Executive Director of Student Advising and Success

State of South Carolina•Rock Hill, SC

66d

About The Position

Reporting to the Assistant Provost for Student Success, the Executive Director of Student Advising and Success develops, implements, and manages the university's comprehensive academic advising program. Incumbent provides strategic leadership for professional advising services, manages related budgets, and ensures alignment with NACADA best practices to support student advising, success and retention. Program Leadership & Development Leads the transition of academic advising from college-based supervision to university-wide, shared advising structure. Plans, develops and implements a comprehensive academic advising program to enhance academic success and student retention. Develops and documents comprehensive program policies, procedures and compliance protocols. Creates and maintains advising program infrastructure, including documentation, training materials, assessment protocols and communication campaigns. Develops and oversees advisor-to-student ratios aligned with NACADA best practices across the institution. Designs and implements academic advising campaigns to promote student engagement and program awareness. Facilitates transition of students to their academic faculty advisors. Supervision & Personnel Management Provides direct supervision to Student Services Directors serving as college advising leads. Facilitates coordination between academic advisors and coaches in specialized units, such as academic coaching of athletes, LEAP and other advising programs and services. Manages and supports professional development of all Student Services Directors and advisors, including NACADA membership and conference participation. Provides thought leadership to the recruiting, training and supervision of staff supporting advising operations and special programs. Collaborates with Human Resources on hiring, training and performance evaluation. Academic Advising and Transfer Student Initiatives Maintains an advising caseload. Partners with academic departments to ensure seamless transfer credit evaluation and degree planning. Provides oversight and guidance for specialized support services and programmatic interventions for transfer student populations. Contributes administrative leadership for the Transfer Mentor program, including strategic planning for recruitment, training and support of transfer mentors and students. Organizes large-scale assessment and reporting functions related to the transfer student experience, reviews data and outcomes, and shares information with key stakeholders to build support for transfer students. Guides the development of digital resources and tools for transfer students, ensuring alignment with departmental goals and student needs. Campus Collaboration, Assessment & Process Improvement Partners with academic colleges and faculty to support their transition from scheduling-focused advising to upper-level student mentorship and advising roles. Works with partners across campus to promote advising resources and transfer student success initiatives. Builds partnerships across Student Affairs to ensure coordinated student support services. Leads cross-campus collaboration initiatives to enhance coordination/implementation. Develops and implements comprehensive assessment strategies to measure program effectiveness. Partners with campus offices to collect and analyze student success and retention data related to advising to inform program modifications and recommend resource allocation needs. Prepares regular reports on program outcomes for the Assistant Provost, university leadership and external stakeholders. Develops and delivers comprehensive training programs for faculty and staff involved in student advising and academic mentorship. Budget & Grant Management Manages all budgets related to academic advising, including personnel, operations and professional development funds. Contributes to the development of and oversees grant funding and sponsored research funds related to advising initiative(s). Develops budget proposals and justifications for program expansion and enhancement. Additional Responsibilities Provides support for special projects and needs related to student advising and success. Performs other related duties as required.

Requirements

Master's degree from an accredited institution.
At least five years of professional experience supporting students in academic advising, student success, or related student services roles.
Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with faculty, staff, and administrators across academic departments and divisions.
Strong project management and budget oversight experience.
Proven personnel management and supervisory skills.
Knowledge of National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)) standards and best practices and understanding of student development theory and student success and retention strategies.
Knowledge of higher education organizational structures and academic program requirements.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic planning capabilities.
Effective oral and written communication skills and the ability to present to multiple audiences and stakeholders.
Demonstrated commitment to student learning, development, and success.
Ability to build and maintain effective partnerships across campus constituencies.
Experience with program assessment, data collection, and continuous improvement processes.
Computer literacy and ability to learn student information systems and advising platforms.
Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with appropriate discretion.
Change management skills and experience leading organizational transitions.
Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to supervise, mentor and evaluate staff.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs, Counseling, or related field.
Experience with comprehensive academic advising program development, implementation, and management.
Experience managing grants, sponsored research funds, or complex budgets in higher education.
Background in peer mentoring program development and management.
Experience with data analysis and assessment in student success initiatives.
Knowledge of transfer student populations and their unique advising needs.
Experience with academic advising campaign development and implementation.
Background in learning design and delivery for adults.
Experience identifying and leading process improvement initiatives.
Experience working with varied student populations, including first-generation college students.

Responsibilities

Leads the transition of academic advising from college-based supervision to university-wide, shared advising structure.
Plans, develops and implements a comprehensive academic advising program to enhance academic success and student retention.
Develops and documents comprehensive program policies, procedures and compliance protocols.
Creates and maintains advising program infrastructure, including documentation, training materials, assessment protocols and communication campaigns.
Develops and oversees advisor-to-student ratios aligned with NACADA best practices across the institution.
Designs and implements academic advising campaigns to promote student engagement and program awareness.
Facilitates transition of students to their academic faculty advisors.
Provides direct supervision to Student Services Directors serving as college advising leads.
Facilitates coordination between academic advisors and coaches in specialized units, such as academic coaching of athletes, LEAP and other advising programs and services.
Manages and supports professional development of all Student Services Directors and advisors, including NACADA membership and conference participation.
Provides thought leadership to the recruiting, training and supervision of staff supporting advising operations and special programs.
Collaborates with Human Resources on hiring, training and performance evaluation.
Maintains an advising caseload.
Partners with academic departments to ensure seamless transfer credit evaluation and degree planning.
Provides oversight and guidance for specialized support services and programmatic interventions for transfer student populations.
Contributes administrative leadership for the Transfer Mentor program, including strategic planning for recruitment, training and support of transfer mentors and students.
Organizes large-scale assessment and reporting functions related to the transfer student experience, reviews data and outcomes, and shares information with key stakeholders to build support for transfer students.
Guides the development of digital resources and tools for transfer students, ensuring alignment with departmental goals and student needs.
Partners with academic colleges and faculty to support their transition from scheduling-focused advising to upper-level student mentorship and advising roles.
Works with partners across campus to promote advising resources and transfer student success initiatives.
Builds partnerships across Student Affairs to ensure coordinated student support services.
Leads cross-campus collaboration initiatives to enhance coordination/implementation.
Develops and implements comprehensive assessment strategies to measure program effectiveness.
Partners with campus offices to collect and analyze student success and retention data related to advising to inform program modifications and recommend resource allocation needs.
Prepares regular reports on program outcomes for the Assistant Provost, university leadership and external stakeholders.
Develops and delivers comprehensive training programs for faculty and staff involved in student advising and academic mentorship.
Manages all budgets related to academic advising, including personnel, operations and professional development funds.
Contributes to the development of and oversees grant funding and sponsored research funds related to advising initiative(s).
Develops budget proposals and justifications for program expansion and enhancement.
Provides support for special projects and needs related to student advising and success.
Performs other related duties as required.