Senior Academic Advisor

SUNY Downstate; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University invites applicants for a full-time Senior Academic Advisor / Assistant Director within the Office of Student Academic Services. The role focuses on delivering comprehensive academic advising, learning support, and intervention services to health sciences students to promote achievement, retention, and success.

The position involves collaborating with faculty, leadership, and support services to develop and evaluate academic initiatives, oversee tutoring,

Responsibilities

• Provide individualized and small-group academic advising and coaching to students seeking to improve performance and learning skills.
• Assess students' academic challenges and develop strategies addressing study techniques, note-taking, time management, test preparation, and stress management.
• Identify and engage academically at-risk students to support achievement, retention, and progression through programs.
• Offer ongoing academic coaching, monitoring, and follow-up for students on academic probation or facing difficulties.
• Develop individualized academic improvement plans, conduct follow-up sessions, and document progress and outcomes.
• Collaborate with faculty and university personnel to identify barriers to success and recommend interventions.
• Assist students in organizing and editing written assignments while maintaining academic integrity standards.
• Refer students to external evaluators for assessment of learning needs when appropriate.
• Develop and deliver academic support workshops and study skills sessions to improve learning outcomes.
• Coordinate tutoring services and supervise student tutors; monitor activity and effectiveness.
• Assist in evaluating and enhancing academic support programs and initiatives.

Job description

The Office of Student Academic Services at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is seeking a full-time Senior Academic Advisor / Assistant Director.

Job Summary

The Senior Academic Advisor provides comprehensive academic advising, individualized learning support, and academic intervention services to students enrolled in the University's health sciences programs. The incumbent promotes student achievement, retention, and success by identifying learning challenges, developing academic improvement strategies, and implementing programs to strengthen student performance.

Working collaboratively with students, faculty, academic leadership, and institutional support services, the Senior Academic Advisor also assists in the development, coordination, and evaluation of academic support initiatives, oversees student tutoring services, and supports departmental operations.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Academic Advising and Student Success

• Provide individualized and small-group academic advising and coaching to students seeking to improve their academic performance and strengthen their learning skills.
• Assess students' academic challenges and develop individualized strategies addressing study techniques, note-taking, time management, test preparation, examination performance, and stress management.
• Proactively identify and engage academically at-risk students to support academic achievement, retention, and successful progression through their respective programs.
• Provide ongoing academic coaching, monitoring, and follow-up support to students experiencing academic difficulties or placed on academic probation.
• Develop individualized academic improvement plans, conduct follow-up sessions, and maintain accurate documentation of student progress and outcomes.
• Collaborate with faculty, academic departments, and appropriate University personnel to identify barriers to student success and recommend academic interventions.
• Assist students in the School of Public Health with organizing, structuring, and editing written academic assignments while maintaining institutional academic integrity standards.
• Refer students to appropriate external evaluators for assessment of potential learning disabilities or other specialized learning needs, as appropriate.

Academic Intervention and Learning Support

• Develop and recommend individualized academic intervention strategies for students experiencing academic difficulties.
• Provide academic support and learning strategies tailored to students enrolled in academically rigorous health sciences programs.
• Coordinate academic support services and related needs for students with documented accommodations in collaboration with appropriate University offices.
• Assist students in accessing available tutoring, academic resources, and other institutional support services.
• Monitor the effectiveness of academic interventions and make recommendations for adjustments based on student progress and demonstrated needs.
• Identify recurring academic challenges, difficult curricular topics, and student learning trends and communicate findings to academic support leadership.

Academic Support Programs and Workshops

• Develop, coordinate, and facilitate academic success workshops, study strategy sessions, and other educational activities designed to improve student learning and academic performance.
• Provide instruction and guidance on effective learning strategies, academic organization, examination preparation, and study skills development.
• Assist the Associate Vice President in identifying, developing, and implementing new academic support programs to address the needs of students in the School of Health Professions and College of Nursing.
• Participate in evaluating existing academic support programs and recommend enhancements to improve student engagement, program effectiveness, and academic outcomes.
• Assist with the implementation and assessment of approved program improvements, initiatives, and modifications.
• Collaborate with faculty and academic departments to ensure academic support programming is responsive to student learning needs and curricular challenges.

Tutoring Services and Student Staff Supervision

• Coordinate and oversee student tutoring services to support academic achievement across designated academic programs.
• Supervise, schedule, train, and provide ongoing guidance to student work-study tutors.
• Monitor tutoring activities, student participation, and service effectiveness to ensure appropriate academic support is available.
• Identify opportunities to improve tutoring resources, scheduling, and service delivery based on student needs and program demand.

Program Assessment, Administration, and Collaboration

• Assist in collecting, organizing, maintaining, and analyzing academic support data to evaluate program utilization, student progress, and service effectiveness.
• Prepare student progress reports, program activity summaries, and other documentation to support departmental planning, assessment, and continuous improvement.
• Provide feedback and recommendations to the Senior Assistant Director and Associate Vice President regarding curricular challenges, student academic performance trends, and opportunities for program improvement.
• Assist the Associate Vice President in evaluating existing academic support programs and coordinating the implementation of recommended enhancements.
• Collaborate with academic departments, faculty, student services, and other institutional stakeholders to coordinate academic support initiatives.
• Support the daily administrative operations of the Office of Student Academic Services, including scheduling, recordkeeping, data management, and coordination of student support activities.
• Maintain the confidentiality of student academic records, advising information, and accommodation-related documentation in accordance with applicable institutional policies and federal requirements.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.