"Student Services Specialist"

Job Details

Special Instructions to Applicants: Applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in PDF format to the Supporting Documents section of the application.

About Rice

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in how we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — which stands for Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.

Position Summary

The Student Support Specialist will serve as a navigator for graduate students, helping guide them to appropriate resources on campus. The person in this position will be responsible for communication and visibility of opportunities and processes related to graduate student academics, as well as identifying and addressing gaps in relevant student services. These student cases include physical and mental health concerns, as well as academic issues. This individual will serve as a navigator for students, offering empathy and referring students to relevant experts. Based in the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, this position will work with other campus offices both on individual student cases and in the development of graduate student programming.

Provides constructive advice and resources to help retain graduate students in their studies or to help them transition away from graduate study, as appropriate. The ideal candidate is committed to becoming an expert on existing policies and procedures and is able to ask for assistance when needed, appropriately support individual graduate students, and advocate for resources that benefit all graduate students.

Workplace Requirements

This position is full-time and on campus. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the proposed salary range is $56,000 to $61,000 annually, depending on qualifications and experience

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience above and beyond what is required, on a year-for-year basis, may be substituted.
• 2+ years of experience in graduate student affairs, counseling, or mentoring.
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education above and beyond what is required, on a year-for-year basis, may be substituted.

Skills:

• Knowledge of well-being case management or community-level social services, and experience applying those frameworks professionally
• Ability to problem-solve and support or advise students in personal or academic crisis
• Strong communication and rapport-building skills, with experience collaborating with faculty, staff, students, families, and administrators
• Ability to multitask and manage multiple projects with competing deadlines
• Demonstrated understanding of the experiences of students in transition and the strategies necessary to facilitate their success
• Experience and comfort working with diverse populations

Preferences

• Experience working with international students, graduate students, privacy policies such as FERPA, and case management

Essential Functions

• Provide case management for students whose behavior, academic progress, or mental or physical impairment indicates a need for assistance, including identifying student problems and arranging needed services both on and off campus
• Identify and advise students needing additional support and provide sustained, individualized, holistic, and developmentally appropriate coaching to assist in academic, social, leadership, and interpersonal development
• Assist graduate students in developing roadmaps for success at the University, using varied strategies to facilitate the identification and implementation of goals
• Assist in monitoring student academic performance and persistence toward graduation, preparing reports, and maintaining student files as necessary
• Maintain awareness of best practices in proactive and holistic advising, student success coaching, and the higher education and student affairs landscape, integrating these approaches into advising practices
• Assist in developing student success interventions, workshops, trainings, and mental health outreach programming
• Coordinate with other campus offices to implement University-wide policies and practices that proactively support graduate students
• Perform all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Advise students who self-identify or are identified as needing assistance due to academic, physical health, mental health, financial, or behavioral concerns
• Develop and maintain a log of interactions and, as necessary, serve as a case manager for individual students
• Work with the Director of Student Support to develop protocols for common situations affecting graduate students
• Advise the Director of Student Support on emerging needs affecting student support
• May mentor other GPS staff in student support, serving as an expert on graduate student policies and practices, including the General Announcements
• Identify, propose solutions, and execute projects to address gaps in student support
• Represent the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Campus Advisory Team meetings
• Assist with the coordination of other functions as needed

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University