Assistant Director of Graduate Advising - School of Social Work
About The Position
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Social Work (SSW) welcomes applications for the position of Assistant Director of Graduate Advising. This position will work closely with the Master of Social Work (MSW) Advising Team, the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, program directors, faculty, and staff to foster an increasing sense of responsibility and empowerment for students as they progress towards successful completion of their program. The primary purpose of the Assistant Director of Graduate Advising is to lead and support the success of MSW social work students from enrollment to graduation. The Assistant Director of Graduate Advising is responsible for facilitating student success by providing leadership to develop, implement, coordinate, and manage established retention-related initiatives and strategic goals of the university, school, program, and Office of Student Success. General Responsibilities: The Assistant Director of Graduate Advising will provide holistic academic advising to an assigned caseload of students. They will facilitate efficient and effective advising-related internal processes and develop/enhance retention initiatives and programming to proactively address retention and student engagement. They will collaborate with the MSW Advising Team to implement student engagement programs for students on-campus and online and oversee the coordination of events, including synchronous and asynchronous new student orientation events held within the School of Social Work. The Assistant Director of Graduate Advising will play an integral role in the onboarding of new advising staff and will serve as a supervisor to the MSW Advising Team. They will provide coverage and act as a backup in areas related to student success in the absence of the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in social work, education, professional counseling, psychology or related field
- 3-5 years of academic advising, student success, and/or retention-related experience
- Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a welcoming and supportive environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU
- Excellent written, interpersonal, and oral communication skills, including public speaking
- Ability to support and contribute to a dynamic and healthy team environment
- Ability to organize and prioritize multiple tasks concurrently and independently
- Ability to maintain confidential, accurate records and databases
- Excellent computer skills and experience with all Microsoft Office and Google Suite products, as well as various communication technologies including Google Apps, Zoom, and social media
Nice To Haves
- Experience providing academic advising and/or retention-related initiatives with social work students in a college or university setting
- Experience using university advising platforms, such as Navigate, DegreeWorks, Banner, etc.
- Experience planning and implementing retention and student success efforts such as supporting targeted population initiatives, new and continuing student orientation, commencement, and student programming
- Experience supervising staff, including providing guidance, feedback, and support for professional development
- Experience working with non-traditional students in an in-person and online degree program
Responsibilities
- Provide academic advising services to an assigned caseload of students
- Oversee MSW academic advising operations
- Serve as a leader and liaison to the MSW advising team
- Develop retention initiatives and programming for MSW students
Benefits
- All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits [https://hr.vcu.edu/benefits/] package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Number of Employees
1-10 employees
