Undergraduate Student Academic Advisor

George Mason University•Fairfax, VA

31d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Undergraduate Academic advisor leads and manages the undergraduate advising program for the Department of Computational and Data Sciences (CDS), supporting a dynamic and growing population of approximately 450 majors and minors. This full-time, student-centered classified position plays a pivotal role in fostering student success through personalized academic advising, strategic program development, and active student engagement. The Advisor is responsible for designing, implementing, and continuously refining a comprehensive advising structure tailored to the unique needs of students pursuing interdisciplinary studies in computational science and data analytics. The Advisor will also assist students and faculty in understanding George Mason's academic policies and procedures, with a focus on the curricular and research pathways within Computational and Data Sciences. The role will actively research and integrate new analytical tools, data platforms, or emerging technologies to enhance advising services for the CDS student population. This position plays a critical role in supporting student recruitment and retention in CDS programs, promoting timely graduation, and enriching the overall academic experience for students pursuing computational and data science at George Mason University.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience;
Typically, a minimum of 1-3 years of experience in academic advising, student affairs, or a related field;
Knowledge of academic advising practices, university policies, and graduation requirements;
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, including active listening and the ability to effectively engage with students from a wide diversity of backgrounds;
Proven ability to work effectively as part of a team both within and outside the department;
Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills;
Ability to manage a large, diverse caseload of students independently and collaboratively in a fast paced, detail-oriented environment;
Ability to maintain a positive, service-oriented attitude with professionalism, flexibility, and creative problem-solving skills;
Proficiency in office technology and digital systems for advising, record keeping, and communication; and
Ability to work on-site at least 3 days per week.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree (in a related field);
At least 3-5 years of experience in academic advising, student affairs, or a related field;
Experience working in higher education;
Experience developing advising systems, advising materials, and student resources;
Knowledge of academic programming in Computational and Data Sciences, computer science, data analytics, or a related field; and
Ability to design and deliver orientation, recruitment, and retention initiatives.

Responsibilities

Guide CDS students on academic policies, procedures, and graduation requirements;
Creates a welcoming advising experience that meets students where they are with patience and compassion, equity-minded patience, and respect that encourages student persistence and success;
Conducts in-depth, one-on-one advising appointments and provides detailed follow-up communication to support student success while maintaining confidentiality according to all local, state, and federal laws and/or requirements;
Monitors student progress, registration activity, and academic standing to proactively address academic challenges;
Acts as a liaison for special populations including student-athletes, out-of-state students, and international cohorts (e.g., Mason Korea);
Supports students on suspension, returning students, and students on probation and/or dismissal;
Learns to and uses relevant university systems (e.g., MicroStrategy, Patriot Connect, and Stellic) to pull reports to maintain accurate counts of current students/alumni;
Refers students to and works with campus resources (e.g., financial aid, counseling, disability services, career services, etc.);
Maintains accurate, secure, digitized records of all student interactions, degree audits, and paperwork to ensure efficient access by relevant academic personnel;
Attends MAAN trainings and keeps current with George Mason and the College of Science policies; and
Schedules and distributes necessary and important advising information via multiple department controlled channels, including email listservs, department website, etc.
Oversees all aspects of the undergraduate advising program within CDS;
Serves as a point-of-contact for inquiries regarding the CDS undergraduate program;
Coordinates day-to-day advising activities with department staff and faculty;
Develops, implements, and assesses undergraduate advising methods and best practices to ensure responsiveness to individual student needs and alignment with departmental, college, and university goals;
Ensures consistent, streamlined undergraduate advising communication across the department;
Collaborates closely with department staff, faculty, program coordinators, department chair, and relevant college offices to address student concerns and resolve complex academic matters;
Attends monthly department faculty meetings and other faculty/staff meetings to ensure alignment advising, curriculum, and instructional planning;
Attends both college level and university level advising meetings to stay informed on university wide policy and initiatives that impact the department and its students; and
Supports department collaborations with partnering undergraduate programs, at the local, national, and international levels.
Develops, revises, and distributes student-facing communication and marketing materials for brochures, newsletters, website updates, presentations, etc., to promote advising services and departmental programs;
Prepares, organizes and leads CDS specific new and transfer student orientation sessions, ensuring students receive accurate and complete information about departmental programs;
Represents CDS at undergraduate admissions events, tours, and outreach activities supporting departmental growth and visibility;
Participates occasionally in after-hours or weekend events as needed with flexible scheduling; and
Serves as a proactive resource for academic and career making decisions.
Leads or supports special projects related to undergraduate recruitment, retention, analytics, and advising innovation for the CDS department.