Academic Advisor

Utah State University•Logan, UT

2d•$43,000

About The Position

The Utah State University Honors Program (UHP) requires a committed professional with skill in communication and collaboration and demonstrated potential to succeed as an academic advisor in a nationally recognized program critical to the mission of Utah State University. The Academic Advisor is responsible for: advising students on how to integrate UHP requirements into their USU experience; representing the program publicly at on- and off-campus recruiting, advising, and training events; helping to coordinate messaging about the UHP across USU campuses; collaborating with the Honors Academic Advisor Senior, Honors Academic Advisor Coordinator, and peer advisors to align UHP advising with the program’s mission and goals. This individual also co-advises with a team of UHP and college advisors to ensure clear messaging to students about the relationship between honors and major requirements. The Academic Advisor must: understand and refer students to a wide range of USU resources; help train and work with honors peer advisors and ambassadors; support the efforts of the Honors Academic Advisor Coordinator, USU Admissions, and college advisors to recruit new honors students; help implement strategies to increase UHP retention and graduation rates; and engage in proactive advising to ensure student success and remediate academic problems. The position is critical to the growth and health of USU’s mission-critical UHP and thus requires exceptional discretion and judgment; decision-making and problem-solving ability; strong interpersonal and communication skills; interest in student recruiting and retention; and capacity to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a productive team. The Academic Advisor (AA) reports to the Executive Director and may be responsible for training and supervising peer advisors and ambassadors.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Verbal and written communication skills and public-speaking ability, including ability to communicate effectively and clearly with individuals as well as both small and large groups.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with multiple demands and changing needs.
Ability to learn and maintain current knowledge of complex program requirements, policies, and procedures in relation to broader university requirements for various degrees.
Ability to work with students from diverse backgrounds and to demonstrate cultural sensitivity in interactions with all students, faculty, guests, and dignitaries.
Ability to recruit new students and create and/or implement programming designed to increase honors student retention.
Ability to gather advising and retention data, compile information, and prepare reports.
Knowledge of or ability to learn a variety of student advising methods and techniques.
Knowledge of and proficiency in a variety of current and emerging technology platforms.
Ability to listen actively, think critically, solve problems effectively, and communicate problems and resolutions clearly with students, co-workers, and administrators.
Ability to maintain accurate records and documentation and to collaborate on program evaluation and assessment.
Ability to maintain calendars by scheduling and meeting appointments efficiently and professionally.
Ability to use independent judgment and to manage and impart confidential information appropriately, with sensitivity and discretion.
Ability to analyze course prerequisites, certification, and/or curriculum/graduation requirements and to evaluate student transcripts and/or records.
Ability to maintain a positive, focused, and efficient attitude at work, to be an advocate and professional representative of the UHP, and to create a welcoming, professional environment in the office.
Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel and USU’s Banner, Argos, and Canvas systems.

Nice To Haves

Two years of advising experience and/or a Master’s degree in a related field.
Experience with co-advising and/or student supervision.
Experience with databases, data management, and data assessment.
Experience working in higher education, preferably with honors or other highly motivated students.

Responsibilities

Academic Advising Advises potential, current, and former honors students (through in-person, virtual (Zoom), phone, and email communication) with accurate information about curriculum, graduation requirements, and university policies and procedures and appropriate referrals to USU and other resources supporting student success.
Assists students in mapping honors requirements onto their academic plans, co-advises with advisors in the student’s major, helps create and monitor progress on academic plans in DegreeWorks, and approves completion of requirements for graduation with the University Honors or Associate with Honors transcript designation.
Maintains confidentiality, keeps detailed records and documentation of advising interactions, helps remediate academic problems, and contributes to messaging in support of students who need academic support plans and resources.
Assists honors students in making responsible and informed decisions impacting academic progress, encourages and guides students as they define and develop realistic goals, and helps them understand the purpose of Honors and higher education in relation to life goals.
Discusses the benefits of building a learning community, network, and support system among peers, professors, and mentors in and beyond the UHP and contributes to developing and implementing advising programming that helps honors students make progress toward academic and career goals.
Student Recruiting Works with the Honors Academic Advisor Coordinator and USU admissions to help recruit new honors students and coordinates with UHP staff, as well as advisors and staff across USU departments and colleges, to communicate information about honors student populations and trends, program requirements, and effective strategies for recruiting outstanding students to USU.
Helps train and standardize messaging for UHP peer advisors and ambassadors to ensure consistency in basic advising.
Helps maintain a UHP presence at on- and off-campus recruiting events and train student ambassadors in presentation content and approach (may require statewide travel).
Contributes to Honors Aggie Orientation and Connections experiences designed to introduce new students to the UHP and their honors student cohort.
Student Retention Monitors student progress on the UHP’s requirements through proactive advising.
Helps to remediate academic problems for students and to oversee peer advisor messaging to at-risk students.
Collaborates with the UHP’s advising team, Executive Director, and other staff members to assess retention and develop retention-focused programming.
Works with other USU offices to gather basic data that contributes to the program evaluation and assessment work of the Honors Program Coordinator and Honors.
Academic Advisor Coordinator.
Professional Development Personal professional development, including courses, training, conference travel, or other appropriate forms of professional development.
Other duties, as assigned.