Assistant Director of Advising & Persistence

Stonehill College; North Easton (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Stonehill College seeks an Assistant Director of Advising & Persistence to lead retention initiatives and support student success within the Academic Advising Office. The role collaborates across College divisions to develop scalable advising and persistence strategies for a diverse student body.

The position oversees programs such as ARP and APP, works with First-Year Experience and Institutional Research, and focuses on undeclared majors through the Explore pathway, with a commitment to

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of progressive experience in higher education advising and counseling undergraduates.
• Experience working with students from historically underrepresented communities.
• Strong commitment to data-informed decisions and using technology to support scalability.
• Proven ability to collaborate with administrators, faculty, and parents/guardians.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage the Academic Recovery Program (ARP) for students not in good academic standing or in need of additional credit recovery.
• Collaborate with Advising colleagues to create and scale the Academic Pathways Program (APP) for students needing extra support.
• Coordinate with Admission, First-Year Experience, and Institutional Research to identify students needing additional support and implement transition programs.
• Serve as primary advisor for undeclared BA students, linking them with resources through Stonehill’s Explore program.
• Propose and develop additional retention and persistence programming based on data and best practices.

Education

Master’s Degree preferred

Job description

Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1948, Stonehill is a private Catholic college located just 22 miles from downtown Boston on a beautiful 384-acre campus in Easton, Massachusetts. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1, the College engages its 2,500+ students in 80+ rigorous academic programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and pre-professional fields.

Faithful to the Holy Cross tradition in education, Stonehill College is committed to developing the moral, spiritual, intellectual, physical, and social competencies of its students and seeks to build and sustain a campus community that embraces diversity and inclusion in its teaching, learning, living, and working. Stonehill values a diversity of persons, opinions, and cultural and religious perspectives. In fulfillment of its motto, Lux et Spes (“Light and Hope”), the College cultivates in its students the competence to think, act, and lead with courage towards creating a more just and compassionate world.

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.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Retention & Recovery Programming

The Assistant Director helps execute strategies at the College to support students in academic jeopardy as well as those coming from historically underrepresented backgrounds. In addition, they will work to proactively remove barriers for students who need additional transition support prior to enrolling, including first-generation, BIPOC, academically underprepared, and undeclared college students.

• 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 practice.

Academic Advising

Provide academic support for all undergraduate students. Leverage innovative strategies and coaching techniques to engage students, connect them to campus resources, and facilitate their development and retention.

• 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.

Education & Experience

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. Master’s Degree 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.

Applicants who will enrich the diversity of the campus community are strongly encouraged to apply. Stonehill College is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity.