Position Overview

Academic Adviser providing a broad scope of support services to students in the TRIO Student Support Services program; a federally funded program serving students underrepresented at the University of Minnesota including low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities with the primary purpose of increasing educational access and retention through the following:  

• Combining and utilizing holistic, intensive and proactive advising models, guide, challenge, and support students in becoming self-reliant while learning to make important reflective decisions about major, personal, and career aspirations.
• Provide educational planning, counseling, advocacy, networking, and brokering services for students.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity and inclusivity within cultural variations and apply it to the context of a student’s academic and personal development.
• Work collaboratively and with stakeholders and program partners from across the University of Minnesota and within the College of Education and Human Development, to inform and advance federal program objectives and to increase the 6 year graduation rate of TRIO SSS students.

Note: This is a 50% time position, working 20 hours per week. Percentages of responsibilities listed are based off of a 20 hour per week role.

The budgeted salary for this position (recognizing that this is a part time position) is $25,000-27,000 for an Academic Advisor, or $29,000 $31,000 for a Senior Academic Advisor. Hire level will be determined dependent on qualifications and years of experience.  Hours will be set in coordination between the director and the advisor.

Job Responsibilities

Academic Advising (55%)

• Manage a caseload of 110-130 advisees; utilize holistic, proactive and intensive advising strategies to guide, challenge, and support students towards self-reliance, institutional navigation and to make reflective decisions about their major, personal, and career aspirations.
• Intensively support student development, ensuring year-to-year graduation within six years and degree progress by developing strong relationships and trust through numerous and varying developmental contact methods across their academic lifespan.
• Inform students about campus activities and resources available to support their overall success using a variety of outreach strategies.
• Coach students to make class registration choices promoting timely and realistic degree progress fitting within the structure of the degree requirements and that advance academic success.
• Understand, identify, and apply appropriate student development theories, service strategies and initiate referrals to support students’ academic, socio-cultural and socio-economic needs.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of University and sponsored-project policies and regulations.
• Help students to secure financial aid resources and developmentally help students prepare for financial aid self-advocacy within this bureaucracy.
• Inform students of graduate school opportunities, post-baccalaureate preparation programs, and graduate school testing; support their applications to graduate school.
• Guide students through major exploration, major and transition to their University major once accepted to ensure continuity of care.
• Guide students through the process of creating educational plans and devising strategies for academic success.
• Employ analytical reviews of student progress reports at key academic markers, such as probation, degree application, or major declaration, and approve appropriate exceptions.  Use info systems to maintain accurate information about student interactions.
• Deliver new student orientation designed to provide a seamless, productive, welcoming, and individualized entry to the college and TRIO SSS.
• Build effective working relationships with students from predominantly marginalized backgrounds to help them navigate and negotiate a variety of institutional barriers.
• Work as part of the TRIO SSS advising team and collaborate with program stakeholders and partners as appropriate to develop, coordinate and implement innovative advising interventions to proactively and reactively address student concerns.

Program Development and Coordination (25%)

• Develop, coordinate, assess and archive required and program services as outlined in approved grant proposal; schedule regular communications to promote and inform participants and relevant stakeholders of events and services; secure speakers, rooms, and other resources (including staff) needed for each event; projects costs, coordinate purchasing, reconcile finances and comply with all financial regulations; track, evaluate, analyze and report event and special projects results to director.
• Develop, coordinate and/or provide appropriate developmental advising for on one or more assigned student-facing initiatives: TRIO Affinity Group, TRIO Student Alliance or TRIO Multicultural LLC.
• Instruct, as part of an instructional team, 1-2 sections of a program’s first year course required for participants; develop instructional materials, update Canvas course sites, deliver weekly instruction, develop and evaluate assignments, develop pre and post, provide clear feedback to students, schedule guest speakers and presenters, design out-of-class digital stories workshops, work collaboratively with assigned writing fellows from Center for Writing, re-enforce program messaging and inform on program activities and involvement.
• Collect, analyze and summarize data to understand participant trends, inform program services to enhance retention and timely graduation.
• Assist in the participant selection process tracking student’s academic needs, program eligibility and program’s opportunity to influence collegiate trajectory of each applicant; make admissions recommendations to program director.
• Chaperone (on some weekends and evenings) annual leadership development trips, conferences, and local events and activities as assigned.

Institutional Advocacy, Campus Service and Leadership (10%)

• Serve on relevant and appropriate committees to represent participant needs and ensure inclusion of TRIO SSS students in the development of policies, procedures and resources.
• Work closely with faculty and campus staff to effectively deliver support services to students.
• Utilize expertise regarding service to low income, first generation college students and students with disabilities toward educational success to train campus partners, receiving advisers and other key University offices to support the continuity of care of TRIO SSS students when they declare their major and are no longer officially served by the program.
• Participate in departmental and University wide discussions with program stakeholders on developing inclusive and equitable policies.
• Advocate for TRIO programs through statewide and national policy conventions with legislation, policy makers and other political stakeholders.
• Advocate on behalf of TRIO students nationwide and locally by strategizing best practices for underrepresented students through collaboration with community partners.

Maintain Essential Working Knowledge to Inform and Ensure Grant Compliance (10%)

• Maintain accurate student records through documentation, data entry and collaboration with grant staff to monitor and track student progress to meet or exceed grant program objectives.
• Understand and have working knowledge of:
  • Federal budget outlooks, appropriations, grant related legislation and regulations regarding financial spending.
  • Financial aid processes, resources, funding options, and policies around degree progress and financial aid eligibility, completions dates, verification requirements and other financial aid specifics that could impede a student’s collegiate progress.
  • Basic elements of financial literacy and knowledge of internal resources to help students seek advanced support to build financial literacy skills.
  • Graduate school access and preparation resources and programs across campus.
  • Current trends and philosophies in academic advising and career exploration, engage in scholarly or creative activities in the areas of advising, academic progress, curricular materials development, and service delivery.
  • Local K-12 trends, concerns, educational practices, college prep programs, and resources to understand the context that our students come to us.
  • Data tracking systems specific to grant related outcomes and objectives.
  • Best practices in delivering inclusive, equity-minded and social justice focused programming.
  • Safety and liability best practices for student affairs and services programs.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree.
• One year professional experience in academic advising, including advising in a college, a college prep or youth program program and/or advising in individualized higher education, non-traditional education, or similar, related experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to integrating equity and inclusion into work practices and ability to support students with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Experience developing curriculum, classroom instruction, classroom management skills, and evaluating student learning objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to build meaningful relationships in an education setting with a large and diverse student, staff, and faculty population.
• Demonstrated understanding of student development theories and ability to integrate advising philosophies with daily practice.
• Ability to disseminate detailed information using a high level of interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to present educational information to large groups.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively deal with conflict.
• Excellent time management, attention to detail, organization, and problem solving skills.
• Proven experience showing excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Technological competence related to student support services and ability to learn new systems and software programs. 

Additional Required Qualifications for Senior Academic Adviser (9707):

• Minimum three years of experience in student counseling and advising or a closely related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in higher education and student affairs, college student personnel psychology, social work, or field related to advising and equal opportunity programming.
• Two to five years of progressively responsible experience providing college level academic advising or individuals and/or groups.
• Demonstrated commitment to and advocacy in service of marginalized populations.
• Demonstrated understanding of the career development process and experience supporting undergraduate students in their career journey.
• Experience developing and coordinating services and activities to address the needs of low income students, students who represent the first generation in their family to pursue a baccalaureate degree, and/or students with disabilities seeking degrees from predominantly white, middle class and highly selective colleges and Universities
• Ability to speak other languages in addition to English.
• Familiarity with obstacles facing marginalized students in completing their degrees and interventions/remedies to address these obstacles (systemic, structural and/or individual).
• Experience with database programs; familiarity with PeopleSoft system, Google apps for business, APLUS, UM Reports, APAS, Blumen.
• Preference given to individuals who are TRIO program alumni and/or have shared life experiences with TRIO-like populations including growing up low income, first generation, identify as having a disability or having overcome significant obstacles in pursuit of education.