Student Success Specialist IV

University of Louisville•Louisville, KY

13h•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Louisville Student Success Center is seeking a Student Success Specialist to join a collaborative team focused on increasing undergraduate student retention, persistence, and graduation. Student Success Specialists serve as advocates, coaches, and problem-solvers for students facing academic, financial, personal, and institutional barriers to success. Student Success Specialists work with students whose situations are often complex, involve multiple challenges, or require coordination across several university offices. They help students understand their options, navigate university systems, connect with resources, and develop realistic plans to achieve their goals. They are highly knowledgeable about financial aid, university billing, affordability planning, and the financial decisions that influence whether a student can continue toward graduation. They help students understand their options, evaluate tradeoffs, develop realistic financial plans, and navigate complex financial situations involving multiple campus offices. The Student Success Center serves as a central hub for helping students transition to and through their undergraduate experience. Our team believes student success is everyone’s responsibility, and we work every day to remove barriers, increase access, and help students achieve their educational goals. In addition to the team of Student Success Coordinators, the Student Success Center includes Exploratory & Transition Advising, FYE programming and curriculum, first-generation student initiatives, and strategic student success communications.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a related field and six (6) years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Grade 7 (Salaried)

Responsibilities

Maintain a caseload of undergraduate students and provide individualized support to help them overcome barriers to persistence and graduation.
Meet with students facing financial, academic, personal, and institutional challenges and help them develop actionable success plans.
Serve as a case manager and advocate for students navigating university policies, procedures, appeals, and complex situations involving multiple campus offices.
Provide individualized financial coaching by helping students understand financial aid packages, university billing, and the long-term implications of financial decisions. Work with students to develop realistic affordability plans that support continued enrollment.
Assess student financial need, make recommendations regarding institutional resources, and award persistence grants.
Conduct proactive outreach to students who are at risk of stopping out, have not enrolled for a subsequent term, or have been referred by campus partners.
Collaborate closely with academic advisors, financial aid staff, the Dean of Students Office, and other campus partners to support student success.
Maintain accurate case notes and utilize university systems to identify students who may benefit from intervention.
Participate in orientation programs, presentations, outreach initiatives, and other Student Success Center activities.
Build trusting relationships quickly.
Listen carefully and seek to understand the full picture before offering solutions.
Remain calm when situations are complicated or emotionally charged.
Enjoy helping students make informed financial decisions and can comfortably explain complex financial aid and billing concepts in ways students understand.
Are energized by helping people navigate systems and solve problems.
Balance empathy with accountability.
Communicate effectively with students, families, faculty, and staff.
Work collaboratively while also managing a high-volume caseload independently.
Adapt to changing priorities and student needs.
Advocate for students by working with campus partners to resolve complex situations, coordinate across multiple offices, and identify solutions that balance institutional policies with individual student circumstances.
Identify recurring institutional barriers affecting students and advocate for improvements to institutional policies, processes, and systems.