Working/Functional Title
Director of Advising
Position Summary
The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) at Michigan State University seeks a Director of Advising in Undergraduate Studies to enhance, support, and innovate in student affairs. This position is full-time, on a twelve-month appointment basis, and open rank in the MSU academic specialist system, depending on current academic specialist rank and appointment system. It begins January 1, 2025 and is renewable contingent upon funding and performance. We are particularly interested in candidates who have experience in supporting low-income, first-generation students to help meet our goals of creating a welcoming, supportive environment and sense of belonging for students throughout their entire academic career at MSU.
Job duties include:
Management and Leadership
Supervise and support the College's academic advisors, including annual evaluation procedures and processes for professional advancement; represent advisors in university/college-level conversations.
Develop and implement holistic assessment strategy for advising, including ways of documenting advisor contributions to a culture of care and individualized student attention, and regularly utilize assessment results to enhance advising
Organize and run weekly meetings with advising team
Connect with university events (such as Admitted Student Day, Green and White Days, Colloquium, Alumni Distinguished Scholars, etc.), and ensure the College is represented appropriately
Liaise with units in and outside of the College where appropriate to support advising
Work with advisors to identify programmatic and educational barriers
Identify training needs and support advisors in getting needed training
Support interpretation/understanding of and implementation of university/college policies and systems
Oversee and enhance the quality of advising available to students
Develop models and timelines for effective student engagement
Work with other offices on campus as appropriate to ensure students receive best in class advising and assistance
Troubleshoot emerging advising issues that arise
Prepare, advise, and develop professional development for advisors as well as oversee professional development funds
Advise faculty on issues undergrads face with college curricula
Develop and support advisor leadership opportunities and student affairs expertise
Gather and communicate relevant quantitative and qualitative data about students in ways that reflect nuance and ethical thinking about data use
Develop and implement communication strategies about majors and curricula for a student audience
Meet with students referred to by advisors for a variety of reasons
When the occasion demands, advise students as a substitute for advisors out of office, in cases where additional intervention beyond the student advisor is needed, and so on
Supervise and coordinate New Student Orientation
Lead or support initiatives in the College related to student affairs and whole-person support of the College's students, within the scope of advising
Manage budgets related to academic advising
UGS Collaboration
Coordinate productive collaboration and communication between advising and the Assistant and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the larger College Undergraduate Studies team
Assist with commencement speaker competitions
Collaborate with Undergraduate Studies colleagues and college units on special initiatives
Attend College Undergraduate Studies meetings: leadership team and with the Assistant Dean of College of Arts and Letters Undergraduate Studies
Administration
Respond to petitions for waivers of college and university re
