Academic Advisor & Retention Specialist, College of Humanities

The College of Humanities is seeking enthusiastic candidates for the position of Academic Advisor and Retention Specialist. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated interest in humanistic disciplines and a commitment to student success. The College of Humanities is committed to student success with Academic Advisors uniquely positioned to proactively work with undergraduate students to identify academic interests, engagement opportunities, and career goals as they move toward the successful completion of their degrees. The Academic Advising Team in the College of Humanities works within a framework of "servingness," acknowledging, utilizing, and celebrating students' funds of knowledge. The ideal candidate should have comfort and curiosity working with data. More information about the College's degree programs can be found at humanities.arizona.edu.

This is an in-person position with a Monday-Friday, 8 am - 5 pm work schedule. Some nights and weekends will be required.

Ability to drive for occasional work-related travel (e.g., events, conferences, and meetings) in accordance with the University Fleet Safety Policy.

Academic Advisors serve as the frontline contact for undergraduate students in providing developmental academic advising to drive engagement and empower students to achieve their academic and career goals. An advisor builds a formative relationship with students by interpreting information and providing clarification on procedures and academic requirements of specific programs or majors.

This position will report to the College of Humanities Director for Advising and Student Services.

Alumni Jacquelynn and Bennet Dorrance have made a gift commitment of $5.4 million to endow the deanship of the University of Arizona College of Humanities to bring the humanities to the forefront of the University of Arizona's life and mission through a continuous and fearless spirit of open inquiry. For more information about the Fearless Inquires Project, please click here Jacquelynn and Bennett Dorrance

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

Academic advisors have the authority to approve students' academic degree programs, including evaluating transfer credit and making exceptions to program requirements under the auspices of their respective faculty and/or the Director of Academic Advising and Student Services. In addition, this advisor will play a vital role in maximizing undergraduate retention.

• Serve as the Academic Advising Center advisor for first-year,
  transfer and continuing students with a focus on retention initiatives.
• Develop and deliver programs for College of Humanities (COH) student populations aimed at
  retention.
• Work collaboratively with Student Data and Retention Analyst to
  retrieve and interpret data, leading to proactive advising approaches and
  program development.
• Work closely with COH Departments and faculty to implement an
  intervention model that promptly identifies students in need of academic or
  social support and proactively connects them to campus resources needed to
  ensure academic persistence, retention, and goals.
• Provide guided, multi-term degree plans for each student through the
  course selection process.
• Maintain plans of study and track progress to degree completion via UAccess.
• Maintain and update student records efficiently and punctually.
• Utilize student records, university data, and programming to promote
  student success.
• Assist students with negotiation University, College and
  program-level policies, processes and procedures, including letters and
  petitions, schedule changes, academic eligibility, services related to special
  needs, etc.
• Collaborate in the planning, implementation, and teaching of the
  first-year success course for Humanities majors.
• Help oversee the COH Peer Mentors program.
• Evaluate and
  apply transfer credit from other academic institutions.
• Assess students' academic preparation and promote academic growth
  by determining suitable developmental tasks to assist students in attaining
  academic and career goals.
• Participate in special projects and professional development to remain
  up to date on advising practices.
• Maintain knowledge of curriculum, curriculum prerequisites, critical
  courses, level of difficulty and content.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal communication, relationship building skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Working knowledge of job-related functions and relevant industry
  best practices, techniques, and standards.
• Ability to exercise considerable latitude in determining objectives
  and approaches to assignments.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Ability to handle confidential
  information with discretion.
• Ability to quickly
  learn and master new software and online reporting tools.
• Knowledge of academic advising principles, theories, and concepts, and
  the ability to apply them in practice.
• Knowledge of student development theory and student success practices,
  including the ability to provide outreach and connect students to appropriate
  resources and services.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Previous experience working in higher education advising.

• Master's Degree.
• Extensive experience with student development and how it can be applied within higher education retention, initiatives and programming.
• Interest and experience working with staff, faculty, administrators, and students from a variety of academic disciplines and experiences.
• Experience with and knowledge of University of Arizona colleges and the University as a whole.