Director, Student Academic Success

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Job Title : Director, Student Academic Success

Department : Student Academic Success

Division : Academic Affairs

FLSA Status : Exempt

Reports to (Position Title) : Vice President, Academic Affairs & Provost

Work Schedule : 35 hours / week; 12 months / year

Grade : 9

Union : N / A

Salary Range : $76,100 - $98,900

General purpose : The Director will provide vision and leadership aimed at developing comprehensive academic support to increase student success, retention, persistence to graduation, and overall student satisfaction.

The position requires a collaborative, strategic, and solution-oriented problem solver, and leader to enhance the College’s capacity for providing an integrated campus-wide academic success approach for all students.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Governance :

Provide strategic leadership for campus-wide student academic success and retention strategies, including developing or enhancing policies and processes, reporting and analytics capacity, establishing goals and monitoring progress via key performance indicators (KPIs), and enhancing academic interventions and support mechanisms.

Develop and / or serve on committees related to retention, academic standing, and overall student satisfaction with academic programs.

Create a structure for developing, monitoring, and reporting on goals established for registration, retention, and graduation for undergraduate, graduate, and open studies.

Ensure that academic success and advising teams embrace an integrated view of their work and a matrixed approach to services that ensures that undergraduate (transfer, first-time in college, international), graduate, and open studies student flourish at the college.

Research and recommend technological innovations that support student retention and persistence.

Support and help equip academic units to enact progression-based curricular reforms.

Carefully review, monitor, and revise rules and regulations that govern degree planning, course registration, and advising that unintentionally force students off track or diminish belonging.

Support curricular innovation efforts among faculty and target interventions and reporting to highlight courses with high failure or Drop / Fail / Withdrawal rates.

Enlists faculty collaboration in student success and retention strategies.

Partnerships and Collaboration :

Ensure the online and co-curricular experiences of students in open studies is brought to scale among other student populations (undergraduate and graduate) in service to academic support.

Work in partnership with and refer students to campus support services including advising, accessibility and disability services, residential life, and, student counseling, and student development to support academic success, well-being, and retention.

Develop workflow, using People Soft and other third-party applications where applicable, to ensure new students successfully matriculate and register for classes.

Develop workflow, support, and communication activities in partnership with Enrollment Management (Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid) and Student and Residential Life to proactively identify and retain at risk students.

Ensure the academic success teams contribute to and support Student Affairs in key campus-wide student life events : recruitment events, orientation, move-in, and Commencement.

Support the development of co-curricular experiences that align with academic programs.

Program Development and Oversight :

Oversee the planning of academic co-curricular events for online student populations to support academic success.

Develop and provide oversight for MICA’s academic tutoring programs (currently the Writing Studio) in collaboration with offices utilizing peer coaching models ( academic success coaching ) of academic advising and career support.

Consult with faculty members about academic performance concerns that require support through tutoring programs.

Budget and Resource Management :

Formulates and manages the office’s budget and allocates resources in support of tutoring, academic success coaching, mentoring services, and other office initiatives and activities.

Data Stewardship and Reporting :

Provide key support and leadership to academic success related data stewardship, reporting, and information collection strategies (, student satisfaction surveys, intake processes, alumni surveys).

Foster a culture of assessment and continuous improvement for student success.

Collaborate with campus departments such as Enrollment Management, Career Development, and Student Records & Research to inform interventions, programs, and services aimed at improving the student experience and academic success outcomes.

Ensure campus-wide reporting related to student progression and graduation is consistent with best practices and situated relative to continuing student goals / KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for the campus.

Mission Support :

Interact with co-workers, visitors, and other staff of the College consistent with the values of MICA.

Support the mission of the Office of Student Academic Success and contribute to overall student success.

Work as a collaborative member of the Office of Student Academic Success team in student retention and success.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Demonstrated experience and creativity in managing difficult and complex situations involving students, families, staff, and faculty.

Knowledge of contemporary principles / practices in student development, multicultural competence, and case management.

Ability to use independent judgment to tactfully resolve problems and diffuse emotional situations.

Knowledge in areas of crisis and risk management, behavioral intervention, and community standards in a higher education environment.

Ability to exercise discretion in handling highly confidential information and work with confidential and time sensitive materials.

Ability to evaluate instructional and program effectiveness.

Skill with survey design and qualitative / quantitative research methods and experience with assessment in higher education

Ability to gather, interpret, and extract meaning from data to inform decision making.

Experience with Canvas and Zoom

Capacity to develop, implement, and manage strategic objectives.

Collaborative, proactive style with excellent interpersonal skills.

Excellent organizational and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple projects.

Detail oriented and deadline driven work ethic.

Excellent written and verbal communication.

Ability to manage budget and personnel.

Proficiency in the Google Work suite (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, and Slides), and ability to learn other platforms in use at the college as needed.

Minimum qualifications :

Master’s Degree in higher education, social work or related field

Five to Seven years’ experience working in academic or student life with both undergraduate and graduate students.

Knowledge of student development theory and its applications, and common issues and trends for college students case management models.

Evidence of an effective leadership style, and a background demonstrating success in working with students, parents, faculty, and administrators.

Experience working in a Bridge Program or management position within a team.

Preferred Qualifications :

Education : Doctorate in higher education, social work, related field

Reporting to this position :

Associate Director, Student Academic Success, Academic Services Administrator, Academic Tutoring staff, and Academic Advisors

Conditions of Employment :

Satisfactory Background Check

Occasional evening or weekend required.

Application Instructions :

Please provide the following :

Cover Letter - that highlights your experience in academic success initiatives, supervisory experience, and your vision for working across the college in support of student belonging, retention, and persistence.

Physical demands and work environment : The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands : While performing the duties of job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls;

reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift up to (amt) pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

may be adjusted depending on position)

Work environment : While performing the duties of the job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time.

The noise level in the work environment is usually (minimal, moderate, or high).

Required training : Handbook orientation, Anti-Harassment, Hazard Communication, Emergency Plans & Fire Prevention, Personal Protection Equipment.

additional training may be added, SEE : EHS Manager training schedule)

Maryland Institute College of Art is committed to its policy of providing equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or veteran status (disabled, Vietnam-era, or otherwise).

Furthermore, the College does not tolerate any form of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment or sexual violence.

This policy applies to all programs, facilities, and activities provided by Maryland Institute College of Art, including but not limited to admission, educational programs, and employment.

Applicants must apply online for each job in which they are interested. You will not be considered for any job for which you have not specifically applied.

We do not accept applications via email, mail, or fax. Successful candidates for any staff or faculty positions will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

MICA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Human Resources at 410-225-2363.