Director, Retention and Academic Advising

Bucks County Community College•Newtown, PA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Retention and Academic Advising is responsible for increasing retention and the leadership, administration, coordination, and delivery of academic advising across Bucks County Community College. The Director works across the college to lead retention initiatives, manages personnel and offerings of the professional advisors and support staff, coordinates advising provided by faculty advisors within the academic schools and personnel across all campuses, and leads development and revision of curricular content regarding advising, degree program and course selection. The Director will foster a college-wide community of practice that focuses on retention and the accessibility and impact of advising, use of data to inform improvement retention and advising practices, implementation of effective practices and tools, and assessment of advising and student success. The Director promotes student persistence through effective academic advising, educational planning, degree progression support, and timely connection of students to campus resources and services. The Director works collaboratively with colleagues across the College to ensure that advising-related retention efforts are data-informed and effective, and that advising services and strategies effectively meet the needs of students at various stages in their academic careers and life paths. In particular, the Director ensures close alignment with the Office of Admissions, the Registrar, the Academic Success Center, the academic Deans, and the campus directors. The Director works in close collaboration with the Director of Transfer & Prior Learning Assessment and the Director of Cooperative Education & Career Services to help position students for post-graduation success, the Director of Student Engagement & Leadership Development to provide out-of-class offerings for students, and works with instructors of COLL 101 Orientation to College and GUID 101 Introduction to Guided Studies on course content related to advising and degree program and course selection. The Director serves as the subject matter expert and central point of contact for faculty, staff, and students regarding retention and advising; ensures advising programs, services, resources, and events are in close alignment with the goals of Bucks County Community College and national advising standards; and manages the unit budget and supplies.

Requirements

Master’s degree and 4–6 years of related professional experience in academic advising, student services, retention, enrollment management, or a closely related field.
Knowledge of student retention issues, metrics, and practices to increase retention.
Strong understanding of academic advising processes and higher education planning.
Experience using student success, advising, retention, or enrollment data to inform decision-making and improve outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate across departments to support student progression, persistence, and completion.
Familiarity with student information systems, advising platforms, and emerging technologies, including tools incorporating artificial intelligence.
Experience training staff and faculty.
Experience managing teams.
Excellent collaborative, communication, project management, and interpersonal skills.
Strong organizational and supervisory skills.
Ability to analyze, interpret, and synthesize data to develop solutions and generate reports.
Ability to multitask and thrive in a dynamic, student-focused environment.
Applicants must be permitted to legally work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Experience with transfer and/or community college students is a plus, but not a requirement.
Working within a collective bargaining environment is a plus, but not a requirement.

Responsibilities

Lead, administer, and coordinate retention initiatives and the delivery of academic advising across Bucks County Community College.
Manage professional advisors and support staff and evaluate their performance.
Lead the development and revision of curricular content regarding advising, degree programs, and course selection.
Oversee retention initiatives and advising operations at all three physical campuses and Bucks Online and coordinate advising provided by faculty advisors within the academic schools and personnel across all campuses to ensure the timely and effective delivery of advising.
Monitor advising-related student success indicators, including educational plan completion, registration progression, and retention outcomes, and recommend improvements to advising practices and student support processes.
Collaborate with colleagues across the College to ensure advising services and approaches meet the needs of students at various stages in their academic careers and points in life.
Ensure representation of Academic Advising staff at college functions for prospective, new, returning, and/or current students – including high school dual enrollment students – and participate in such functions.
Foster a college-wide community of practice that focuses on accessibility and impact of advising, use of data to inform improvement of retention initiatives and advising practices, implementation of effective practices and advising tools, and assessment of student success.
Ensure close alignment with the Office of Admissions, the Registrar, the Academic Success Center, the academic Deans, and the campus directors.
Collaborate with the Academic Success Center and other student support units to ensure students are connected to appropriate resources and services that support academic success, persistence, and degree completion.
Work in close collaboration with the Director of Transfer & Prior Learning Assessment and the Director of Cooperative Education & Career Services to help position students for post-graduation success; with the Director of Student Engagement & Leadership Development to provide out-of-class offerings for students; and with instructors of COLL 101 Orientation to College and GUID 101 Introduction to Guided Studies on course content related to advising, degree programs, and course selection.
Serve as the subject matter expert and central point of contact for faculty, staff, and students regarding retention and academic advising.
Ensure retention initiatives, advising programs, services, resources, and events are in close alignment with the goals of Bucks County Community College and national best practices for retention and advising standards.
Assess advising effectiveness and recommend improvements to policies, procedures, technologies, and communications that support student progression and retention.
Represent the Office of Academic Advising at College events, presentations, and on committees and workgroups, as assigned.
Advise students regarding degree requirements and transfer plans with the goal of developing and documenting educational plans for new and current students, as well as those in transition (i.e., changing major, preparing for transfer).
Manage unit budget and supplies.