Student Success Coach– John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences

POSITION SUMMARY:

This is professional work in the area of Student Services. The Student Success Coach supports the overall mission of Duquesne University, which entails a commitment to the educational development, growth, and future success of our students. As such, the Student Success Coach supports and guides current students, and contributes to the recruitment of future Duquesne University students.

This position requires an individual with exceptional administrative and ‘people’ skills capable of working with administrators, faculty and students in order to provide value added experiences. The successful candidate will be evaluated based on their ability to meet established goals and through feedback from appropriate constituencies. Work will be reviewed through regularly scheduled meetings, reports, analysis, and observation of results.

To ensure availability to students during high-impact periods in the student advising cycle, there may be dates during which time-off cannot be requested.

Evening and Weekend work may be required.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Academic Advising:

Acts as the primary point of contact and first-line customer service representative to students and to faculty (includes troubleshooting and resolving issues).

Addresses student issues with speed (ideally within 48 business hours), urgency and creativity while balancing policies and program requirements; seeks same-day resolution for any escalated issue.

Provides academic advisement to undergraduate students and graduate students in assigned program within their designated School.

Assists newly-admitted students in course registration and other transition issues.

Advises majors, reviews plans of study and progression toward degree, conducts degree audits, explains graduate programs, assists in registration, maintains files, and compiles records.

Oversees academic petitions and communicates with students on other advising issues.

Interacts with students through multiple modes of communication including, but not limited to, letters, e-mail, telephone calls, web-conferencing, and individual and group in-person meetings.

Conducts meetings with students and parents concerning academic requirements and standing.

Coordinates student transfer credit requests and ensure appropriate course equivalencies.

Actively contributes to the strategic planning and continuous improvement process within academic advising.

Collaborates with other University offices to improve students’ academic experience and support their overall well-being.

Certifies students for graduation.

Student Retention:

Collaborates with relevant academic leaders to develop and maintain student services that help improve overall experience and retention of students.

Communicates with Department Chairs and administrators of assigned programs regarding student issues and concerns.

Benchmarks best practices in student services and brings forward ideas for improvement.

Regularly monitors student academic progress through Starfish and other indicators.

Responds quickly with potential solutions and support service/recourse referrals for students who are struggling academically or in need of well-being support.

Assists with delivery of presentations and seminars, such as those pertaining to student orientation.

Reaches out to and works with students who have not registered for classes during the standard registration period.

Maintains regular ‘touchpoints’ with students to check in and offer support.

To ensure availability to students during high-impact periods in the student retention cycle, there may be dates during which time-off cannot be requested.

Program and Student Management:

Ensures degree audit is current and accurate in Degree Planner.

Supports Departments of assigned programs by assisting with curriculum review as it pertains to degree audits, student schedule review, enrollment projections and other tasks as needed.

Supports graduate and undergraduate study abroad programs, including potentially coordinating yearly trips and traveling with students internationally.

Supports academic departments with the development of articulation agreements and joint degree programs with other schools and universities.

Collaborates with academic departments to ensure the graduate and undergraduate websites are current, accurate and achieving desired results as well as make suggestions for improvement.

Updates programs of study information and course catalogues.

Assists in developing, distributing and interpreting exit surveys of students.

Compiles statistics for school reports; prepares reports on their School’s students.

Provide support to the School’s departments for student service accreditation visits/documentation

RSHS Office of the Dean’s Support

Assist with the planning and execution of RSHS student, parent, and alumni events.

Oversee assigned administrative area(s) of responsibility, including but not limited to, freshmen transition and registration, delivery of academic-related correspondence, delivery of mass communication, and graduation processes.

Provide backup front desk coverage for the Dean’s office as needed.

New Student Recruiting:

Meets with prospective students to discuss Duquesne entrance requirements, course and credit transfer, academic requirements, and registration, among other items, as needed.

Answers ad hoc questions from prospective students regarding assigned academic program(s) and other issues.

Attends and participates in school recruiting and internal events, including evening and weekend events, as needed.

Makes public presentations to students, prospective students and parents, as needed.

Supports academic departments with the development of articulation agreements with other institutions.

Assist School’s Enrollment Director with transfer credit evaluation, as needed

Works closely with their School’s admissions team and advisors to facilitate undergraduate student transition into degree programs. This includes providing information to undergraduate students about special programs and other opportunities for graduate education at Duquesne.

Career Planning/Vocational Discovery Support:

Refers students to career resources, including career counsellors and coaches, and professionals.

Assists students in choosing career-relevant programs of study.

Completes other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS: Minimum qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution in Higher Education, Counseling, or a related field.

3+ years of experience in student support and/or caseload management within higher education.

Experience with the Banner student information system.

Strong leadership and decision-making skills.

Preferred qualifications:

Master’s degree from an accredited educational institution in Higher Education, Counseling, or a related field.

Alternatively, the successful candidate may possess any equivalent combination of experience and training, which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the essential job functions. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Understand the techniques/procedures involved in academic advising, both individual and group.

Exceptional interpersonal skills; able to interact effectively with students of diverse ages and backgrounds.

Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Excellent customer service and problem-solving skills.

Self-motivated, energetic and able to work independently as well as part of a team; accepts responsibility with limited supervision; manages multiple tasks to completion.

Ability to work with students in a mentoring and service-oriented manner.

Ability to think strategically and creatively with respect to the operations and programs of academic advising and student recruiting.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students (current and prospective), parents, faculty, administrators, and others in the University community.

Proficient in information technologies, and should display a willingness to learn new technologies relevant to the position (i.e., Word, Excel & PowerPoint, as well as querying and reporting of specialized databases).

Impeccable integrity, commitment to School success and the values of Duquesne.

Ability to work evenings/weekends.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the University Community.

Ability and willingness to contribute actively to the mission of the University and to respect the Spiritan Catholic identity of Duquesne University. The mission is implemented through a commitment to academic excellence, a spirit of service, moral and spiritual values, sensitivity to world concerns, and an ecumenical campus community.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references.