SPA Academic Operations & Admissions Professional

SPA Academic Operations & Admissions Professional

University of Colorado | Denver

Official Title: Academic Services Intermediate Professional
Working Title: SPA Academic Operations & Admissions Professional
Salary Range: $54,164 - $59,865 (the anticipated hiring salary is approximately $55,000, depending on experience and internal equity.)
FTE: Full-time
Position #: 00781390 - Requisition #39317

About the University of Colorado - Denver

Millions of moments start at CU Denver, a place where innovation, research, and learning meet in the heart of a global city. We're the state's premier public urban research university with more than 100 in-demand, top ranked bachelors, master's, and doctoral degree programs. We partner with diverse learners-at any stage of their life and career-for transformative educational experiences. Across seven schools and colleges, our leading faculty inspires and works alongside students to solve complex challenges and produce impactful creative work. As part of the state's largest university system, CU Denver is a major contributor to the Colorado economy, with 2,000 employees and an annual economic impact of $800 million. To learn more about how CU Denver helps learners meet their moment, visit ucdenver.edu.

Job Description

The School of Public Affairs (SPA) is an academic unit of the University of Colorado Denver. The School provides instruction, applied work and service to the community through many outlets. The SPA Academic Operations & Admissions Professional is an unclassified position requiring knowledge of higher education operations and admissions processing. This position is responsible for coordinating and supporting the course coordination for all academic programs, admissions processing for all graduate programs, this position serves as a resource for school leadership and reports to the Academic Programs Manager.

What you will do:

• Establish SPA production calendar annually and provide regular updates to program directors throughout the year.
• Establish effective communication procedures for advising academic programs and key decision makers about the schedule of courses and all related details.
• Research and verify accuracy of course information, enrollment data, course notes, instructor information, room usage patterns or room features, and Learning Management coding on the integrated student information system (CU-SIS).
• Stay current on student privacy and information security regulations.
• Coordinate the SPA schedule of classes for each term in collaboration with program directors, including ongoing updates such as section additions, cancellations, and corrections. Verify CU-SIS data and ensure all course schedules are accurate and up to date for each enrollment period.
• Coordinate classroom/course rooming for SPA, using EMS rooming software and Outlook calendars, and resolving problems in coordination with the rooming coordinator in the Office of the Registrar to verify correct rooming information in CU-SIS.
• Serve as the main staff position in the college with write-access to CU-SIS.

Registration and Enrollment

• Serve as the main point of contact for registration and enrollment, resolving all issues directly with the students, advisors and the Registrar's office.
• Coordinate the waitlist process each term; tracking course capacity overloads, Quick-Enrolling students into sections, and ensuring waitlisted students obtain access to Canvas.
• Keep student advisors informed of course enrollment and waitlist status each term.
• Provide analysis of enrollment data to program directors to assist with course scheduling and to determine enrollment limit adjustments.
• Develop procedures and reports for recording and comparing enrollment data at established intervals during registration period through census utilizing Excel spreadsheets and reports provided by Institutional Research.
• Work in consultation with the program directors to add or cancel course sections based upon needs analysis.

Course Administration and Logistics

• Serve as SPA's primary contact for Canvas coordination, working with OIT to resolve access, course shell, and term setup issues. Ensure Canvas shells align with course builds in CU-SIS and support instructors in navigating technical or administrative concerns.
• Assess and resolve faculty access issues including initial provisioning to CU-SIS, class rosters, grade reporting and Canvas access issues.
• Serve as the central point of contact for faculty on administrative issues related to courses, including scheduling and rooming preferences

Curriculum

• Manage the Curriculum Review cycle and catalog maintenance; ensuring all edits and revisions follow the appropriate university procedures prior to publication. Establish a tracking system for all curriculum changes and submit necessary forms to the Office of the Registrar and University Curriculum Committee.
• Serve as liaison to the Registrar's Office, requesting additions and deletions of plans and sub-plans, subject codes, courses and managing all other program/plan data.
• Serve as designated editor and staff person in the school with write access to Acalog Catalog Management System for all programs and initiatives in the school, coordinating with program directors, student advisors, and the Registrar's Office to ensure that the catalog is accurate and inclusive of all degree requirements in the college.

Admission Processing, Records Management, and Decisioning

• Coordinate admissions and records for the School of Public Affairs, this generally includes:
• Admissions decisioning for Degree and Non-degree graduate applicants.
• Complete the full application review, and if necessary, request and track additional information needed.
• Coordinate with Program Directors when additional review is necessary.
• Follow up regularly with applicants who are missing additional requested information following initial review.
• Coordinate Official transcript collection for students missing their official or complete transcripts their first semester. Upload transcripts and remove any A1 holds.
• Monitor the spa.admissions inbox and support any inquiries or problems within the scope of the application process.
• Attend bi-weekly or monthly graduate processor meetings, take notes, and share updates with the Recruitment Program Manager.
• Check in weekly with the Recruitment Program Manager on status, challenges, success, and niche situations.
• During nonpeak course and catalog coordination times, partner with the Recruitment Program Manager on yearly tasks, including but not limited to automated mailing refresh and audits, webinar scheduling, and query and report maintenance.

Qualifications you already possess (Minimum Qualifications)

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
• One (1) year of previous professional experience in a higher education institution.
• Proficiency in student information systems (e.g., CU-SIS), learning management systems (e.g., Canvas), and/or reporting tools (e.g., Excel).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including use for tracking, reporting, and organizing data.

Substitution: A combination of education and related technical/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for the bachelor's degree on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CU information Systems.
• Prior experience supporting application processing or admissions in an academic unit, including familiarity with university forms, policies, and procedures.
• Experience coordinating academic scheduling and course catalog updates in a higher education setting.
• Experience coordinating projects, courses, programs, or operations involving multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
• Experience providing customer service.
• Familiarity with university academic policies and procedures, including FERPA compliance and curriculum governance processes.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and orally.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees at all levels throughout the institution.
• Outstanding customer service skills.
• Demonstrate an exceptional understanding of access and engagement with a commitment to developing equitable practices.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects and deadlines simultaneously, often involving coordination with faculty, staff, and campus partners.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy, particularly in reviewing student records, course data, and curriculum documentation.

Conditions of Employment

This position follows a hybrid work structure where employees can work remotely or from the office, as needed, based on demands of specific tasks or personal work preferences. Working from the office is encouraged when working on tasks that require a high degree of collaboration.

Mental, Physical, and/or Environmental Requirements

The ability to sit for extended periods, stand and walk occasionally, reach with hands and arms, use hands to manipulate a keyboard and mouse, and have good near vision for computer work; often requiring minimal lifting, but may involve bending or reaching to retrieve items from shelves or drawers.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established at $54,164 - $59,865. (the anticipated hiring salary is approximately $55,000, depending on experience and internal equity.)
The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.
The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
This position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado Denver provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.
Benefits: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits
Total Compensation Calculator: http://www.cu.edu/node/153125

Application Deadline

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Preference will be given to complete applications received by Friday, April 3, 2026. Those who do not apply by this date may or may not be considered.

Required Application Materials:

To apply, please visit: http://www.cu.edu/cu-careers and attach:

• A cover letter which specifically addresses the job requirements and outlines qualifications
• A current CV/resume
• List of three references (we will notify you prior to contacting both on and off-list references)

Questions should be directed to: Jody Maestas@ucdenver.edu