Assistant Director of Advising & Persistance

Stonehill College; Easton (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Stonehill College is seeking an Assistant Director of Advising & Persistence to lead retention and recovery initiatives within the Academic Advising Office. The role collaborates with faculty and staff across the College to support vulnerable students and promote timely degree progress.

The position oversees the Academic Recovery Program and co-develops the Academic Pathways Program, while providing holistic advising, major exploration, and persistence coaching.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of progressive experience in higher education advising and counseling.
• Experience working with historically underrepresented student populations (first-generation, BIPOC).
• Experience creating, assessing, and scaling retention and student-support programs.
• Strong commitment to data-informed decision making and using technology to support scalability.
• Ability to build and maintain cross-divisional relationships to advance student success.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and coordinate the Academic Recovery Program (ARP) for students not in good standing or needing credit recovery.
• Collaborate with Admissions, First-Year Experience, and Institutional Research to support student transitions and persistence.
• Develop, evaluate, and implement retention initiatives and the First-Generation Scholars Program (FGSP).
• Provide holistic advising, coaching, and advocacy to students on major exploration, graduation planning, and academic progress.

Skills

Advising & counseling

Stakeholder collaboration

Data-informed decisions

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

As a member of a dynamic student-centered team, the Assistant Director of Advising & Persistence provides programmatic support and oversight of the retention and persistence efforts within the Academic Advising Office. This position will collaborate with colleagues across the College to help ensure the retention and success of Stonehill’s most vulnerable students.

The successful candidate will be responsible for working inter- and intra-divisionally to create, assess, scale, and operationalize support for Stonehill students as well as to continually make improvements to academic support and recovery strategies. This position will assist Stonehill students with all aspects of advising, including major and career exploration and affirmation, college procedures, programs, and services pertaining to registration, retention, persistence, and student success.

The Academic Advising team is a part of the Navigation Center for Student Success at Stonehill College. Comprised of five offices (Advising, Accessibility, Career, Global, & Tutoring), the Navigation Center works collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to accomplish mission-driven goals. The team devotes attention to the inclusive nature of the Stonehill community and celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion in all its endeavors.

Retention & Recovery Programming

• Oversee and manage the Academic Recovery Program (ARP) for students not in good academic standing or in need of additional credit recovery at the College.
• With Academic Advising colleagues, work to create and scale the Academic Pathways Program (APP), a proactive retention program for students who may require additional academic support and intervention.
• Collaborate with colleagues in Admission, First-Year Experience, and Institutional Research to identify students needing additional support and implement programs to assist their transition into the College.
• With the Director of Student Success & Persistence, develop, evaluate, and execute the College’s First-Generation Scholars Program (FGSP), serving as the primary point person for the students enrolled in the program.
• Coordinate and teach (where appropriate) population-specific courses, including a specific section of First-Year Experience (FYE), Applied Learning Theory (study skills support), and Explore (course support major exploration).
• Serve as the primary advisor for undeclared BA students, connecting them with resources through Stonehill’s Explore program.
• Propose and develop additional retention and persistence programming based on available data and best practices.

Academic Advising

• Work as a member of a collaborative team of advisors to meet the ongoing needs of students on both a drop-in and by-appointment basis; work with students on major exploration, graduation planning, course withdrawals, academic appeals, course overloads, academic interventions, mid-semester assessments, early alert referrals, and other issues related to academic progress and engagement.
• Respond to and resolve student academic difficulties through the use of holistic appreciative advising, coaching, and advocacy.
• Mediate and resolve student-faculty concerns and/or communication issues through comprehensive case management.
• Implement, assess, and modify effective programs and best practices in academic support services.

At least 3-5 years of progressive experience in higher education, advising and counseling undergraduates, working with administrators, faculty, and parents/guardians in an advising setting. A Master’s Degree is preferred.

• Demonstrated experience with, and commitment to, working with students from historically underrepresented communities, including first-generation and BIPOC college students;
• Demonstrated experience with retention and student support programming creation and assessment with a strong background in student development theory.
• Proven experience bringing stakeholders together to solve problems and execute student success strategies.
• Demonstrated commitment to making data-informed decisions and implementing technology to support scalability.
• Demonstrated capacity to develop and maintain effective working relationships with individuals and organizations reflecting a broad range of identities, perspectives, and experiences.