Director of Advising and First-Year Support

Frederick, Maryland•Frederick, MD

About The Position

Hood College seeks a dynamic, organized, and relationship-oriented Director of Advising and First-Year Support for its U.S. Department of Education Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant, Student Success in the AI Era: Advancing Retention, Completion, and Workforce Readiness at Hood College. Under the general direction of the Dean of Student Success, the Director leads the undergraduate academic advising program and coordinates, executes, and assesses support for students during the transition into and through their first year. This temporary, grant-funded position reports to the Dean of Student Success and implements and assesses a holistic, proactive advising model to provide consistent academic guidance, educational planning, connections to resources, and support for degree progress. The Director coordinates first-year student support and collaborates across campus to identify barriers to success, coordinate early interventions, strengthen students’ connection to the College, and improve persistence and retention into the second year. The role works closely with faculty and campus partners, including the Director of First-Year Experience classes, to integrate advising and first-year support addressing students’ academic, personal, social, and professional development. The position provides leadership for the advising program, establishes advising practices and resources, coordinates incoming-student advising and registration, trains advisors, and advises a cohort of first-year students. It also leads first-year support strategies, monitors student progress, coordinates outreach and referrals, assesses advising and retention outcomes, collaborates with campus partners, and supervises assigned advising or first-year support staff. Minimum qualifications include a master’s degree in a related field and professional experience in academic advising, student success, first-year programs, retention, student affairs, or a related higher-education setting. The position requires experience working with undergraduate students; knowledge of advising, student development, first-year transition, and student-success practices; experience with student information or success systems and data-informed interventions; and strong communication, organizational, analytical, and collaboration skills. Five or more years of relevant experience and supervisory, program management, advising-program leadership, professional-development, or assessment experience are preferred. The position has an annual starting salary range of $49,000 to $55,000, depending on qualifications and other relevant factors. It is benefits-eligible and offers medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement, paid time off, and tuition benefits. Funding is contingent on continued grant funding and satisfactory performance; the position is anticipated to be funded for the duration of the five-year grant period.

Requirements

Master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, education, academic advising, or a related field.
Professional experience in academic advising, student success, first-year programs, retention, student affairs, or a related higher-education setting.
Demonstrated experience working directly with undergraduate students.
Knowledge of academic advising practices, student development theory, first-year transition, and student-success strategies.
Experience using student information, advising, early-alert, or student-success management systems.
Demonstrated ability to use student data to inform outreach, interventions, and program improvements.
Excellent organizational, interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with faculty, staff, administrators, students, and campus partners.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, student-centered environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, e-mail, and the Internet, and ability to learn new applications quickly.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparing professional correspondence, program materials, instructions, presentations, and reports.
Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with people from varied backgrounds and levels of professional experience.
Ability to perform basic mathematical calculations and maintain accurate program records, including participation data, attendance, and assessment results.
Ability to organize and interpret quantitative information for program evaluation and reporting.
Ability to solve practical problems, interpret varied instructions, work independently and collaboratively on project plans, and apply logic.
Sound judgment when working with sensitive student situations and information, including FERPA compliance.

Nice To Haves

Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in advising, student success, first-year programs, or a related area.
Supervisory or program management experience.
Experience leading or coordinating a comprehensive academic advising program.
Experience developing first-year transition, persistence, or student-support initiatives.
Experience developing and facilitating professional development for faculty or staff advisors.
Experience assessing advising and student-success programs.
Familiarity with virtual meeting platforms, online event tools, databases, or student engagement systems.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership and direction for Hood College’s undergraduate academic advising program and implement a consistent, holistic, student-centered advising model.
Establish expectations, best practices, resources, and processes for staff and faculty advisors.
Coordinate advising for incoming first-year students, including summer advising and registration.
Develop and facilitate advisor training and professional development, and create advising manuals, tools, and resources.
Develop advising strategies for students from initial enrollment through transition into their academic major and subsequent advising relationships.
Lead advising support for undeclared students, students changing majors, students experiencing academic challenges, and students needing additional support; advise a cohort of first-year students.
Collaborate with academic departments and faculty advisors to promote consistent, high-quality advising.
Support advisors and work with the Registrar’s Office on academic policies, degree requirements, registration processes, and student-success procedures.
Promote advising that connects academic planning with students’ personal, professional, and career goals.
Encourage consistent documentation of advising interactions and appropriate use of student-success technology.
Identify advising barriers and recommend improvements to policies, practices, and processes affecting student experience and retention.
Lead a comprehensive first-year support strategy to promote transition, engagement, persistence, and academic progress.
Work with the Dean of Student Success and staff to monitor student progress and success indicators and identify students who may need additional support.
Coordinate proactive outreach at critical points throughout the first-year experience, using various modalities.
Develop strategies for students experiencing academic or personal difficulty transitioning to college.
Conduct targeted outreach to students who have not registered for an upcoming semester or may be considering withdrawal.
Connect students with academic, financial, wellness, accessibility, career, and campus-life resources.
Work with faculty, Student Success staff, Athletics, Student Life, Financial Aid, the Registrar, and other campus partners to address barriers affecting first-year students.
Support initiatives that strengthen students’ connection, belonging, confidence, and ability to navigate the College, and develop transition strategies for the second year.
Collaborate with the Dean of Student Success to establish annual advising, first-year support, and persistence goals.
Monitor advising engagement, academic alerts and standing, midterm performance, registration patterns, and persistence.
Identify trends and student populations that may need additional intervention or support.
Assess advising and first-year support programs and recommend improvements based on outcomes and student needs.
Prepare regular reports on advising participation, first-year student trends, interventions, and outcomes.
Gather student, faculty, and staff feedback and contribute to College-wide retention initiatives and student-success planning.
Develop working relationships with faculty, academic departments, Admissions, the Registrar, Financial Aid, Athletics, Student Life, Accessibility Services, Career Services, and other campus partners.
Participate in orientation, registration, recruitment, and other programs supporting new and continuing students.
Serve on assigned College committees related to advising, first-year experience, student success, and retention; represent Student Success at campus events and programs.
Communicate emerging advising and first-year student needs and trends to the Dean of Student Success and represent Hood College at relevant professional conferences and organizations.
Supervise assigned advising and/or first-year support staff; establish goals and expectations and provide training, professional development, coaching, and support.
Coordinate staff responsibilities and advising assignments to ensure appropriate student coverage.
Assist with budgets for advising and first-year support initiatives, participate in Student Success planning and assessment, and perform other duties assigned by the Dean of Student Success.