Specialist - Outreach-Continuing

MSU Careers Details•East Lansing, MI

10d

About The Position

Michigan State University seeks a strategic, creative, and community-minded Program Director for the Lansing Spartan Scholars (LSS) program, which welcomed its first cohort in Fall 2025. The program strengthens relationships between MSU and the Lansing community and supports Lansing students’ access to and success at MSU. The Program Director leads the overall management of LSS, overseeing holistic student support and promoting outreach, transition, student success, retention, and degree completion through data-informed and assessment-based approaches. The role develops and implements services across five student success opportunity areas: Educational Success, Sense of Belonging, Community, Sense of Purpose, and Well-being. Program components include advising; high-impact practices such as first-year seminars, education abroad, service learning, internships, and undergraduate research; pre-college outreach; student development; institutional navigation; and relationship-building with Lansing schools, community organizations, and businesses. The Director provides strategic planning for short- and long-term goals, program learning outcomes, and assessment. The program is part of MSU’s Office of Undergraduate Education in the Office of the Provost. The position coordinates and teaches annual one-credit UGS 110 first-year seminar courses for LSS students; develops outreach and recruitment partnerships and plans; directs advising, coaching, and student programming; assesses program outcomes and uses data to improve services; supervises a full-time professional staff member to be hired, graduate student employees or interns, and undergraduate peer mentors; and manages scholarship funds, the program budget, and plans for grant and donor funding. The role coordinates with campus partners and represents the program on committees and workgroups. Occasional evening and weekend work is required.

Requirements

Master’s degree in student affairs, higher education, social work, business, counseling, or another related field.
At least 5 years of experience in program management, student services, or higher education, including collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
Knowledge of concepts, theories, and practices related to student success, persistence, and graduation.
Successful experience designing and implementing student success programs, strategic planning, or leading strategic initiatives.
Successful experience with advising, student success, or cohort-based initiatives.
Successful experience managing staff or colleagues toward program goals and ability to apply project management concepts.
Ability to implement assessment and evaluation strategies to monitor student success data and inform continuous improvement.
Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work diplomatically and effectively with campus partners and stakeholders.
Experience developing and managing program budgets.
Applicants must submit both a cover letter and resume to the Committee Chair; applications missing either will not be considered. The posting states that supplemental materials such as transcripts and additional documents will not be reviewed.

Nice To Haves

Terminal degree in higher education or a related field.
Understanding of the needs and opportunities related to the Lansing community.
Previous experience teaching, advising, or mentoring post-secondary students, with a focus on institutional navigation, sense of community, academic development, well-being, belonging, purpose, or career readiness.
Budget management experience, including working with student financial aid and donor-based funds.
Grant writing experience and/or experience generating funds from donors or external sources.

Responsibilities

Coordinate, develop, and teach annual one-credit UGS 110 first-year seminar courses for Lansing Spartan Scholars.
Organize and lead partnership development with Lansing public schools, community organizations, and local businesses.
Develop and implement a strategic outreach and recruitment plan for prospective eligible students, their parents and supporters, school staff, and Lansing community members and organizations, in collaboration with MSU’s Office of Admissions.
Manage an efficient and timely application process for new cohorts.
Establish and foster on- and off-campus partnerships to support student success and community-centered initiatives.
Participate in relevant university and community committees, contributing to professional development, connections, and decision-making.
Work with state and local governments and partners on access, persistence, and completion initiatives.
Direct the development, implementation, and review of advising and coaching services aligned with MSU and Lansing community goals.
Lead academic and socio-emotional programming, including workshops, first-year transition programming, welcome events, and recognition celebrations addressing the five opportunity areas for student success.
Implement assessment and evaluation strategies to guide student success goals and outcomes, continuous improvement, and operational effectiveness.
Use data to evaluate interventions, guide programming, and monitor persistence and student success outcomes.
Research, develop, implement, and assess policies and procedures related to persistence and student success.
Collaborate with the Data Analytics Team on data request schedules, assessment plans, and reports.
Prepare and present reports and documentation to internal and external stakeholders as needed.
Lead, manage, and supervise one full-time professional staff member to be hired, graduate student employees or interns, and undergraduate peer mentors.
Manage distribution of Lansing Spartan Scholars scholarship funds for student participation in high-impact experiences and assistance with cost of attendance.
Develop the program budget and manage expenditures in alignment with program goals.
Create a strategic plan and vision for grant and donor funds, including leading requests for additional funds.
Coordinate with campus partners on persistence and student success, including Admissions, Advising, Financial Aid, the Transfer Student Success Center, Envision Green, Student Life and Engagement, Strategic Retention, colleges, and others.
Represent the unit on committees, workgroups, and relevant spaces; perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.