Student Success and Academic Advisor

York University; Toronto; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The Academic Advisor at York University, Faculty of Health, supports student success, satisfaction and retention through one-on-one and group advising. Under supervision of the Director, you facilitate transitions, implement initiatives, and partner with services on and off campus to promote holistic development and strong outcomes.

You will apply developmental advising, maintain confidentiality, and contribute to improvements in advising practices in line with York’s strategic direction and

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Education, Adult Education, Higher Education, Psychology, Student Development, Counselling or equivalent.
• Three years of recent related developmental academic experience and project coordination.
• Experience with online records systems (SIS) and CRM tools (Salesforce or Dynamics).

Responsibilities

• Provide academic advising for all new and continuing students in the Faculty of Health.
• Collaborate with the Dean’s Office, faculty, staff and student groups to support success.
• Interpret degree requirements, policies and progression and assist with records and reporting.

Skills

Student-centered service

Team collaboration

Project planning

Interpersonal skills

Public speaking

Data reporting

Confidentiality

Attention to detail

Time management

Independent work

Initiative

Diversity & inclusion

Problem solving

Education

Master’s Degree in Education or related field

Tools

SIS

Salesforce

Microsoft Dynamics

Job description

Purpose

The Faculty of Health at York University is the second largest Faculty offering various degrees and certificates to over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The Academic Advisor contributes to student success, satisfaction and retention in the Faculty of Health by providing academic advising for all new and continuing students in relation to the Faculty of Health. York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive excellence in promoting and enhancing, teaching, research and student success. Through innovative course design, diverse experiential education and learning opportunities, and a supportive community environment, our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that have an impact on the world. Under the direction of the Director, Student Success and Academic Advising and guided by the National Academic Advising Association’s (NACADA) and York University’s Advising Core Competencies, the Academic Advisor ("Advisor") empowers students and facilitates their academic, personal and professional success as they transition in, through and out of the academic program and university experience. Through this position, the Faculty of Health will realize its vision of delivering an excellent academic advising experience at York University and beyond. The Advisor will deliver excellence in student advising and assist the Faculty of Health and York University to achieve their student success and retention goals and their commitments to improve advising practices as outlined in York’s strategic documents. The Advisor is a campus leader in student development and advising. Using developmental advising practices, the Advisor is the first point of contact for their assigned students whom they meet with one-on-one and in groups. Through their evidence-based and theoretically informed practice, the Advisor will work with the Director, Student Success and Academic Advising to continuously improve, develop and implement new initiatives, programs, workshops, and tools that support holistic student development, social integration and student success. The incumbent will ensure that they are informed of services and supports around, on, and off campus. They will foster and develop strong, respectful and mutually beneficial partnerships to facilitate the seamless referrals of students between resources and support. The Advisor will also provide support to special populations of students (e.g., international students) to promote a successful transition to campus and foster positive academic and life experiences during their academic careers at York and may be responsible for supporting other operational and/or student services specialty areas (e.g., YU Start, training, enrollment). The Advisor will also support the vision, mission, values and strategic direction of the Faculty of Health and York University, and contribute to a positive, supportive, and client-focused team environment of high performance, respect, trust, collaboration and continuous improvement, embraces diversity and fosters inclusion. The Academic Advisor works in close collaboration with students, student groups, faculty and staff within the Dean’s Office, academic units, colleges and across the University to provide an excellent academic advising experience for all students.

Education

Master’s Degree in Education, Adult Education, Higher Education, Psychology, Student Development, Counselling or an equivalent of 5 years recent experience (defined as within the last six years) working at York University and performing the same or similar tasks. This education equivalency is in addition to the experiential requirements outlined below.

Experience

Three (3) years recent related developmental academic experience including project planning and coordination, interpreting and applying complex policies and legislation, advising on a variety of matters related to academic programs, and assessing student academic records in a student service area. Experience working with an online records system (i.e., SIS), and experience with a database and/or customer relationship management (CRM) system (preferably Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics) is also required.

Skills

• Proven student-centered service delivery and commitment to service excellence.
• Ability to foster and contribute to a positive, supportive, productive, respectful and inclusive team environment of high-performance, with proven teamwork and relationship building skills.
• Project planning, coordination and implementation.
• Demonstrated informal and collegial leadership skills.
• Complex academic advising, including degree requirements, transfer credit interpretation, academic penalties and progression.
• Developmental advising and strategies for improving academic performance.
• Knowledge of academic programs at York.
• Knowledge of and understanding degree requirements and academic legislation.
• Effective oral communication skills to elicit, interpret and summarize information.
• Data input, collection and reporting.
• Effective public speaking and presentation skills.
• Effective interpersonal skills.
• Ability to use tact and diplomacy and discretion when dealing with others.
• Ability to recognize and respect others' diversity and individual differences.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrated good attendance and punctuality.
• Excellent attention and accuracy to detail.
• Ability to exercise good judgment in analyzing and evaluating situations/circumstances and solving problems.
• Time management skills (effective organizational skills to handle conflicting priorities, multi-task and meet deadlines).
• Ability to work independently to identify and accomplish key objectives within an environment of high volume and frequent interruptions.
• Ability to exercise initiative and work effectively as a team member to achieve and support unit/organizational goals.
• Collaborative decision-making and supportive of outcomes.
• Competent in on-line computerized student records system (e.g., SIS), excellent word processing, spreadsheet and written communication skills to convey complex information in writing.

Additional Notes

Please note: This position requires the candidate to produce a verification of degree(s), credentials(s), or equivalencies from accredited institutions and/or international equivalents at the time of interview. Hours of work: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. â?? 4:30 p.m. Summer: Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. effective Friday prior to Victoria Day to Friday prior to Labour Day. Occasional overtime will be available Peak periods: January. May â?? August. September. Vacation restriction: January. May â?? Augustâ?? vacation is restricted to one week during these periods. Vacation is restricted to the first three weeks of September.

The University welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including, but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities (racialized), Indigenous Peoples and persons of any gender identity and sexual orientation. York University is committed to a positive, supportive and inclusive environment.

York University offers accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment processes. If you are contacted by York University regarding a job opportunity or testing, please advise if you require accommodation.

We are committed to enhancing our environmentally and socially responsible practices for the benefit of all members of the York community. Our long term perspective recognizes our responsibility to be innovators and to continually work as a community to reduce our ecological impact.