Student Program Manager

The Student Program Manager of Retention and Student Success for the School of Professional Studies is a critical member of the Student Services team. They are responsible for monitoring undergraduate and graduate student progression and retention, conferring graduation, and collaborating with key stakeholders to ensure students achieve their academic goals. In addition, they have strategic oversight to ensure course offerings meet program, faculty, and student needs across various modalities. The Student Program Manager will work closely with the Assistant Dean to support the needs of students across Lawrence on-ground, online, Edwards on-ground, and flex educational modalities.

This role is a vital part of the School of Professional Studies' mission to expand access to workforce-relevant degrees and support learners on non-traditional academic journeys. The Student Program Manager will be instrumental in helping prospective students navigate the enrollment process and find their path to success at KU.

The School of Professional Studies is based at the Edwards Campus in Overland Park, Kansas. The Edwards Campus has been a KU presence in Kansas City for 30 years, playing a crucial role in the Greater Kansas City professional community. The campus now offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs with classes geared toward working professionals, available in the evening, online, and in-person.

The School of Professional Studies was created in 2019 with a vision to transform students' lives and improve communities through innovative, student-focused, and exemplary academic programs that lead to rewarding careers in an array of fields that serve the workforce needs of Kansas and beyond. The school offers a variety of disciplines, course formats, class schedules, student services, aid, and more to meet the needs of students who may work full-time, have considerable commitments outside of the classroom, have prior college-level education, or otherwise need a different approach to earning academic credentials. SPS continues to launch new degree programs aimed at supporting the needs of future students and is poised for significant growth over the next five years.

The School of Professional Studies delivers programs in Overland Park, Lawrence, and online. Additionally, SPS is strategically developing and launching competency-based degree programs to be delivered in an online asynchronous format. SPS is a service-orientated organization with students, faculty, staff, and community partners as key constituents. The school provides research activities and entrepreneurial initiatives that address present and future workforce needs and important community and state-wide problems in support of a vision to increase social mobility through academic experiences and professional skill building.

This is a full-time, twelve-month, benefits eligible appointment reporting to the Assistant Dean for the School of Professional Studies.

KU offers great benefits to employees.

• KU Benefits information are available at: Tuition Assistance | KU Benefits

KU's excellence results from the rich tapestry of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds of our faculty, staff, students, and colleagues from across our nation and the globe. At KU, we invest in continuous learning and growth by creating a climate where people engage in respectful dialogue and debate and support each other's success. We foster a culture of care where each person is seen, heard, and valued. When people feel a true sense of belonging, we believe they are better able to reach their full potential and achieve remarkable things.

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the effective date of the appointment.

55% - Academic Data Management

• Collaborate with the Assistant Dean to design a comprehensive plan for retention that includes features like milestone reviews, proactive student communication, and system documentation
• Serve as the primary approver of current student academic plan updates including change of school processing and internal major, minor, and certificate changes
• Manage holds and other interventions that alert students and academic partners to various student support needs and opportunities
• Serve as the primary reviewer of academic standing
• Assist with outreach and requirement management for honors related activity, such as Dean's Honor Roll, Departmental Honors, and Distinction/Highest Distinction
• Process Progress Toward Degree requests that route to the School of Professional Studies via Athletics for undergraduate and graduate students
• Approve and manage the graduate student progression workflow in collaboration with Jayhawk Academic Advising
• Actively utilize various student record platforms such as Enroll&Pay, Stellic, the KU portal, and Perceptive Content to review and update academic plans, requirement substitutions, and other academic details related to degree completion

35% - Course Scheduling Support

• Serve as a collaborator with others in the academic unit to help with the planning, communication, and management of undergraduate and graduate course scheduling efforts
• Engage with academic unit leadership and key stakeholders to create a multi-year, proactive approach to course availability that anticipates students' enrollment needs
• Partner with the Registrar team to initiate the PERC process throughout the academic year
• Use data to identify trends in enrollment such as low enrollment, delayed student enrollment activity, and modality opportunities
• Assist with the management of Registrar processes and initiatives that inform academic unit efforts including enrollment audits and ensuring compliance with policies related to scheduling
• Support student enrollment by managing requests such as late enrollment and permission to enroll

10% - Other duties and tasks as assigned by the Assistant Dean and School of Professional Studies leadership

1. Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as determined by events and coordination with supervisor

1. Master's degree or Bachelor's degree plus two years of related experience or 6 years of related work experience required at time of appointment.
2. Experience applying effective interpersonal and written communication skills with a variety of stakeholders including administrators, faculty, and students , as evidenced in application materials.
3. Experience managing and updating student records, as evidenced in application materials.

1. Two years of experience in registrar, academic advising, admissions, or student service-related fields.
2. Experience with student retention interventions

Only complete application packages submitted online will be considered. A complete online application will include:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Names and contact information for three professional references

Application review begins October 15, 2025 and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants is identified. Anticipated start date is November 17, 2025.

Dannah Hartley
dhartley@ku.edu