Academic Counselor - RISE Program

North Shore Community College•Lynn, MA

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

North Shore Community College is a diverse, caring, and inclusive community dedicated to inspiring students to achieve their personal, academic, and career goals. We offer accessible, affordable, and rigorous educational opportunities aligned with regional workforce needs. NSCC serves the area north of Boston with campuses in Lynn and Danvers, offering a wide range of academic programs. The Academic Counselor for the R.I.S.E. program provides comprehensive support services to marginalized student populations, including Black and Latino/a students, first-generation and low-income (FGLI) students, part-time students, and LGBTQ+ students. This role involves providing equitable advising to a caseload of 175-200 students within the R.I.S.E. Cohort, integrating their academic, personal, career, and transfer goals. The position is part of the Student Support and Advising Center services and requires one-on-one and group advising sessions, participation in registration events, and service delivery via various locations and technology.

Requirements

Master's degree in Education, Counseling, Psychology, or a closely related field.
Three (3) years of experience and/or training involving college admissions, academic advisement, career development, or program/project management; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to use various electronic platforms to communicate, assist, and evaluate students.
Ability to work some evening and Saturday hours.
Ability to work effectively within a fast-paced, rapidly growing, intense, and multifunctional office environment.
Strong presentation/instructional skills.
Strong organizational and analytical skills.
Ability to commute to any NSCC campus for meetings, programs, and events.
Successful experience interacting with culturally diverse populations.
Candidates will be required to pass a CORI/SORI and/or a National background check as a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of Student Information Systems.
Knowledge of Banner.
Strong knowledge of the community college system working with individuals of diverse backgrounds.
Bilingual in Spanish.

Responsibilities

Provide Holistic Academic Counseling: Assist students in selecting programs of study/guided pathways aligned with their academic and career goals. Review and interpret placement information for course selection. Provide strategies to meet communication and math proficiency requirements. Create academic plans in Navigate to meet student goals and timelines. Review time management needs and course formats to ensure student success. Participate in New Student Registration Events, including creating academic plans, acclimating students to NSCC tools, reviewing the onboarding process, and discussing academic goals. Facilitate workshops on success strategies and advising topics. Meet with academic faculty to maintain program knowledge. Connect students with college resources.
Provide Career Exploration Advising: Review program of study career objectives and career pathways. Refer students to career exploration tools like MassCIS. Refer students unsure of their college/career objectives to exploratory coursework. Conduct periodic check-ins to ensure career exploration tools meet student needs.
Provide Transfer Advising: Review program of study choices to ensure they meet transfer requirements. Review transfer options (Mass Transfer, Commonwealth Commitment, and other Articulation Agreements). Conduct transfer presentations (in-person or online) to affinity groups and classes. Connect students to online transfer resources. Explain Commonwealth Commitment requirements. Review and approve/deny applications. Track Commonwealth Commitment applications and cohorts for successful participation and report progress. Attend statewide Transfer Meetings. Participate in the Transfer Connections grant with Salem State University and Northern Essex Community College.
Retention/Outreach: Develop a communication plan for an assigned cohort to build engagement and collaboration using phone, email, text, Navigate messaging, social media, and in-person meetings. Conduct regular appointment/enrollment campaigns using Navigate. Review cohort progress to identify trends leading to academic probation. Proactively reach out to students needing academic advising or support services.
Data Management: Record notes for all advising appointments and walk-ins in Navigate. Review assigned cohort progress using Navigate's reporting and analytics. Collaborate with Directors to identify necessary data collection. Participate in staffing of walk-in advising services. Staff regular shifts in Centro HUB (virtual campus) and Live Chat for advising. Maintain an on-campus schedule for walk-in advising services.
Participate in College Activities: Represent the Student Support and Advising Center at college events (Open Houses, Resource Fairs, Transfer Visits, Commencement). Attend college-wide meetings. Participate in professional development opportunities. Perform other duties as assigned.