Associate Director of Undergraduate Retention and Achievement (Student Retention Specialist)

More information about the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University may be found.

Job Summary

This professional position serves as 1 of the Associate Directors of Undergraduate Retention and Student Success in the College of Arts and Sciences (the College), which serves approximately 14,000 active undergraduate students pursuing Bachelor's degrees along with minor and certificate programs in 3 disciplinary areas within the core College and 3 schools: The Media School, the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design, and the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

Department- Specific Responsibilities

• Provides primary intervention to students who have encountered academic difficulty.
• Applies comprehensive knowledge and understanding of retention strategies and skill in teaching students strategic decision-making skills.
• Conducts regular outreach to students based on faculty feedback in the Student Engagement Roster, the campus First Year Early Advising initiative and other outreach campaigns.
• Counsels students about the nature and content of a liberal arts education and intervenes effectively with students who encounter academic difficulty to preserve their ability to earn their degrees.
• Connects students to appropriate College and campus resources in response to factors that have impacted academic performance.
• Serves as team lead on issues related to the Fresh Start policy and Sequential Second Degrees.
• Works with team members to assess student retention and to develop programs to enhance student success, retention, persistence, and improve graduation rates of students in the College.
• Identifies areas of concern and administrative barriers that impact student success and persistence and proposes solutions for resolving issues/removing barriers.
• Develops training programs and conducts interventions that support the undergraduate educational mission of the University and that enhance the performance, retention, and graduation rates of students in the College.
• Works with the Student Success team to improve collaboration with other student-facing offices in the College and University, such as academic advisors, on targeted areas related to undergraduate student success and retention.
• Develops and delivers workshops and ongoing training to professional academic advisors in the College on targeted areas related to undergraduate student retention and persistence.
• Considers with impartial compassion student petitions based on College policy and resolves complex student issues equitably.
• Applies advanced problem-solving skills and exercises sound judgement to determine when exceptions are appropriate, understanding that they can be precedent setting.
• Applies comprehensive knowledge of College and University policies and procedures for appeals at various levels and provides counsel to faculty, staff, and students regarding these processes.
• Represents the College in various contexts on matters related to retention and student success.

General Responsibilities

• Develops and distributes reports of enrollment, year-over-year retention, progress toward degree completion, and graduation for distribution to leaders in enrollment management and across various student services functions. Maintains historical reports for trend analysis and benchmarking.
• Serves on committees and works collaboratively with other student services staff to maintain an understanding of the full student life-cycle and typical barriers to retention, degree completion, and graduation.
• Develops and implements retention programs, initiatives, and targeted communications to improve student enrollment and retention outcomes.
• Performs targeted outreach and interacts directly with at-risk students, connecting them with resources to navigate barriers to completion.
• Evaluates enrollment data to determine the effectiveness of current enrollment processes; liaises with and serves as a resource for academic departments, offices, programs, and schools across campus to develop and realize enrollment goals.
• Determines enrollment demand and mechanisms for maximizing enrollment capacity for specific courses and may make recommendations to appropriate registrar and academic representatives on future course offerings.
• Performs industry research and makes recommendations for process improvements in line with industry best practices.
• May provide guidance to lower-level Student Retention Specialists.

Qualifications

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor's degree in business, public policy, or related field.

Preferred

• Master's degree in a liberal arts discipline.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 5 years in enrollment management, admissions, student services, higher education, or related field.

Preferred

• 5 years professional experience in an advising, teaching, and/or administrative role in a university setting, preferably including a minimum of 1 year of teaching experience at the post-secondary level.
• Experience in university administration and successful collegial experience in an office environment.

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient written and verbal communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrated time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
• Highly thorough and dependable.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
• Ability to interpret federal, state, and institutional rules and regulations.

Preferred

• Solid grounding in liberal arts and sciences.
• Sound interpersonal skills; judgment; discretion; considerable tact.
• Ability to maintain sympathetic impartiality in resolving disputes.
• Broad understanding of the majors and degrees in all the disciplines, departments, and programs in the College.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Ability to adhere to deadlines.
• Innovative and creative thinking to respond to changing demands and conditions in order to support student success, retention, and persistence.
• Advanced level of expertise with databases and spreadsheets as well as IU student records and advising systems.

Working Conditions / Demands

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

Work Location

Bloomington, Indiana

Advertised Salary

$57,000 - $65,000 annualized salary (paid monthly)

Benefits Overview

For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:

• Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
• Health savings account with generous IU contributions
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Basic group life insurance paid by IU
• Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
• Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
• Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
• 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
• Generous paid time off plans
• Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure.

Job Classification

Career Level: Advanced

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Student Services

Job Family: Enrollment Mgmt & Retention

Click here to learn more about Indiana University's Job Framework.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

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Telephone: 812-856-1234