Academic Advisor

ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY; San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Mary's University in Texas seeks an Academic Adviser to provide proactive academic advising, enrollment support, and degree planning for undergraduate freshmen and sophomores.

The role includes guiding students through core and major requirements, reviewing degree plans, and maintaining accurate records of advising interactions. You will monitor students on probation, assist transfer articulation, and coordinate new student orientation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Education, Higher Education Counseling/Administration, or related field preferred.
• Minimum three (3) years of academic advising experience.
• Must clear and maintain a favorable background investigation and clearance.
• Must have valid driver's license and transportation to conduct business daily.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to relate to diverse constituencies and manage conflict.
• Must have knowledge about generative AI and applications to academic advising.

Responsibilities

• Provide proactive academic advising, intervention, and programming to support the Academic Advising Plan.
• Facilitate enrollment for new students, including transfer articulation, degree planning and registration.
• Monitor progress and provide guidance for students on probation or at risk of not progressing toward degree.
• Maintain accurate records of interactions with students and ensure timely communication.
• Develop advising materials and presentations for individual and group sessions, including new student orientation.
• Collaborate with Career & Professional Development Center to promote career exploration and planning activities.
• Work with department chairs and faculty mentors on curricular and co-curricular planning.
• Monitor institutional policy changes and program changes; perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Multitasking

MS Office / Office 365

Zoom / virtual meetings

Conflict management

Education

Bachelor's degree required

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Banner

DegreeWorks

EAB Navigate

Microsoft Office 365

Zoom

Job description

The Academic Adviser will provide proactive academic advising, intervention, and programming that supports the Academic Advising Plan to undergraduate freshmen and sophomore level students and other student populations. This position will also facilitate the enrollment process for new students, which includes transfer articulation, advising, degree planning and registration and will provide students with the necessary information and guidance to make timely progress toward graduation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assists students on the development of both short term and long term academic and career goals by providing accurate information and advice concerning core and major program requirements
• Reviews and approves student educational plans in degree plan tracking system (DegreeWorks [GPS]); Monitors educational planner to ensure successful degree progression
• Monitors students on academic probation and provides academic guidance and support to students who have not made satisfactory progress towards degree
• Monitors course withdrawals to proactively identify and assist at-risk students dropping major or multiple courses
• Reviews mid-semester grades to identify and assist students experiencing academic challenges and provides counsel regarding academic difficulties and transition issues
• Maintains systematic and frequent contact with advisees along with accurate print and electronic records of interactions with students
• Meets with potential transfer students to discuss transfer articulation
• Assists new students with registration activities and recommend solutions to course scheduling difficulties when needed
• Educates students on academic policies and procedure;
• Refers and advocates for students to on-campus resources when appropriate
• Develops advising materials and presentations that support individual and group advising sessions and promote academic success including at new student orientation programs
• Partners with Career & Professional Development Center to ensure student participation in career exploration and planning activities
• Serves as a resource for faculty mentors and advisers
• Partners with department chairs to ensure expertise in curricular and co-curricular planning, opportunities, and resources
• Collaborates with undergraduate professional advisers on advising, intervention and academic success programming
• Monitors changes of institutional policies and procedures, program changes, etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Education, Higher Education Counseling/Administration, or related field is preferred.
• Must have minimum three (3) years of academic advising experience;
• Must clear and maintain a favorable background investigation and clearance.
• Must have valid driver's license, motor vehicle liability insurance and personal injury insurance; or have a self-reliant source of transportation to conduct business on a daily basis.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills with ability to relate to diverse constituencies and manage conflict.
• Must have the ability to demonstrate intermediate to advanced skills in MS Office/Office 365 (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, and PowerPoint) experience with virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom. Banner manipulate and/or format data and/or reports; In Excel, must have the ability to pull data, assemble spreadsheets, format data & reports. Experience with Banner, EAB Navigate and/or Contact Management System (DegreeWorks), a plus.
• Must have knowledge about generative AI and applications to academic advising.
• Must have the commitment to work collaboratively with a diverse and dynamic community.
• Must have a high ethical standards and a strong sense of confidentiality; works well independently and as part of a team.
• Must be able to organize workflow, coordinate activities, balance simultaneous projects without loss of efficiency in a multi-tasked environment, and manage multiple priorities to meet deadlines.
• Must be flexible in every aspect and able to respond to any situation quickly and adequately.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Working conditions are in an office environment and university campus setting. Must be able to move across the university campus to conduct day to day business.
• While performing this role, the employee will be regularly required to sit, walk, and stand; talk and hear, both in person and by telephone; and use hands repetitively to operate standard office equipment; and occasionally required to lift up to 40 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Frequently communicates with others using approved technological resources; must be able to exchange accurate information through designated systems within a timely manner.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

St. Mary's University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Equal Opportunity Employer.