Director of Student Services, Academic Affairs - Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

The Academic Affairs Department at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a Director of Student Services.

About the Opportunity

This Director of Student Services position provides leadership and oversight of Student Services and Retention related activities as part of the Davis College Academic Affairs Office. The position creates and complements other campus-wide programs that focus on advising, retention, student success and timely progress toward degree completion. This position supervises full-time professional staff and graduate teaching assistants and works closely with professional staff in the Dean's Office, Academic Affairs Office, and the academic department faculty within the Davis College in addition to colleagues across campus. We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

• Student Services and Retention (70%)
  • Coordinate student engagement activities, including but not limited to, the Davis College Welcome Back BBQ, Success Center Pop-Ins, the Snack Rack at Davis, the end of term/graduation celebrations, etc...
  • Supports the College's Living-Learning Community, including program planning, budgeting, and assessment of student learning outcomes.
  • Oversees Davis College Student Council in an effort to coordinate with student organizations to enhance engagement and student development opportunities.
  • Coordinates Davis College's participation in Commencement (May and December), New Student Orientation, Academic Day, Mid-Year Academy, and other academic events and workshops as necessary.
  • Oversees services and programs that impact students' experiences such as advising and success coaching.
  • Manages the Davis College Advising Teams, used to communicate important information and updates related to policy, registration dates, advising times and programming.
  • Develops, implements, and conducts periodic assessments of academic advising, student success coaching, and other programming designed to promote student learning and success.
  • Oversees specialized programs for "at-risk" students, academic notice and probation, first generation, and other special populations with an emphasis on retention and graduation.
  • Oversees the planning, course content and curriculum for First-Year Seminar and Grow Your Mindset courses.
  • Serves as the College's point of contact to the University Registrar, Student Financial Services, Admissions, Student Success Office, and various other support units across campus.
  • Participates in College and University meetings, task forces and committees that focus on undergraduate academic experience, student services, and retention.
  • Oversees the undergraduate and graduate student enhancement grant awarding process.
  • Advises students on emergency situations and on referral from other University offices.
  • Collaborates with communications staff to help facilitate the distribution of important messaging to students via targeted emails, newsletters, announcements, and multi-media posts.
• Supervisory and Administrative (30%)
  • Supervises a team of full-time Senior Academic Advisors and other student services staff. This includes setting expectations, best practices for working with students, and annual evaluations.
  • Works with Associate Dean for Academics and School Directors to ensure coordinated advising throughout the College. This includes standard expectations for all faculty and professional advisors, training of new advisors and/or professional development for all advisors, assessment of advising effectiveness, etc...
  • Collaborates with College administration, school directors, faculty, staff, and units on campus to ensure that our advising team has the information and resources needed to guide our students to successful outcomes
  • Plans, directs, and supervises the work of the Student Success Coach(es).
  • Support active engagement with professional organizations such as NACADA for all student services staff as appropriate.
  • Manages the operational budget for student services.
  • Assists the Associate Dean for Academics with other tasks and projects as needed.
  • Serves as an advocate for academic advising and student success initiatives within the College and University.
  • Promotes advising as a professional practice grounded in established competencies, ethical standards, and evidence-based approaches.

• Master's Degree in a field related to a program in the Davis College or higher education
• A minimum of two (2) years of experience in the following:
  • Experience in higher education.
  • Strong interpersonal/communication skills, strong organization skills, strong analytical skills.
  • Proficiency with PC applications such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Navigate, Banner, etc...
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong interpersonal/communication skills. Includes oral and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational and supervisory skills.
• Ability to pay attention to details and follow-through on projects and tasks.
• Event management and planning skills.
• Must exhibit professional behavior and image at all times to best represent the College and WVU.
• Ability to constructively and collegially interact with multiple members of the WVU community, including faculty, staff, and students.
• Ability to relate to the concerns of current students and parents and the ability to counsel them on those concerns.
• Must exhibit a positive attitude and the demonstrated ability to work well with others and be a positive contributor, as well as a leader and team player.
• Must be adaptable to multiple work environments.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice.
• Ability to use analytical skills to gather and analyze enrollment forecasts and retention data and develop fact-based recommendations or programming to address and improve numbers.
• Demonstrated excellent problem-solving skills, ability to quickly identify the source of problems as they occur and develop alternatives and recommendations to resolve.
• Proficient understanding of web-based technology and Microsoft Office.

• Valid drivers license to travel and drive a State vehicle. Will also be required to pass the State of WV defensive driver course (online) to drive a State vehicle.

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.