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SalaryIntroduction
For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.
Position Summary
This position will assist the Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Academic Advising in managing the Academic Advising program including, but not limited to the following key pieces:
- Hire, train, and supervise the professional staff Academic Advisors;
- Partner with the Associate Dean to run twice weekly staff meetings and other ongoing staff development and enrichment such as trainings and workshops;
- Serve as an App Administrator for EAB Navigate, SAIC’s Student Success Management system;
- Serve on the Dean on Call rotation which provides 24/7 support to urgent student concerns and manage ongoing follow up and work with students managing higher level concerns;
- Advise degree-seeking students regarding course options, degree requirements, career counseling, school policies, personal concerns, and other issues related to the educational process;
- Manage student issues and crises.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Management of Academic Advising - Collaborate with the Associate Dean to manage, assess, and develop the comprehensive Academic Advising program at SAIC; ensure consistent and best advising practices. Participate in weekly departmental meetings for full-time staff and run staff meetings in Associate Dean’s absence.
- Supervision – Supervise, select, train, and develop the professional staff Academic Advisors. Foster on-going professional development and training for advising staff regarding: student concerns and crises, academic policies and procedures, degree requirements, additional SAIC requirements, and best practices within the field. Plan twice-yearly training days, alongside the Senior Academic Advisor, for the advising team. Maintain regular 1:1 meetings for direct reports and provide direction and support to the staff. Complete annual evaluations for all direct reports. Assist the Associate Dean in day-to-day support of the Faculty Advisor staff.
- Integrated Advising – Support the Associate Dean and advising staff in all efforts related to Integrated Advising, where Academic Advisors partner with faculty and staff in the classroom and are embedded in the first semester Research Studio course. Advisors attend class critiques, field trips and other events in order to get to know their students better and to be integrated into the academic and student life at SAIC.
- Academic Advising - Provide Academic Advising to degree-seeking students through one-on-one meetings and group presentations and/or meetings, working proactively with a specific advising load of students. Prepare degree audits, assist students with course selection, course add/drops, course withdrawal, leave of absence, reinstatements, transfer of credits, graduation requirements as well as course and/or instructor concerns. Advise students individually on personal, health, financial, and academic issues related to their overall experience and satisfaction. Refer students as appropriate to a strong network of support services, such as Health Services, Counseling Services, the Disability and Learning Resource Center, the Writing Center, International Affairs, Student Financial Services, Registration and Records, Academic Departments, etc.
- Dean on Call/Student Issues and Crisis Management - As part of case/care management responsibilities, manage and follow up on crises impacting both on and off-campus students. Liaison with faculty, staff, parents and other related constituencies to support students and facilitate the resolution of crises. Be available on evenings and weekends. Serve in the Dean-on-Call rotation to provide 24-hour support for staff and students. Serve as the Daytime-Dean-on-Call apx. one day per work week to respond to urgent issues that may arise during the day. Serve as an integral member and attend the Student Support Group and Student Concerns meetings. Communicate effectively and consistently to the Dean of Student Life and Student Affairs staff about student concerns and/or crises, including identifying students at risk and connecting students to resources. Appropriately communicate and document response to student concerns and crises and utilize software programs such as Advocate/Symplicity in these efforts.
- Navigate App Administrator - Navigate is a student engagement platform that allows students to make appointments with Academic Advisors, Student Financial Services, the Writing Center, International Affairs, and the library. It is also the primary way that Advisors can view the most holistic picture of a student’s academic progress as well as the place advisors track their work with students. The Director of Academic Advising serves as an Application Administrator for the platform which includes serving on working groups and committees such as the Work Flow and Training Committee and the Navigate Owner. As an Application Administrator, the Director of Advising will oversee, in partnership with the Associate Dean and other committee members, the daily support and functioning of Navigate and participate in the ongoing long term utilization planning.
- Retention and Student Success - Participate in intervention for at-risk students and retention outreach; assist with student issues as appropriate; take the lead on the development of an academic recovery program.
- Programming and Collaboration - Assist the Associate Dean to develop outreach events and programs related to Academic Advising. Collaborate with the Associate Dean to develop training and information sessions for departments related to Academic Advising. Represent Academic Advising at various admissions and orientation events throughout the year.
- Communication - Maintain regular contact with appropriate resources to ensure the effective operation of Academic Advising. Communicate student issues and crises to OSA staff as appropriate. Coordinate with various departments such as Health Services, Counseling Services, the Disability and Learning Resources Center, the Writing Center, International Affairs, Student Financial Services, Registration and Records, Academic Departments to support students with a wide range of personal and academic concerns.
- Assessment and Learning Outcomes - Work with the Associate Dean to implement ongoing assessment of the performance of the department. Maintain departmental statistics on items such as student visits, retention outreach, etc.
- Academic Standing - Assist the Associate Dean in the coordination of the undergraduate academic standing calculation each semester alongside a designated Academic Advisor; maintain academic holds and files of students who are on academic warning, probation, suspension, and dismissal; provide written notification to students; and develop proactive advising for this group of students.
- Student Success/Class Progress Reports - Review Progress Reports for all staff twice weekly to ensure appropriate outreach and follow up has occurred for these faculty notifications; Complete outreach and advising to assigned advisees receiving multiple notices; Oversee the coordination, development and assessment of the Progress Reports system including communication and training materials and presentations.
- OSA Reception - Liaise with the Assistant Director of Student Affairs who supervises the Office of Student Affairs Coordinator on advisor scheduling logistics, student worker reminder phone calls during pre-registration periods, and to address other issues pertaining to advising related issues with the reception desk.
- Technology – Support the Associate Dean in the management of Academic Advising office systems and the support provided for the advising staff related to technology, especially PeopleSoft, Navigate, and Power BI. Assist in the ongoing research, development, and implementation of current technological solutions for improving service and support for students.
- Marketing - With the Associate Dean, direct the annual marketing plan for Academic Advising, including publications, e-communication,SAIC website, and advising social media platforms.
- Policy Development, Compliance/Legal, and Regulatory Issues - Assist in the directing of policy/procedure formation and program development related to Academic Advising. Assist with maintaining compliance with federal and state laws and policies, such as FERPA, Clery and others.
- Committee/School Involvement - Serve as a Student Affairs representative on campus committees as appropriate, including serving on the weekly Refund Review and Academic Review Boards. Assist with departmental functions such as Graduation, Campus Life events, Move-In, and Orientation. Evening and Weekend commitments should be expected.
- Other duties as assigned.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer;
- Move between SAIC buildings on campus for meetings and programs; ability to physically assist with set-up, duration, and tear down of programs such as move-in, orientation, graduation, and other large-scale events;
- Occasionally moves within advising office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.;
- Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and printer
Qualifications
- Master’s degree required;
- Must have a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in Student Affairs/Higher Education or similar field;
- Must have experience advising students and working directly within Academic Advising;
- Must have at least two years supervising full-time professional staff and have the ability to effectively manage and supervise employees, including: organizing, prioritizing and scheduling work assignments; supervising individual employee's response to students concerns; and attending to their professional development;
- Experience in supporting students in crisis as well as experience exercising sound judgment and managing complex crisis situations;
- Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills required;
- Skills in working effectively with parents of students preferred;
- Knowledge of student development theory preferred;
- Successful candidate is likely to have computer experience with Microsoft Office, MS Excel, PeopleSoft, and Navigate or other student success platform.
Benefits
We offer a competitive, comprehensive benefits package:
- Generous paid time off
- Paid holidays (up to 14 days)
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Generous parental, caregiver, and medical leave benefits
- Competitive retirement plan (up to 9% matching contribution)
- Tuition remission and Tuition Exchange Program
- Great employee discounts
- Complimentary general admission to participating cultural institutions
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Closing Statement
The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, veteran status or citizenship. The Institute complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at apply_help@artic.edu.
