression, and major declaration. ... This position will report to one of the Assistant Directors.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provides both in-person and virtual academic advising to Center for Academic Advising students following a developmental and appreciative advising process.
• Assists CAA students in developing a timely and efficient academic plan customized as appropriate to their needs.
• Provides goal setting and motivation and suggests engagement/co-curricular opportunities for students, as necessary.
• Advises students on course selections appropriate to the student's academic goals, monitors academic performance, assists in the timely declaration of a major or pre-major, maintains advising files, and supports students during academic and personal difficulty, and makes appropriate referrals as needed.
• Manages end-of-semester needs, including communication with students who may be ineligible to continue to the next terms. Supports students with low GPA as they work toward academic recovery.
• Advises new CAA students at Summer and January orientations and establishes relationships with new advisees as the primary academic contact, especially during the first semester transition period.
• Assists "drop-in" students through virtual or in-person requests and refers advisees to resource specialists as needed.
• Teaches students how to navigate the MySeaport portal and find critical information and use various tools such as Degree Audit, Starfish, and the Registration System.
• Integrates career development concepts and strategies into the developmental advising process and assists students with developing awareness and identifying strengths and weaknesses in the process.
• Maintains student records and documents student interaction in Starfish and other systems as appropriate.
• Monitors student academic performance and assists with university retention efforts.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree in Education, Counseling, Psychology, Student Affairs, or a closely related field, with three years of progressive experience in academic advising, student support services, or a comparable area; or a Master's degree in Education, Counseling, Psychology, Student Affairs, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience utilizing a range of software applications and educational technologies, including Microsoft Office Suite, learning management systems, and other technology-enhanced delivery platforms.

This position may require irregular work hours, including occasional evenings and weekends.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• 2-3 years of experience, preferably in academic advising, coaching, career counseling, or retention initiatives focused on working with new students transitioning to a college or university setting.
• Masters degree in higher education, counseling, student affairs or a closely related field.
• Possess skill, knowledge, and ability to communicate with a broad constituency.
• Experience advising college students in a formal or informal capacity.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation & organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to attend to details with a high degree of accuracy.
• Evidence of previous success in working with students, faculty, and families.
• Proficiency with word processing, databases, spreadsheets, desktop publishing and web page maintenance software.
• Experience offering a high-level of customer service in a fast-paced environment.