Assistant Director of the Freedom Fellows Program

Benedictine College•Atchison, KS

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director of the Freedom Fellows Program will operate within the Center for Student Support and Engagement and report to the Director. This position focuses on developing students in the College’s program of distinction, the Freedom Fellows. The Assistant Director will foster close working relationships with Fellows and establish a follow-up system to promote student development, integration, and success. This role includes a significant emphasis on engaging and supporting female students within the Freedom Fellows program. The Assistant Director will design and implement initiatives that promote the participation, retention, and sense of belonging of female students, including mentorship, programming, and targeted outreach that supports their academic, social, and personal development. The Assistant Director will support the Director with organizational and administrative tasks. Additionally, this role may occasionally support the Center for Student Support and Engagement and perform other related duties.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
Minimum of one year of higher education experience in student development or related field.
Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
Ability to sustain irregular hours working with college students.
Ability to seek out and engage students.
Ability to mentor students through relationships; to affirm men and women in their identity and vocation in the world; to identify strengths and weaknesses in students and foster their personal support; and to lead others using a Christian servant-leadership approach.
Ability to structure multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and keep inventory.
Ability to plan, staff, direct, and control work tasks and events.
Ability to think through issues and develop solutions to problems.
Ability to think “outside the box” to identify innovative solutions.
Ability to build and maintain team cohesion and goal accomplishment.
Interest in building a dynamic campus community.
Must understand, embrace, and live out the College’s mission and possess the ability and willingness to articulate these principles and translate them into programs, policies, and decisions.
Must take specific steps to visibly witness and champion the College’s Values and inspire the expression of these values.

Nice To Haves

Master’s in Student Development, Social Work, or related field preferred.
Experience working with or supporting women’s initiatives, student organizations, or mentoring programs is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Support, challenge, and hold students in the program accountable
Ensure students in the program of distinction are adjusting to the institution
Assist students in embracing college culture and navigating institutional norms
Connect Fellows with opportunities both on and off campus to support their overall development.
Help Fellows develop social capital by connecting students and building a network
Coach Fellows in developing the ability to shape their own paths, build self-agency, and advocate for themselves
Maintain a working relationship with Fellows through weekly meetings
Manage program study and academic readiness procedures
Assist with organizing and teaching mandatory program courses
Collaborate with Fellows to promote the principles of Freedom Fellow formation: Habituation through practice, Reflecting on personal experiences, Engagement with virtuous exemplars, Dialogue that increases virtue literacy, Awareness of situational variables, Moral reminders, Friendships of mutual accountability
Design, lead, and implement programming that advances the engagement, retention, and success of female Fellows within the Freedom Fellows Program, in recognition of demonstrated program needs.
Provide mentorship, coaching, and advocacy that directly supports the academic, social, and personal development of female students.
Foster a strong sense of belonging, community, and peer connection among female Fellows as a central component of program success.
Utilize proactive, non-clinical, solutions-oriented approaches to identify and support at-risk students, with particular attention to the needs and experiences of female Fellows.
Collaborate with program leadership to ensure female student success strategies are fully integrated into broader Freedom Fellows development efforts.
Assist in the development, organization, and implementation of: Freedom Summer Program, Freedom Fellow Summer Intensive, The Family Summit, Freedom Fellow Extension
Assist in recruitment for the Freedom Fellows
Develop relationships with mission-fit high schools to partner with
Research and identify possible donors for the program
Maintain a relationship with recent graduates of the program to keep them engaged
Assist director in development of Freedom Fellow newsletter
Recruit and develop strategic connections with mission-fit schools that fit our target population
Identify and develop relationships with new donors
Support students outside of the Freedom Fellows program as needed
Assist at-risk student populations in navigating college successfully and addressing the hidden curriculum
Provide high-level administrative support to the Director. This includes but is not limited to: Coordinating schedules, managing appointments, and resolving conflicts, Managing correspondence and serving as a point of contact, Documentation and report preparation, Planning travel and providing logistical support
Serve on college committees as assigned
Perform any additional duties that may be assigned
May supervise student work-studies and/or student volunteers/interns