Undergraduate Academic Counselor

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Position ID:

149492

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About Seattle Pacific University:

Founded in 1891, Seattle Pacific University has a long and distinguished history in Christian higher education. Located just minutes from downtown Seattle, SPU seeks to be a premier Christian University fully committed to engaging the culture and changing the world by graduating people of competence and character, becoming people of wisdom, and modeling grace-filled community. Seattle Pacific University seeks applicants committed to its Christian mission.

Diversity Statement

As part of our mission of cultural engagement, SPU is committed to building an excellent and diverse staff and faculty. Diversity is an ethos that is inseparable from our Christian faith. At SPU, we recognize diversity as a basic feature of God's creation and a core theme of the gospel. At the heart of our mission-centered commitment to becoming a more diverse community is a desire to represent the breadth of God's kingdom more fully.

We strive to become a workplace of choice and to recruit, develop, and retain faculty and staff who can embrace, value, and engage differences with humility and care. We invite you to join us on our journey by starting a career at SPU! Learn more about SPU's commitment to diversity

and opportunities

for our employees to deepen their capacity to serve our increasingly diverse student body.

Seattle Pacific University provides reasonable accommodation to applicants. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the application or hiring process please contact the Human Resources Department at (206)281-2809, or email hr@spu.edu

. Notification must be given at least five (5) working days before the accommodation is needed.

Job Description:

General Summary:

The academic counselor champions student success by providing academic progression support across key milestones from initial registration through graduation. Working with a caseload of undergraduate students, this student-centered role collaborates with the wider Academic Counseling Team, primary faculty advisors, TBD, and Experiential Learning and Student Success Workgroup to support wider University initiatives as well as enrollment, retention, advising, and degree completion goals. As both a resource to and advocate for students, the academic counselor understands the structural barriers which have historically disadvantaged first-generation, LGBTQIA , non-traditionally aged, disabled, and students of color. As problem solvers, they assist students with navigating the many available academic supports available throughout the University. In support of a student's academic progression, and across several milestone tasks and interventions, the academic counselor serves as a generalist with broad knowledge of all academic programs while also providing expertise and deep knowledge of academic policy and process.

Job Duties:

Initial Enrollment Program:

Responsibility for the New Student Advising process and facilitating the advising and first-quarter registration of all incoming undergraduate, degree-seeking students. This includes assistance with event management details of the New Student Advising program, facilitation of meetings for new students with faculty advisors, and serving as the initial advisor for students who are unable to meet with faculty, whether virtually, in-person or through the Direct Registration process. Makes informed professional judgements in support of program outcomes. Provides initial academic orientation to the University as a first-step towards student success and retention.

Academic Probation

In support of student success, meets with students on academic probation to set reasonable course loads and advise on appropriate action for success. Meets also with students who are academically dismissed to provide options and procedures for reinstatement.

Non-Enrolled Students:

In support of student success, help ensure students are progressing towards degree completion by intervening with those who have not enrolled during advanced registration week. This may include assistance with hold resolution, change of major, general academic advising, or referral to other campus resources.

Early Alert:

In support of student success, intervenes with students experiencing academic difficulty in specific courses to review available planning options, resources, and potential referral based on individual student needs.

Graduation Audit:

In support of degree completion, manages and provides audits of UG Degree Status Check in BANNER for all undergraduate degree applicants. Communicates the outcome of the evaluation to the student and faculty advisor(s). Provides updated information as needed. Monitors the major and/or minor requirements which are evaluated by the faculty advisor. Appropriately utilizes professional judgement in the process of updating official degree audit tools, including the major and minor checklists in Banner.

Academic Policy Expert:

Serve as an academic policy and process expert for students, faculty, and other staff departments. Includes knowledge of degree requirements, graduation policy, academic policy, transfer policy, and all other process related to a student's progression towards degree completion. Appropriately identifies and advocates for changes in requirements/policy that reflect student needs and support student success. Makes informed and reasonable professional judgements on policy and advocacy issues.

Support for Underrepresented Students:

Understands the unique needs of first-generation students, LGBTQIA students, non-traditionally aged students, disabled students, students of color, and other underrepresented student groups. Contributes to a culture of continuous learning and development. Identifies and advocates for changes in process, requirements, and policy which inequitably create barriers to student success.

Faculty Advisor Support

In addition to the processes listed above, serve as a policy expert to all undergraduate faculty advisors in the areas of academic and transfer policy, general advising, and degree completion. Includes support of faculty advisor resources and training, and response to individual student questions. Support role reinforces faculty as primary academic advisors.

Specializations:

Each counselor has an additional area(s) of responsibility and specialty overseeing specific processes or tools for the academic counseling team. This and other areas includes the balancing of team and independent work and use of good interpersonal communication.

Requirements:

Bachelor's degree.

Three years' experience in a relevant area of higher education.

Excellent attention to detail, outstanding communication skills (written and verbal), effective counseling skills, demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and balance independent work, capable of creating win-win situations when conflict arises, able to handle stress in a positive manner.

Strong interpersonal skills including good listening, presentation and conflict management.

Computer literate with word processing, email and internet applications, data-entry and database functions. Ability to work in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Outlook, and Excel.

Relevant experience in higher education advising/counseling, a plus.

Background in an integrated administrative computer environment; SCT BANNER, and spreadsheet applications, a plus.

Additional Information:

Position will remain open until filled.

Salary: DOE

This is a full time position with excellent benefits. SPU pays the employee premium for medical, dental, and vision insurance. SPU makes contributions to an employee HSA account and to a retirement account after one year of eligibility in the plan. Tuition discount program available for the employee and qualified immediate family members.

Application Instructions:

Please submit a cover letter and resume along with the online application.

All SPU employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and to submit documentary proof of vaccination unless an exception applies. For more information, see SPU's Vaccination Requirements FAQs web page.

Company info

Seattle Pacific University
Website : http://www.spu.edu