Director of Advising
About The Position
Marian University seeks a Director of Academic Advising to promote its Catholic Franciscan mission and identity by leading, coordinating, and strengthening academic advising practices that support student success, engagement, retention, persistence, and holistic development across the university. The Director of Academic Advising provides leadership, coordination, and support for advising practices across the university with a focus on developmental advising, faculty and staff advisor support, and student success initiatives. This position partners closely with faculty, staff advisors, academic units, Student Success & Engagement, and the Registrar to strengthen advising systems, processes, and student support structures institution-wide. Additionally, the Director advises a cohort of exploratory or undecided students, designs and facilitates advisor training and development opportunities, supports advising-related programming and initiatives, and uses advising and institutional data to evaluate effectiveness, inform decision-making, and promote continuous improvement in academic advising practices. The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader with strong communication, organizational, and relational skills who can effectively engage diverse populations while fostering a student-centered advising culture.
Requirements
- Master’s degree required.
- Minimum of 3–5 years of professional experience in academic advising, student success, higher education, or related student-facing roles required.
- Knowledge of developmental advising models, NACADA core competencies, student development theory, and best practices in academic advising.
- Experience designing and facilitating training, workshops, or professional development initiatives.
- Demonstrated understanding of developmental advising practices that support student growth, persistence, engagement, and vocation exploration.
- Demonstrated ability to build supportive relationships with students, faculty, and staff through effective interpersonal communication, empathy, active listening, and collaborative problem solving.
- Ability to interpret curriculum requirements, academic policies, and degree progression requirements and effectively communicate them to students and advisors.
- Experience using data to assess student success initiatives, advising effectiveness, and/or retention outcomes.
- Work hours necessary to perform job requirements satisfactorily on a regular basis.
- Manage absence from work in responsible manner to ensure service to clients, work teams, and coworkers.
- Comply with Marian University policies and practices and seeking clarification of them when necessary.
Nice To Haves
- Degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Educational Leadership, or related field preferred.
- Candidates with significant experience in academic advising in higher education are strongly encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities
- Actively engage the Catholic Franciscan mission and identity of Marian University by modeling the Franciscan Sponsorship Values and honoring the legacy of the founding congregation through transformative education, unity in diversity, leadership through service, integrating faith and life, and institutional policies.
- Provide leadership and coordination for advising practices across the university by supporting a developmental advising model that emphasizes student growth, purpose, vocation, engagement, and success.
- Advise a cohort of exploratory or undecided students through coaching, mentoring, and developmental advising conversations that help students navigate academic pathways, personal decision-making, and vocational exploration.
- Design, organize, and facilitate training and professional development opportunities for new and returning faculty advisors and professional staff advisors focused on effective advising practices, university systems, student support strategies, and developmental advising approaches.
- Serve as a liaison and resource for faculty advisors, academic units, and Student Success & Engagement staff by providing consultation, guidance, and support related to advising challenges, student concerns, and difficult advising conversations.
- Support the development and communication of advising strategies, practices, and resources that promote a consistent advisor-student experience across academic programs and align with institutional goals related to retention, graduation, and student engagement.
- Support or coordinate advising-related initiatives and student engagement programming such as orientation activities, academic exploration events, faculty-student engagement opportunities, and other programs that foster intellectual curiosity, belonging, and student connection.
- Partner closely with the Registrar and other university offices to support advising systems, policies, processes, four-year academic planning efforts, and advisor understanding of curricular pathways, sequencing, and university requirements.
- Monitor advising outcomes and utilize institutional and advising-related data to assess effectiveness, evaluate interventions, enhance advising practices, improve SPARK alert utilization, develop advising dashboards and reports, and support accreditation and student success initiatives.
- Adheres to Marian University’s policy and procedures
- Shows courtesy and respect in interactions with fellow employees, students subordinates, and supervisors
- Communicates regularly with supervisor about department issues
- Meets department productivity standards
- Participates in developing department goals, objectives, and systems
- Assists to establish department measurements that align and support the accomplishment of the University’s strategic goals
- Adheres to the department budget
Benefits
- Equal Opportunity Employer
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
