Student Success Counseling Specialist

Overview

Job Location:
Main Campus

The Student Success Counseling Specialist for Daveler and Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship and Lutgert College of Business formally guides students in their academic pursuits with course selection, degree planning, broader educational goals, and graduation requirements. Student Success Counseling Specialists ensure students are exploring career interests while simultaneously developing program plans of study that align with degree requirements and career aspirations. Through data analytics, actively monitors student progress to identify potential pitfalls and actively intervenes with psychological or physical challenges by providing direct collaboration with university resources to ensure solutions that facilitate learning and degree progression. Student Success Counseling Specialists contribute to the training and development of Student Success Counselors and help guide the development and refinement of practices that lead to improving the success of students at FGCU.

Student Success Counseling Specialists are directly responsible for contributing to the university goals and objectives in the areas of retention, persistence, and timely graduation.

FGCU is a member of the State University System of Florida and an Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity and Access Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, disability, sex, pregnancy, national origin, marital status, genetic predisposition, sexual orientation, gender identity/gender expression, veteran status, and any other protected class(es), as required by applicable state and federal law, as well as University regulations and policies.

Job Description

Typical duties may include but are not limited to:

• Stays current on trends in student success models and leads efforts to enhance student efforts to plan academic degrees that align with career readiness. Participates in professional organization training, conferences, and workshops. Assists in, and may lead, the training and professional development activities necessary to increase knowledge and skills of Student Success Counselors
• Facilitates four-year graduation rates by providing individual and group counseling to students on various academic programs, program / curriculum requirements, course milestones, and academic and career goal planning. 
• Contributes to improving overall retention and persistence rates of students with regular monitoring of student progress towards their degree.  Identifies at-risk students and utilizes case management techniques to intervene and develop plans to alleviate barriers to success.
• Assists in the development and implementation of innovative programming and services that increase persistence, retention, and four-year graduation rates. Maintains accurate records and tracks student progress.  Generates and reviews reports to ensure timely follow up on outreach efforts.
• Applies various proactive student development theories, advising practices, and career pathways guidance to facilitate and enhance students to make informed decisions about their educational and life goals.
• Provides direct leadership for the development and tracking of financial aid and scholarship strategies through the use of university-wide dashboards; including but not limited to providing guidance and application of such strategies to directly impact the university’s goals and performance metrics.
• Ensures accurate records of counseling appointments and outreach efforts are being maintained and entered in the student degree tracking system.
• Contributes to regional workforce development and readiness by supporting and assisting in the implementation of the micro-credentialing program.   Provides informational training on micro-credentialing, digital badging, and career pathways.  Provides direction and develops plans for students participating in micro-credentialing options.
• Leads efforts to provide presentations at recruitment and outreach initiatives led by Enrollment Management and Student Engagement, such as Eagle Expo, Say Yes to the Nest, and Weeks of Welcome, as well as other university initiatives, to provide information to prospective students, admitted students, and parents.
• Lead efforts to develop course schedules for new FTIC students and transfer students entering FGCU at orientation.
• Actively works with other departments within Enrollment Management to ensure administrative tasks, such as transient application requests, course evaluation, course articulations, or course substitutions, are being completed for students in a timely manner. 

Other Duties:

• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Additional Job Description

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Psychology, or closely related field.
• Three years of professional full-time experience in retention-focused academic advising, student success coaching, academic counseling, or at the level of Student Success Counselor.
• Any appropriate combination of relevant education, experience, and/or certifications may be considered.
• Experience administering and interpreting major and career assessment tools (e.g. Self-Directed Search, MyPlan, Discover, etc.).
• Experience administering and interpreting degree planning / degree audit tools and other advising tools (e.g. Degree Works, Workday Student, Salesforce, Starfish, etc.)
• Experience using and interpreting data analytics tools and dashboards (e.g. Tableau, etc.)
• Experience in student financial aid and enrollment services processes and practices
• Experience operating a personal computer and proficient with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising from an accredited institution.
• Six years of professional full-time experience in retention-focused academic advising or counseling in education higher.
• Experience developing and delivering workshops, presentations, or training programs.
• Experience with micro-credentialing programs.
• Experience with student analytics such as Tableau, EAB, Starfish, etc.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Knowledge of advising and career development theory and models of developmental advising/counseling.
• Knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations of higher education within the state of Florida.
• Knowledge of and ability to use job-related technology such as Microsoft Office, Workday Student, Degree Works, Appointment Manager, and Florida Shines.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Strong active listening skills.
• Ability to work successfully as both a member of a team and independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to interact in a professional manner with a diverse group of staff, faculty, students and the community in a service-oriented environment.
• Ability to use effective decision making and conflict resolution techniques.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion at all times
• Ability to take initiative to prioritize, organize, and perform work in a changing and fast-paced environment.
• Ability to demonstrate a personal philosophy of care for others.
• Ability to thrive in an organization that values the diversity of its student body and workforce and actively promotes an equitable environment.

Salary Range: $50,000 to $55,000