SUMMARY:

The Director of the Academic Advising Resource Center (AARC) oversees the daily operations of the AARC, to include maintaining established processes and programming, supporting new initiatives, budget oversight, and responding to incoming questions and requests for information. The Director is also a key leadership person in the University’s expanding First-Year Experience (FYE) programs. This position works closely with faculty, Student Development, the Registrar’s Office, department administrators, dean’s offices, Financial Aid, and other offices across campus. The Director, in conjunction with the Associate Provost and the Faculty Director, provides leadership and strategic planning for advising and advising-related initiatives, and FYE initiatives. The Director has supervisory responsibility for the AARC’s administrative coordinator, 20 student employees, and 45+ faculty/staff summer advisors, and provides training and resources for all faculty/staff advisors. This position will create and assert leading-edge practices in academic advising to administrators, faculty, and staff, and will also monitor the AARC and collaborate in assessing FYE program effectiveness, adding programs and making changes where appropriate.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

ACADEMIC ADVISING AND PROGRAMMING:

• Provide individual academic advising to students through appointments and walk-ins
• Provide general academic advice to students, responding to their inquiries, helping them establish educational goals, and fostering engagement with appropriate resources and opportunities
• Provide initial advising, registration, and ongoing planning assistance to transfer and readmitted students
• Collaborate with other offices to create advising-related programming for students
• Assist parents and families of current students where needed/requested
• Create program goals and assess advisor and student experiences
• Provide information, advice, and guidance to prospective transfer students (phone, email, in person, and in information sessions)
• Continue to collaborate with Common Ground to coordinate efforts with first-gen programming
• Serve as the initial advisor to incoming transfer students
• Create an ongoing support/adjustment program for transfer students

ADVISOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT:

• Responsible for new and continuing advisor training, summer advisor training, and peer advisor training.
• Facilitate lunch sessions and workshops throughout the academic year
• Plan and implement annual academic advising workshop and other professional development opportunities for advisors
• Maintain up-to-date training materials and resources

COMMUNICATION AND CONCERNS:

• Serve as a resource for policy clarification and application to (300) faculty and staff academic advisors through: in-person training and consultations throughout the year, telephone and email support, and continued development of online resources
• Work with the registrar’s office, deans, and other essential staff to support academic advising efforts and student needs
• Serve as the point of contact for advisors with concerns and provide advice to faculty as to how to handle the concerns
• Support Maxient “student concern form” system, to include contacting/collaborating with individual advisors and the residential dean’s office when appropriate
• Work with the Financial Aid office to create action plans for students at risk of losing aid
• Develop and oversee a tracking/notification process for students who are in need of follow-up
• Create and maintain a communication system for advisors through advertising, information sessions, and electronic methods.
• Provide current and accurate advising information to the campus community
• Maintain, publish, and revise two advising resource websites
• Advocate for continued improvement in advising technology/programs for advisors via collaborations with the Registrar’s Office, Information Services, and University Communications

MANAGE SUMMER PROCESS:

• Responsible for coordinating the registration, advising, and summer transition process for the incoming class and transfers (860 students) every summer
• Ensure clear communications and smooth transition process by collaborating with Admissions, Student Development, and other offices via shared databases, websites, and meetings
• Oversee (recruit, train, assign students, organize, support) summer advising programs to include:

-Summer Advisor program (45-50 faculty/staff advisors)

-Peer Advisor program (20 student advisors)

• Match new students with academic advisors in conjunction with the Assoc. Provost

ADMINISTRATIVE PLANNING and EVALUATION PROCESS:

• Continue to develop and cultivate advisor recognition and rewards program
• Develop and implement assessment plans for all advising programs
• Responsible for collection and evaluation of annual student advising survey
• Collaborate with Faculty Director and Assoc. Provost to develop and implement academic advisor assessment, including administration of assessment tools, collection and interpretation of data, and creation of final reports
• Stay abreast of best practices in academic advising, maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant theories; and represent the AARC on campus committees
• Support Associate Provost in initiatives outside of the AARC; Other duties as assigned

FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE (FYE) PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP:

• Work in conjunction with the Faculty Director for the First- and Second-Year Experience and the Director of Living/Learning & Roadmap Programs in the ongoing creation and implementation of FYE initiatives (including an enhanced advising program for first-year students)
• Work in conjunction with the Director of Living-Learning and Roadmap Programs and the Associate Provost to provide collaborative leadership for the University’s FYE (including but not limited to Advising, Orientation, UR 100 (in development), living-learning programs, and other initiatives as developed. (This is a key area of concern for the University, drawn from the recent strategic plan)

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Thorough knowledge of student development and learning.
• Thorough knowledge of common post-secondary advising processes and constituencies.
• Thorough knowledge of theories and trends in advising, including developmental advising.
• Program creation and management experience, particularly in areas of the first-year student experience and students in transition.
• Excellent computer skills (including Excel, Word, Web/Cloud-based applications, and blogging)
• Ability to manage people effectively.
• Capacity to resolve complex issues independently.
• Exceptional oral and written abilities. Outstanding people skills, including the ability to respond effectively to difficult people.
• Flexibility and creativity.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Skill in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures, formulating policy, and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures.
• Knowledge of student recruitment and retention issues.
• Ability to design and implement systems necessary to collect, maintain, and analyze data.
• Ability to interpret, adapt, and apply guidelines and procedures.
• Ability to analyze course prerequisites, certification, and/or curriculum/graduation requirements.
• Ability to make administrative and procedural decisions and judgments on sensitive, confidential issues.
• Ability to supervise and train employees, to include organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments.
• Ability to foster a cooperative work environment.
• Employee development and performance management skills.
• Knowledge of budgeting, cost estimating, and fiscal management principles and procedures.
• Knowledge of peer counseling/tutoring processes and methods.
• Knowledge of applicable legislation, standards, policies and procedures within specialty area.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Master’s degree in college student personnel, higher education administration, counseling, or related field with considerable (3+ years) demonstrated experience in academic

WORK HOURS:

• Full-time, non-exempt position
• Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; 7.75 hrs./day; 38.75 hrs./week

SALARY STRUCTURE:
Pay Grade 7 (Hiring Range $52,829.00 to $69,999.00)

Located minutes from downtown Richmond, Virginia, the University of Richmond (www.richmond.edu) blends the intimacy of a small college with exceptional academic, research, and cultural opportunities usually found only at large institutions. Richmond offers a unique combination of undergraduate and graduate programs. Our School of Arts & Sciences anchors Richmond as a nationally ranked liberal arts university. A ranked business school, the nation’s first school of leadership studies, a highly respected law school, a nationally recognized international education program and the community-focused School of Professional and Continuing Studies build on that strong foundation and make this university something unique.

UR is committed to developing a diverse faculty, staff and student body, and to modeling an inclusive campus community which values the expression of differences in ways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal development and institutional success. In keeping with this commitment, our academic community welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds and candidates who support diversity. EOE