Associate Director of Advising - MnSCU Academic Professional 3

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities • Moorhead, MN

12h • Onsite

About The Position

Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State) is seeking an Associate Director of Advising to provide coordination, lead work, and operational support for academic advising services across the college. This role collaborates with the Director of Student Success and campus partners to implement and improve advising strategies, systems, and practices that support institutional enrollment, retention, persistence, and completion goals. The Associate Director will lead advising initiatives, including delivery models, student engagement, CRM-supported activities, and student success efforts. This position works with Student Affairs leadership, Enrollment Management, faculty, and Institutional Research to support data-informed advising practices aligned with the college’s Strategic Enrollment Management and student success priorities. In addition to operational leadership, the Associate Director will maintain an assigned advising caseload to stay connected to student needs, support complex academic planning, and inform improvements to advising services. The college's values of access and opportunity, equity, inclusion and belonging, cultural competence, cultural responsive pedagogy & service, and community engagement guide this work, aiming to create culturally relevant, responsive, and innovative educational environments that affirm student identities and provide emotionally safe spaces.

Requirements

• Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in advising, higher education or related field involving program coordination, student support or operational leadership.
• A bachelor’s degree may substitute for 1 year experience, an associate’s degree may substitute for 6 months experience.
• Ability to coordinate day-to-day advising services, operational processes and student success initiatives.
• Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and develop strategies to improve students success outcomes.
• Problem solving skills with the ability to set priorities, reason analytically, determine alternative solutions, and analyze and interpret information with a high degree of accountability and accuracy.
• Experience using Customer Relationship Management system, computer software applications and systems sufficient to enter data and create basic business correspondence, document interactions and training presentations.
• Ability to explain and help interpret complex policies involving multiple departments, systems, and levels, such as records and registration, support programs, financial aid, business services, bookstore, and admissions.
• Effective organizational skills with the ability to plan and organize multiple activities, deliver results, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in education, social sciences, higher education, human services, or related field.
• Familiarity with higher education and/or Minnstate educational policies and procedures, programs and curriculum, services, and resources for admissions, financial aid, support programs, records and registration to assist students in making sound career and educational decisions.
• Experience working in a two-year community and technical college setting.
• Experience working with student record systems, project management and specialty software such as DARS, ImageNow, Customer Relations Management Systems, and Office 365.
• Familiarity with research design, interpreting data, and making data driven decisions.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive advising to prospective, new, current, and returning students.
• Stay current in advising and workforce trends and expansion of knowledge and skills through growth and developmental opportunities.
• Work with enrollment to guide prospective students in making informed decisions to reach their academic goals.
• Design, direct, and execute advising techniques aimed toward developing and maintaining working relationships with advisees to maximize student achievement, retention, persistence, and educational goal attainment.
• Orient new students by covering essential entrance information and start academic planning with students in college-wide programs to maximize student preparedness for college life.
• Discuss how program of study aligns with career goals.
• Facilitate use of online resources, Focus2Career, and other academic/career planning resources/materials so students are able to identify experiential opportunities that will enhance their success in entering their chosen career field.
• Provide assessment advising by interpreting placement scores, guiding students through multiple measures review process, discussing resources for retesting (ex. ABE, academic bridge, tutoring), and describing developmental course sequences.
• Facilitate comprehensive academic planning, utilizing a thorough knowledge of college curriculum and resources, based on students’ individual needs, goals, values, and resources to ensure success, persistence, and goal attainment.
• Provide targeted services and engage in proactive advising with specific advising groups (ex. single parents, veterans, ELL, selective admission program candidates, PSEO, online) allowing for a successful transition to and from M State.
• Coach students in identifying and overcoming academic barriers by identifying available options, discussing consequences, and connecting them with resources.
• Identify, explore, and educate on non-traditional options to meet course outcomes/credit needs (ex. credit for prior learning, course substitutions, credit by exam, CLEP, courses at other MN State colleges).
• Review program requirements with individual students to confirm graduation requirements are met and discuss next steps in their academic journey.
• Provide financial aid explanation, advising, and advocacy.
• Document student meetings, interactions, and correspondence in a customer relations management system to allow for seamless communication throughout the institution.
• Collaborate with academic leadership and faculty to support student academic planning and progression.
• Provide coordination and lead work for academic advising services across the college.
• Support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of advising structures, caseload design, and outreach strategies aligned with institutional enrollment, retention, and completion goals.
• Provide lead work, guidance, and operational direction to advising staff to ensure consistent, high-quality advising practices across campuses and modalities.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of advising policies, procedures, workflows, and service standards.
• Coordinate advising support for new student onboarding, registration, and transition to college.
• Identify operational barriers to student success and implement process improvements to enhance advising effectiveness.
• Ensure advising services align with Strategic Enrollment Management and institutional student success initiatives.
• Collaborate with academic and student affairs leadership to improve student onboarding, course planning, and pathway clarity.
• Support the development of standard operating procedures, annual goals, and work plans for advising, outreach, and engagement functions, ensuring alignment with institutional enrollment and retention strategies and providing clear guidance to advisors and staff.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with campus partners and external stakeholders.
• Support institutional change initiatives and operational improvements that enhance the student experience.
• Support the design, implementation and continual improvement of student success initiatives through proactive communication campaigns, advising-related workflows in M State’s CRM, Slate.
• Help identify and recommend CRM priorities and advising workflows that support student onboarding, registration, retention, and completion.
• Maintain CRM communications, forms, and events that support advising outreach, student engagement, persistence and completion.
• Assess campaign effectiveness and inform CRM priorities and student success strategies to Director of Student Success to ensure accurate and timely information flow.
• Manage and monitor events related to advising and first year experience programming.
• Support for campus and college operations such as: front desk coverage, registration events, Spartan Welcome Days, Commencement.
• Support the operation of college and campus Student Services operational area(s) beyond the Academic & Student Affairs office.
• Serve on campus, college and community committees as assigned, approved and appropriate that seek to enhance the student experience.
• Other related duties as assigned by the Dean of Student Affairs and/or supervisor.

Benefits

• Low-cost medical and dental insurance with affordable deductibles
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability
• Pre-tax healthcare and dependent care accounts with a roll-over option
• Confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, legal, and financial counseling
• 12 paid holidays
• Generous vacation and sick time
• Six weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Pension Plan
• 457(b) and 403(b) retirement accounts
• Various investment options
• Dedicated professional development
• Tuition waivers for both you and your dependents

What This Job Offers

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