Director of Advising

The Director of Advising will collaborate and lead an academic advising team in the development, coordination and delivery of advising, and student success programs, engagement initiates and support services for students in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Reporting to the Director of Business and Operations, the Director of Advising has responsibility for academic advising programs and co-supervising the Academic Navigator program staff located within the College. The Director sets unit goals and priorities, especially focused on increasing the retention rate from first to second year, increasing four- and six-year graduation rates and reducing college equity gaps.

The academic advising team provides support to approximately 1,100 undergraduate and 100 graduate students across eight academic programs including bachelor's degrees in advertising and public relations, broadcasting, journalism and sports media and communications, master's specializations in integrated media and communications and professional journalism and graduate certificates in public relations and social media and financial communications.

The Director represents the College in campus wide advising and student success committees and initiatives, regularly interacting with faculty and administrators from across campus. Actively contributes to a collaborative campus wide culture for academic advising. Develops and maintains relationships of trust among colleagues in units and colleges across campus. Leads and develops diversity and inclusion goals for the college, including coordinating training for staff to deepen understanding of how cultural context, differences, and institutional/social barriers influence the student experience and to apply inclusive advising strategies for all students to ensure that all students succeed. Provides leadership and support for academic advising team including hiring, training and ongoing staff development for academic advisors.

Directs efforts to develop and coordinate both required and optional programs for CoJMC students to fulfill strategic priorities and goals. Promotes a supportive, positive, and collaborative team environment and approach both within the College and with campus partners. Manages all aspects of advising operations for, including obtaining, maintaining, and managing physical and human resources; managing academic business processes; developing budget proposals and records; and maintaining physical resources necessary for high quality student service for CoJMC students. Coordinates obtaining and analyzing unit data on student outcomes needed for regular college reporting and decision making.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

Master's degree plus at least five (5) years of increasingly progressive, relevant experience in a higher education academic unit. Experience supervising staff and contributing to a positive, supportive, and collaborative staff team environment. Experience successfully collaborating with colleagues from other campus units. Demonstrated experience in meeting the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. Demonstrated evidence of establishing and accomplishing goals with minimal supervision. Must have evidence of successfully working in a fast-paced environment with multiple demands and changing needs. Demonstrated ability to process and communicate detailed academic information and policies and procedures to students and other populations.

Deep understanding of higher education environment including an understanding of programs, policies, and procedures of a university environment and of undecided or pre-professional advising units. Ability to supervise personnel. Ability to analyze each situation, come to an appropriate decision, and implement or act without hesitation and with complete confidence. Ability to collaborate with and navigate a complex decentralized advising system is a must. Exceptional public speaking skills and excellent listening and teaching skills. Must be very organized and manage time well, with critical attention to interpersonal and team building skills with staff. Computer skills with Microsoft Office products and an understanding of programs supported across campus which influence student files (uAchieve/Degree Planning, TargetX, MyRed, MyPLAN/CRM). Critical thinking, analysis, collaboration, and decision-making skills to make the best assessments.

Preferred Qualifications:

Resource allocation experience preferred. Demonstrated experience with data analysis. Experience serving students in transition helpful.

Posted Salary: $65,000/yr minimum

Job Type: Full-Time

As an EO/AA employer, the University of Nebraska considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See https://equity.unl.edu/notice-nondiscrimination/.