Location: Highline College 2400 S 240th St Des Moines
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 4269224
Posting will remain open until filled. Priority consideration for applications received by November 15, 2023.
Reporting to the Director of Entry Advising, this position will work directly with new, returning, or prospective students entering Highline College to ensure a welcoming and supportive experience and facilitate successful enrollment. Highline College is committed to using the Guided Pathways approach to student success to ensure all students have the support they need to explore career options, become part of a community, and complete programs efficiently. This position is funded by Title III and tied directly to Strategy 3: Redesign the Onboarding Process to Give Students a Strong Start.
This position serves a vital role in creating an inclusive atmosphere, and providing clear communication and support to students as they inquire about Highline College, learn about educational opportunities, and complete pre-enrollment steps. As an expert in the admissions process, the Entry Advisor will help students to navigate their first steps towards enrollment, explore academic pathways, and make connections with Highline's academic and community support resources. The Entry Advisor will engage students in an educational and participatory assessment process and learn about prior educational experience, this includes providing insight into gateway course expectations and outcomes in order to inform students of options. Most importantly, the Entry Advisor used a strengths based approach to explicitly validate the students' ability to succeed in a college setting.
The Entry Advising Department operates the Welcome Center, coordinates New Student Orientations, placement in Math and English and provides one-on-one and group support for students in the admissions process. This position works as a member of a team, and is expected to support the department priorities. The Entry Advisor works in close coordination with Career, Transfer Advising, Running Start, Enrollment Services and Veterans Services under the leadership of the Dean for Advising and Enrollment Services. The person in this position is expected to participate fully as a member of the work unit, supporting other functional areas to facilitate admissions, persistence, graduation and transfer.
This position is an exempt, at-will full-time, grant funded position.
Reporting to the Director of Entry Advising this position will:
Welcome students to Highline College through engaging, caring, anti-racist, and trauma-informed practices;
Assist students in completing admissions application, activating their students accounts and connecting to all Highline communication channels (Canvas, ctcLink, Highline email);
Connect and screen students for eligibility for a variety of funding resources and support and connect with relevant services and next steps in enrollment process;
Inform students of various placement options and assist in determining means of assessment that matches student skills, experience, and academic pathway;
Discuss math, reading, and writing skills with students to inform and interpret assessment results;
Connect student placement to Gateway Courses (English and math) and Academic Pathways to prepare students for Career Assessment and New Student Orientation;
Explain college pathways in English and math for professional technical programs, transfer degrees, certificates, and ELCAP courses;
Support students in identifying and navigating appropriate campus support services and programs;
Provide test-taking strategies and resources for dealing with test anxiety;
Inform students of orientation options and requirements and assist in orientation sign-up;
Support and participate in delivery of New Student Orientation;
Develop and maintain creative navigation materials for students during pre-enrollment;
Ask students for feedback about their pre-enrollment experience to inform department's process of continuous improvement;
Provide student-centered customer service in person on campus, virtually via Zoom, electronically via email and by phone, responding to inquiries in a timely manner;
Track services and update student records in ctcLink.
Department tasks:
Participate in the ongoing planning, implementation, and improvement of the pre-enrollment and entry advising services to students;
Participate in the ongoing planning and implementation of equitable placement policies and practices;
Assist in training new employees and maintaining campus awareness of pre-enrollment processes and practices;
Develop and maintain student records adequate for program success, accountability, and audits;
Maintain confidentiality of student records as outlined by FERPA and Highline College policies and procedures;
Work closely with Outreach Services and Pathway Advisors to ensure smooth transition for students during each phase of advising;
Meet regularly with Pathway Advisors and Faculty Leads to inform Degree Pathway expertise/stay up to date on current information;
Engage with and monitor qualitative and quantitative data that measures student success milestones related to pre-enrollment and entry advising;
Develop and deliver college-access/readiness workshops to community and high school partners;
Create monthly progress reports for Title III about progress towards grant goals, problems and solutions as well as coordination with all college departments.
Campus Community:
Develop positive connections with programs on campus serving specific populations of students: TRiO, High School Re-Engagement,
Transition Success Center, Running Start, ELCAP, etc.
Build and maintain a collaborative relationship with colleagues and departments within both Student Services and Academic Affairs; in order to connect students appropriately and keep updated on process and policy;
Facilitate transition workshops in collaboration with other student services staff;
Work closely with math and English faculty to deepen understanding of course content and student success;
Maintain current knowledge of campus policies and procedures to facilitate effective linkages to these services.
COMPETENCIES:
Interpersonal skills with the ability to connect with students recognizing individual strengths;
Navigate students successfully through pre-enrollment and problem solve issues;
Work effectively with people of various ethnic, cultural, educational, and socio-economic backgrounds;
Understand pre-college math content and explain course requirements;
Effectively create educational goals with students;
Consider equity and access issues that impact student attainment and completion;
Technology skills able to efficiently navigate an electronic environment proficient with Microsoft Office, Google drive, web browsers, and PeopleSoft, Campus Solutions;
Demonstrate excellent written, oral, and cross-cultural communication skills, and demonstrate excellent listening skills;
Willingness to take appropriate initiative, exercise independent decision making, identify areas for improvement and propose solutions;
Demonstrate a high level of professionalism by contributing to a positive work environment and a commitment to high-quality work;
Demonstrate strong organizational skills with an ability to manage timelines and details.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Education, Student Development, Social Work/Psychology, or closely-related disciplines (pending degrees must be verified by a letter from the granting institution) or equivalent experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Master's Degree or equivalent experience in Education, Student Development, or Social Work/Psychology disciplines
Experience working in a community college or a strong understanding of the community college system
Understanding of student success milestones and college success strategies
Understanding of current trends and issues in placement testing and student assessment
Familiarity with a student management system
Significant multi-cultural experiences and/or competence in a language in addition to English
Highline College prides itself on its commitment to diversity and equity, its institutional culture of collegiality and innovation, its globalization of curricula and its inclusion of the community in its programming. Founded in 1961, Highline College is situated in a diverse community just 15minutes south of Seattle. The college annually serves more than 16,500 students – a student population of over 70% students of color, representing 35 nations and more than 100 languages.