Assistant Director for Retention

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; La Crosse (WI); On-site; USD 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is seeking an Assistant Director for Retention to lead holistic advising practices, oversee retention initiatives, and support student success across diverse populations. The role reports to the Director of Multicultural Student Services and supervises two retention specialists.

The position emphasizes collaboration with Financial Aid, Institutional Research, and campus partners to develop high-impact retention programs and ensure persistence to graduation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 4 years full-time higher education experience or equivalent.
• Experience with program development, implementation and assessment.
• Experience with low-income, first-generation, transfer and multicultural students.
• Ability to build partnerships with faculty, staff and students.
• Experience advising student groups.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with MS Office applications.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead holistic advising practices and retention programs.
• Supervise two Retention Specialists and oversee staff development.
• Coordinate retention initiatives with OMSS and UW System programs.
• Collaborate with Financial Aid and campus partners to support student persistence through graduation.
• Manage early alerts and advisement load for eligible students.

Skills

Oral and written communication

Program development

Partnership building

MS Office proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Contact Information Darlene Geiger [e-mail]

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Position Title

Assistant Director for Retention

Job Category

Academic Staff

Employment Type

Regular

Job Profile

Student Affairs Assistant Director (C)

Job Duties

The Assistant Director (AD) of Retention reports to the Director of Multicultural Student Services. The AD leads the development of holistic advising practices, academic/financial retention outreach and programs, and assessment of retention program initiatives which centers on student success, by utilizing one’s expertise on multiculturalism and social identities. In addition, the AD supervises two Retention Specialists that provide academic programs and services that support student success. The AD is responsible for overseeing Partners in Residence Initiative, AERIE living/learning community, UW System Wisconsin Tuition Promise, and assist in an emerging learning community. The review of applications starts on November 23, 2026. Applications received on or before November 23rd are prioritized and review will continue until the position(s) is/are filled. Initial interviews will be conducted virtually, with shortlisted candidates invited to campus. UW-La Crosse does not offer H-1B or other work authorization visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and maintain work authorization throughout the employment term. If you have questions regarding this, please contact Human Resources at 608-785-8013.

Key Job Responsibilities

Academic and Financial Retention

• Work with academic college and/or departments when advising students with academic, financial and/or social challenges, and make referrals when necessary to assist student's persistence through graduation.
• Serve as a liaison with the UW-La Crosse Financial Aid office; meet regularly with Financial Aid staff members to stay updated on regulations and policies such Satisfaction Academic Progress and other financial opportunities.
• Coordinate academic and financial retention emerging practices and/or trainings for OMSS staff.
• Direct and assign OMSS staff on early alerts students and meet regularly with students who are in advisement load, academic probation, academically ineligible and/or are attempting to reenter the university.
• Ensure record keeping and use of EAB Navigate as a practice for tracking appointments, progress and campaigns.
• Develop and facilitate the high impact practice program and/or services that relate to the retention and graduation of students.
• Provide intrusive academic advising to various student populations such as participants in high-impact practice programs, on academic progress, suspension, warning, and probation.
• Create opportunities for student engagement to advance learning, leadership, and/or mentorship with retention base programming.
• Identify student needs and strategize solutions to enhance academic success and academic program progress of probation, transfer, and new/continuing students.
• Engage with the recruitment and retention of a diverse student population and provide leadership for the development of living and learning programs.

Administration

• Assists in increasing the access, outreach, retention and success of underrepresented students, first generation students, low-income students, and other intersecting identities.
• Foster relationships with appropriate campus departments to develop academic and career related programs to assist student's persistence through graduation
• Collaborate with campus partners to coordinate support initiatives such as: financial aid, graduate preparation, mental health awareness, and other initiatives to address program and services related to retention.
• Oversee the hiring, training, evaluation, and supervision of two full-time professional Retention Specialists.
• Supervise, onboard, and conduct developmental performance reviews for professional staff.
• Establish methods/plan to measure and maintain ongoing assessment efforts to evaluate the quality of internal high impact practice programs for retention program outcomes and effectiveness.
• Oversee staff member of program implementation and assist in the review of assessment for AERIE and Wisconsin Tuition Promise and assess the findings on an annual basis.
• Coordinates transition and retention strategies for students to address differentials in attrition and retention.
• Work with Institutional Research office to develop strategies and initiatives to collect data, evaluate/assess retention efforts, and help develop measurable strategies, learning outcomes, and action plans for key student cohorts to improve retention and graduation rates.

Department And Other Campus Retention Efforts

• Establish and maintain ongoing efforts to assess and evaluate the quality of campus life for students and recommend appropriate solutions to address campus life issues
• Serve on university committees
• Occasional weekend, evening work and travel is required.
• Other duties as assigned, reflective of unit and divisional mission and values.

Department

Multicultural Student Services

Compensation

$60,000 / year

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree with an advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 4 years full-time experience in a higher education setting, related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• Experience working with student populations in higher education via program development, implementation, and assessment.
• Experience or demonstrated ability to work with low income, first generation, transfer, and multicultural students in an educational setting.
• Ability to work cooperatively/effectively to develop key partnerships with various faculty, staff, and students throughout the campus community and community partners.
• Experience advising student groups.
• Demonstrated proficiency in oral and written communication skills.
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency w/ MS Office applications.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as a