Graduation Coordinator

Lamar University; Beaumont (TX); On-site; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health/dental/vision

Life insurance

Retirement plans

Tuition benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Lamar University seeks a Graduation Coordinator to manage undergraduate graduation, degree audits, and commencement processes, ensuring accurate degree certification, timely conferral of degrees, and clean academic records for students, faculty, and staff.

The role requires strong analytical and organizational skills, excellent customer service, and the ability to communicate clearly about graduation requirements and FERPA compliance; it also involves coordinating with academic departments,

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in higher education administration, business administration, education, communication or a related field.
• Minimum of two years of experience in student services, academic records, enrollment management, customer service, or a related administrative field.
• Two or more years’ experience with data entry, database management, and student information systems.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate undergraduate graduation processes and maintain accurate graduation records.
• Review degree audits and academic records to verify degree completion, graduation eligibility, honors qualification, and degree certification.
• Process graduation applications, degree conferrals, and degree audit retention activities in Banner and related systems.
• Identify and monitor students with outstanding graduation requirements and communicate necessary actions.
• Maintain and update graduation data, application statuses, and related records.
• Verify final grades, GPA calculations, and degree requirements prior to awarding degrees.
• Generate and distribute diplomas and certificates, including replacement and duplicate credentials.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Customer service

FERPA compliance

Education

Associate degree

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Banner

Degree Works

Job description

Job Summary

The Graduation Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and administering undergraduate graduation, degree audit, and commencement-related processes to ensure accurate and timely certification of degrees. This position reviews degree audits, verifies graduation eligibility, maintains graduation records, processes degree conferrals, and serves as a primary resource for students, faculty, and staff regarding graduation requirements and academic records. The coordinator assists with commencement and graduation events, supports the administration of Degree Works, and ensures compliance with university policies and FERPA regulations. The position requires strong analytical, organizational, and customer service skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain data integrity, and collaborate effectively with academic departments and campus partners to support student success and institutional goals.

Special Note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship now or in the future.

Essential Job Functions

Graduation:

• Coordinate undergraduate graduation processes and maintain accurate graduation records.
• Review degree audits and academic records to verify degree completion, graduation eligibility, honors qualification, and degree certification.
• Process graduation applications, degree conferrals, and degree audit retention activities in Banner and related systems.
• Identify and monitor students with outstanding graduation requirements and communicate necessary actions.
• Maintain and update graduation data, application statuses, and related records.
• Verify final grades, GPA calculations, and degree requirements prior to awarding degrees.
• Generate and distribute diplomas and certificates, including replacement and duplicate credentials.
• Create, update, and maintain diploma and certificate templates.
• Produce reports and complete special projects in support of Records Office operations

Degree Audit and Academic Records Support:

• Support the administration and maintenance of Degree Works and related degree audit systems.
• Process course substitutions and review degree audit petitions in accordance with university policies.
• Provide guidance to students, faculty, and staff regarding degree requirements, graduation eligibility, and academic records procedures.
• Assist with training faculty and staff on Degree Works processes and best practices.

Commencement and Graduation Event Coordination:

• Assist with the planning and execution of commencement ceremonies, graduation fairs, diploma distribution events, and related activities.
• Prepare and distribute graduation-related communications to students.
• Review commencement materials to ensure accuracy of student, degree, and credential information.
• Participate in commencement committees and provide on-site support during graduation events, including occasional evenings and weekends.

Customer Service and Communication:

• Serve as a primary resource for students, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders regarding graduation, commencement, degree audits, and academic records matters.
• Respond to inquiries through email, phone, and in-person interactions while providing exceptional customer service.
• Maintain departmental communication channels and ensure timely, accurate dissemination of information.
• Ensure compliance with FERPA and university policies when handling student records and information.

Administrative and Operational Support:

• Perform data entry and maintain accurate records within Banner, DegreeWorks, and other university systems.
• Participate in departmental training, cross-training, committees, meetings, seminars, and professional development activities.
• Assist with onboarding and training staff as assigned.
• Support continuous process improvement efforts and perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum and Desired Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Associate’s degree in higher education administration, business administration, education, communication or a related field.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in student services, academic records, enrollment management, customer service, or a related administrative field.
• Two (2) or more years’ experience with data entry, database management, and student information systems.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in higher education administration, business administration, education, communication or a related field.
• Five (5) or more years of experience in student services, academic records, enrollment management, customer service, or a related field.
• Two (2) or more years’ experience coordinating commencement related processes in collaboration with university departments and external vendors.

Supplemental Information

Key Competencies:

• Ensuring accuracy in degree audits, graduation certifications, and student records.
• Organization and time management
• Provide responsive and professional support to students, faculty, staff and external stakeholders.
• Effectively communicate and convey graduation requirements, policies, procedures and deadlines both verbally and in writing.
• Problem solving and analytical thinking skills.

Physical Requirements

Although the position is primarily sedentary, the position involves occasionally moving about inside narrow storage closets and cabinets. Occasionally, the position requires lifting, carrying or loading boxes and other equipment weighing up to 20 pounds from or to heights of 3-4 feet.

Job Conditions

Work schedule will be from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Additional hours or weekends will occasionally be required for graduation fairs and commencement ceremonies.

Who We Are

Home to more than 18,000 students, Lamar University is among the fastest growing Texas colleges and universities. LU is a member of The Texas State University System, which is the first higher education system of Texas and maintains the lowest average tuition and fees of any university system in Texas. With more than 120-degree options and a community that cares, Lamar students are always proud to be Cardinals. Lamar University strives to educate leaders, demonstrate excellence in student learning and career readiness, and pursue research with relevance.

Lamar University is committed to fostering an environment of teamwork where all students, faculty, and staff can learn, work, and become a part of our community.

Benefits

• Health, dental & vision insurance
• Life insurance
• State of Texas Retirement plans
• Tuition covered at 100% for employees, spouses and/or eligible dependents
• Paid time off – vacation, sick, and holidays

To see more information about the available benefits, please visit: Benefits - Lamar University

Lamar University is An Equal Opportunity Employer

Lamar University is proud to provide employment preference to veteran applicants in accordance with Texas 805 Government Code, Section 657.003.

This position is security-sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215, which authorizes the employer to obtain criminal history record information.