Director of Student Pathways and Partnerships
About The Position
University College invites applications for Director of Student Pathways and Partnerships. Candidates for searches must have current authorization to be employed in the U.S. without employer sponsorship. Reporting to the Vice Provost for Student Success and Dean of University College, the Director of Student Pathways and Partnerships provides strategic leadership for institutional initiatives designed to improve belonging, persistence, degree completion, and post-graduate success among students who have historically experienced barriers to higher education. The director leads the university's efforts to develop coordinated pathways of support by building partnerships across academic and administrative units, strengthening relationships with community organizations, and ensuring that institutional resources are aligned to meet the needs of specialized student populations. The director is responsible for advancing a relationship-rich ecosystem of support that connects students to people, programs, and opportunities throughout their educational journey while reducing institutional barriers that impede student success. Unlike traditional student support offices that primarily deliver services, the Office of Student Pathways and Partnerships serves as an institutional catalyst—building the university's capacity to ensure that every student has equitable access to the relationships, resources, and experiences necessary to thrive.
Requirements
- Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Education, or related field.
- Three years of progressively responsible experience in advising, student success, TRIO, student affairs, or related higher education programs.
- Experience working with students from various educational, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds.
- Experience partnering with community-based organizations to support vulnerable populations.
- Demonstrated experience developing student success initiatives or educational programming.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.
- Demonstrated commitment to relationship-rich student support.
- Ability to build collaborative partnerships across organizational units.
- Strong developmental advising and coaching skills.
- Knowledge of barriers affecting historically underserved students.
- Ability to interpret student success data and translate findings into action.
- Excellent facilitation, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to lead through influence and collaboration.
Nice To Haves
- Supervisory experience.
- Experience with Navigate360, Stellic, or other student success technologies.
- Experience assessing student success programs using quantitative and qualitative data.
- Experience developing campus partnerships.
- Experience supporting first-generation, Pell-eligible, military-affiliated, transfer, or adult learners.
Responsibilities
- Develop and implement the university's strategic vision for Student Pathways and Partnerships.
- Identify institutional opportunity gaps through the analysis of student success data.
- Develop university-wide initiatives that improve student belonging, engagement, retention, and completion.
- Establish priorities aligned with institutional strategic goals.
- Develop strategic partnerships across campus and within the community. Examples include: Veterans Affairs, TeenWorks, 21st Century Scholars, Community organizations, Alumni.
- Coordinate partnerships that expand educational opportunity and student success.
- Provide leadership for university initiatives supporting specialized student populations, including: First-generation students, Veterans, Students from low-income backgrounds, Adult learners, Returning stop-out students, Students in academic recovery, Foster youth, Additional populations identified through institutional priorities.
- Lead cross-divisional efforts that improve institutional responsiveness. Responsibilities include: policy review, referral systems, resource coordination, institutional communication, systems improvement, professional development, relationship-rich practices.
- Establish metrics.
- Evaluate outcomes.
- Monitor participation.
- Prepare annual reports.
- Recommend institutional improvements.
- Supervise Student Pathways Specialists.
- Provide leadership, coaching, and professional development.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Benefits
- Paid 24 vacation days
- 12 sick days
- 10 holidays a year
- Paid parental leave (6 weeks)
- Affordable health and dental insurance
- Robust long-term disability and life insurance plans
- Range of retirement benefits
- 90 percent of child's (or children's) undergraduate college tuition at Ball State
- 100 percent of tuition costs for you to earn your undergraduate degree
- 80 percent of your graduate tuition
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
