"Director of Undergraduate Advising"

About Pratt

Pratt Institute provides the creative leaders of tomorrow the professional knowledge and experience to make a better world. A world-class and internationally ranked college with programs in art, design, architecture, liberal arts and sciences, and information studies, Pratt offers nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

The Institute's impact expands beyond its 25-acre residential campus in Brooklyn to cutting-edge facilities throughout the borough, a landmark building and public gallery in Manhattan, as well as an extension campus, Pratt Munson College of Art and Design in Utica, New York. On Governors Island, Pratt is a core partner on the Stony Brook University team selected to develop the New York Climate Exchange, a research and educational hub poised to establish New York City as the global leader for the most pressing issue of our time: climate change. Another extension of Pratt's campus is the Research Yard, a 20,000-square-foot facility that brings together the research activities of Pratt Institute under one roof in the Brooklyn Navy Yard (BNY).

Description

The Office of the Provost is seeking a Director of Undergraduate Advising to provide vision and leadership for an office that works to provide Pratt's highly internationalized and diverse student body with the knowledge, skills, and resources to succeed-and to thrive-at Pratt.

The Office of Undergraduate Advising is guided by the mission and values of Pratt Institute, promoting self-advocacy, respecting individuality, and empowering students to meet their individual goals and challenges. The Office takes a relational approach to serve a creative, diverse and inclusive campus community, encouraging every student to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. The Office fosters a holistic approach to education and student success, assisting students in building meaningful and professional relationships, teaching skills that encourage lifelong learning and success, and inspiring students to recognize their full potential. Guiding students' academic planning, and providing goal-oriented, interest-focused, and academic success services and academic resources, the Office of Undergraduate Advising advances the work of Pratt Institute.

The successful candidate for this position will provide a leadership strategy for the Office as a whole, for its professional staff, and for the students it serves. They will provide senior-level administrative leadership for the Office, ensuring that work of the Office of Undergraduate Advising is understood by the campus community, and considered a partner in our shared work of fostering student success. Through collaboration with the Provost's Office, the Student Affairs division, and academic programs and departments across campus, the Director will ensure that Undergraduate Advising is capable of meeting the needs of a diverse student body, supporting them as they successfully navigate their academic programs, build meaningful and professional relationships, and realize their full potential, developing skills that encourage lifelong learning and success.

Examples of Duties

Leadership

• Articulate a vision for the function of the Office and work collaboratively with professional office staff and colleagues across campus to advance that vision.
• Direct and manage a staff of 12 full-time, professional Academic Advisors, overseeing the successful registration of approximately 3,700 undergraduate students.

Academic Advising & Administration

• Work closely with the Academic Advisors in monitoring all student flags, as well as oversee advisors' engagement with the Institute's early alert and retention software, EAB Starfish. Help students seek the proper resources needed to provide academic support.
• Oversee academic actions and issues around academic performance, including charging the Committee on Academic Standing and monitoring students on Academic Reset and reinstatement following appeal.
• Advise incoming undecided students on their academic requirements, schedules, program changes, as well mentor advisors on advising in general.
• Respond to inquiries from current students, parents, and alumni when appropriate.
• Provide the Provost's Office with timely and accurate reports on active and inactive students.

Collaboration for Student Success

• Establish and maintain respectful, cooperative, and productive work relationships with a wide range of Pratt stakeholders, from students to faculty, staff, and upper administration.
• Be attentive to the needs of the student body, and collaborate with colleagues across campus as needed to ensure students receive the holistic support they need.
• Work collaboratively with the Office of the Registrar to ensure course schedules and registration are accurate and work in an efficient manner.
• Work closely with the various Deans and Chairs to forecast the number and schedule of courses and sections that should be offered in any given semester.
• With retention as a priority, identify adverse student impacts and work with institutional partners to make improvements to the student experience.
• Collaborate with Student Success, Learning/Access Center (L/AC), Student Support and Advocacy, and others to strategize helping individual students experiencing difficulties both in and out of the studio/classroom setting.
• Collaborate on first-year programming, ensuring that students understand the role of academic advising and how the Office supports students including the steps for registration and the change of major process for undecided and Foundation year students.
• Evaluate exit survey data and conduct outreach as needed to identify areas of improvement, understand retention challenges, track departure trends, and provide closure and/or follow-up for withdrawn students.
• Work closely with the Dean and Registrar at our extension campus in Utica, NY to create a seamless transition for the students coming from Utica to Brooklyn.
• Serve on campus committees and task forces, especially those dealing with matters that affect advising-such as academic success, academic retention, curriculum changes, and student interventions, among others.

Professional Development

• Engage in continuous professional development, through professional development and participation in professional groups such as NACADA and NASPA, with the goal of ensuring that the Office and its staff benefit from participation in national conversations about advising, student retention, and student success.
• Work collaboratively with professional office staff to support and assist in their professional development, keep the advising staff updated and current with trends in advising, student retention, and academic success.

Qualifications

Education

A Masters degree in a relevant field such as education, college student personnel, counseling, or a related field or an MFA in one of the studio disciplines taught at Pratt. Knowledge of both undergraduate advising and of art / design education and culture are essential.

Experience

5+ years of experience in a leadership role in college advising; experience in student program development is essential.

Required Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communication and writing skills are required.
• Knowledge of research-based best practices for student development to promote student success.
• Ability to self-manage and work independently as well as collaborate in a team office setting. Strong organizational and program management capabilities, including the ability to manage a variety of complex projects and priorities related to student success in collaboration with other divisions and stakeholders.
• Must be empathetic, well-organized, detail-oriented, and patient; with a desire and ability to work in an artistic environment with a diverse student body.
• Knowledge of advising and registration platforms such as Ellucian Colleague preferred; experience with student success platforms is essential; Starfish preferred.
• Proficiency with the Google Suite, Microsoft Office, and Zoom required.

Benefits

Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA, Company Sponsored Basic Life & AD&D, Company Sponsored Long Term Disability, Flex Spending Account (Health, Dependant Care), Commuter Benefits (Transit & Parking), Disability (NYS), Voluntary Short Term Disability, Voluntary Life Insurance, 403B Retirement Plan, Voluntary Supplemental Retirement Plan, Paid Time Off (Vac & Sick).