Admissions Counselor/Assistant Director of Admissions

Aquinas College • East Grand Rapids, MI

7d • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as the direct link between the College and prospective undergraduate students. This position will be a part of a student-centered Undergraduate Admissions Office, focused on serving students and families in the recruitment process. The Admissions Counselor will represent the College in articulating academic programs and the enrollment process, including admission and financial aid procedures, with all classifications of students served by the Admissions Office. Admissions recruitment, counseling, outreach and application review are all significant functions of this position. This opening also includes taking the lead on international student recruitment which includes roughly ¼ of the counseling responsibilities.

Requirements

• Must have a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college/university OR two years of college and two years of direct admissions experience.
• Must have prior experience demonstrating ability to plan, be organized, and interact effectively with students and their families. Experience as a student ambassador, student tour guide, or leading student activities is a plus.
• Must have experience working with diverse populations
• Must have demonstrated ability to self-motivate
• Must have strong oral and written communication skills, including public speaking
• Must be able to communicate effectively with varied constituencies such as high school counselors, teachers and principals, faculty, coaches and a variety of other college staff as well as alumni
• Must be able to use databases including tracking, reporting, and analyzing data.
• Must have knowledge of marketing principles and/or experience with social media.
• Must be willing to step beyond prescribed role as needed to support the efforts of the admissions team in pursuit of its goals.
• Must demonstrate commitment to collaboration and creative problem solving.
• Must demonstrate commitment to Aquinas’s mission.
• Must have a valid Driver’s License.
• Must be able to travel within MI, IN, OH and IL.
• Must be able to work unconventional hours, including weekend and night hours as needed.
• Must be able to thrive in a fast-paced team environment.
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

• Experience as a student ambassador, student tour guide, or leading student activities is a plus.
• Experience working with CRM and SIS systems preferred (in particular Slate and Colleague experience).

Responsibilities

• Generates prospects, develops applications enrollment from an assigned territory through various recruitment strategies. This includes evening and weekend hours.
• Plans and organizes assigned territory for optimal recruitment through a variety of outreach and correspondence methods, individual appointments, alumni utilization & faculty/staff support.
• Serves as an admissions liaison between the Undergraduate Admissions Office and other campus departments as needed.
• Reviews and evaluates applications for completion, admission and scholarship decisions.
• Schedules and facilitates high school visits and attends college fairs in assigned territory, which may include major metropolitan areas.
• Completes travel itinerary (over an average ten-week period) within assigned territory. Monitors and submits travel and expense reports on a weekly basis.
• Demonstrates knowledge and expertise in all services available to students, including the admissions process, financial aid and scholarships, academic programs, athletic eligibility, campus life etc.
• Educates prospective students, families, educational groups etc. during on campus individual appointments as well as on and off campus group presentations.
• Attends all on-campus recruitment events including Information Sessions, Open Houses, Spectrum of Scholarship Competitions, special group visit initiatives, counselor outreach events, summer registration programs and parent programs.
• Attends off campus recruitment related events on an as needed basis. This includes senior awards nights, college decision making presentations and panel discussions on admissions related topics.
• Aids in the successful execution of auxiliary admission functions as needed
• Assists staff in the recruitment of nursing, dual enrollment and transfer students.
• Works assigned Saturdays to serve students unable to visit during the week.
• Maintains documentation and analytical tracking of territory through CRM tool.
• Follows-up on all written and verbal correspondence including voicemail, e-mail, social media, texts and notice board contacts.
• Attends all admission staff meetings and is responsible for reporting on assigned projects and territory.
• Keeps current on trends in higher education.
• Keeps current on college wide developments and new program opportunities.
• International focused counselor will take the lead on the following in regards to international admissions and will work closely with the Office of International Programs:
• Responds to inquiries about programs, admission requirements, initial visa process, etc
• Review international students’ applications
• Ensure English proficiency
• Check transcript evaluation
• Evaluate proof of finances
• Serve as DHS/ICE Designated School Official (DSO)
• Create the initial I-20 for deposited students
• Follow up on Request for I-20 forms if proof of funding does not adequately cover costs
• Facilitate SEVIS record transfer for transfer students coming from a SEVP-certified school and create new I-20
• Be prepared to handle additional DSO duties (mostly travel endorsements, maybe CPT/OPT authorization) if OIP DSO(s) unavailable
• Prepare (hard copy) records, transfer to OIP for orientation
• Send the student the initial I-20, Welcome Guide, and move-in/orientation dates
• Answer any questions about I-20, I-901 SEVIS fee, and visa process; handle any initial I-20 correction requests
• Be knowledgeable/able to answer questions about navigating US systems (cell service, opening bank account, obtaining an SSN, etc)
• Complete any documentation requests needed for student/family to come to the US, either for a campus visit or initial arrival and move-in (for example: government loan forms, invitation to visit letters, confirmation of acceptance/enrollment, etc)
• Coordinate move-in/early arrival process
• Check on early arrival process with Res Life, communicate process to students (if needed)
• Send students Global Orientation Details and Arrival Information form; ensure appropriate arrival times
• Create, share, and update spreadsheet of incoming international students with Res Life, SAO, OIP, and Campus Safety
• Enroll students in Aquinas health insurance policy and/or share waiver process; ensure all incoming students are adequately covered
• Handle the majority of communication to the student before arrival
• Perform other duties as assigned

Benefits

• affordable medical, dental, and vision plans
• generous paid vacation each year
• 16 paid holidays
• paid sick time
• short-term disability
• college-paid life and AD&D insurance
• free tuition at Aquinas after one year of full-time employment for employees and their dependents

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level