Director of Student Success and Retention

State of Louisiana; Bossier City (LA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier City seeks a Director of Student Success/Retention to provide strategic leadership for academic advising, student retention, persistence, and completion initiatives at the College. The Director will establish departmental priorities, develop and evaluate student success strategies, and collaborate with institutional partners to strengthen the student experience.

The role leads the Associate Director, drives long-term planning, assessment, policy

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required.
• Five (5) years of related experience working with college students in academic advising, student affairs, or academic affairs setting within higher education.
• Supervisory or leadership in higher education experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for academic advising, student retention, persistence, and completion initiatives.
• Establish departmental priorities, goals, and performance expectations that support the College’s Strategic Enrollment Management goals and broader institutional priorities.
• Develop, evaluate, and continuously improve proactive advising, outreach, and intervention strategies designed to support students from enrollment through completion.
• Collaborate with Academic Deans, faculty, and other institutional partners to strengthen academic advising practices and address barriers affecting student retention and completion.
• Lead cross-functional efforts with College departments to identify and improve processes that affect the student experience, persistence, and completion.

Skills

Leadership

Advising

Student success

Education

Master’s degree

Job description

This posting is for a full-time, unclassified, in-person, on-site staff position for our Bossier campus.

Salary is commensurate with credentials and experience.

Bossier Parish Community College is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

• Master’s degree from an accredited educational institution required.
• Five (5) years of related experience working with college students in academic advising, student affairs, or academic affairs setting within higher education.
• Supervisory or leadership in higher education experience.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have use of sensory skills in order to effectively communicate and interact with other employees and the public through the use of the telephone and personal contact as normally defined by the ability to see, read, talk, hear and handle or feel objects and controls.
• Must have physical capability to effectively use and operate various items of office equipment such as, but not limited to, personal computer, calculator, copier, and fax machine.
• Ability to occasionally lift or carry up to 10 pounds.
• Must be capable of sitting in stationary position for 50% or more of time.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Director of Student Success/Retention provides strategic leadership for academic advising, student retention, persistence, and completion initiatives at the College. The Director establishes departmental priorities, develops and evaluates student success strategies, uses data to identify opportunities for improvement, and collaborates with institutional partners to strengthen the student experience. The Director provides leadership and direction to the Associate Director and is responsible for long-term planning, assessment, policy development, and continuous improvement of advising and student success efforts. The Director leads efforts to build a consistent, student-centered advising experience aligned with institutional goals, national best practices, and a culture of care.

• Provide strategic leadership for academic advising, student retention, persistence, and completion initiatives.
• Establish departmental priorities, goals, and performance expectations that support the College’s Strategic Enrollment Management goals and broader institutional priorities.
• Develop, evaluate, and continuously improve proactive advising, outreach, and intervention strategies designed to support students from enrollment through completion.
• Use institutional data, student success indicators, and advising outcomes to identify trends, areas of concern, and opportunities for improvement.
• Establish strategies and expectations for supporting students at key risk points, including academic probation, early alerts, course withdrawals, stop-outs, inconsistent enrollment, and other indicators of academic disengagement.
• Provide leadership and direction to the Associate Director in the implementation of advising strategies, operational priorities, outreach efforts, and student success initiatives.
• Monitor the effectiveness of advising and student success initiatives and make recommendations for changes based on outcomes, student needs, and institutional priorities.
• Develop and review advising policies, procedures, service standards, and intervention models to promote consistency and student-centered experiences.
• Collaborate with Academic Deans, faculty, and other institutional partners to strengthen academic advising practices and address barriers affecting student retention and completion.
• Lead cross-functional efforts with College departments to identify and improve processes that affect the student experience, persistence, and completion.
• Serve as the College’s primary point of contact for academic advising strategy, student success initiatives, retention efforts, and intervention models.
• Lead departmental planning, assessment, budgeting, and resource allocation for Student Success and the Advising Center.
• Identify professional development needs and establish expectations for advisor training, coaching, and continued development in collaboration with the Associate Director.
• Participate in the hiring and evaluation of Student Success leadership staff and provide oversight of departmental staffing needs and organizational structure.
• Represent student success and academic advising on College committees, workgroups, and institutional initiatives related to enrollment, retention, completion, and academic planning.
• Maintain current knowledge of national trends, research, and best practices related to academic advising, student success, retention, persistence, and completion, and determine their appropriate application at the College.
• Maintain broad knowledge of relevant institutional policies and applicable laws and regulations, including FERPA and ADA, and provide departmental leadership related to compliance.
• Promote a service-oriented, student-centered culture focused on consistent practices, accountability, continuous improvement, and student success.
• Participate in enrollment, registration, and other College events outside of normal working hours when required.
• Maintain the commitment to Caring Campus standards and quality service that align with the primary mission of the institution.
• The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Employees may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.