Trio Student Support Services Project Academic Support Coach

The TRIO Student Support Services Project (SSS) Academic Support Coach position is designed to ensure that all students progress successfully from enrollment to graduation.

The Academic Support Coach (ASC) works exclusively with SSS Program Participants. This is a grant funded position.

A successful candidate will:

• Work well within a cross-functional team
• Take direction, constructive criticism, and feedback well
• Adapt to a changing environment well
• Thrive in and be willing to foster a collaborative culture
• Be detail-oriented
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills, including excellent written and oral communication
• Have high cultural competency and emotional intelligence
• Have the willingness to learn and implement new methods and strategies
• Be able to comply with TRIO and Federal Legislation and Regulations, including but not limited to accurate reporting, proper documentation, and acquiring, completing, maintaining, and filing all required paperwork accurately.

Per TRIO guidelines for attracting and retaining qualified personnel, special consideration will be given to applicants for the position who have experience in TRIO or similar programs.

Academic Support Coaches work with TRIO SSS Students and the Student Affairs Staff to ensure that the project meets its stated objectives annually.

This includes complying with the Funded Proposal:

• Responsible for data collection to help determine eligibility, including income and first-generation status
• Create and update as needed the Individual Academic and Career Action Plan for all SSS Participants on your caseload
• Ensuring all SSS Files have all required paperwork
• Providing services as described in the SSS regulations
• Refer SSS Program Participants to SIM, SAC, Financial Aid, Career and Transfer Coach as appropriate

This position is responsible for Early Intervention and Retention efforts for SSS Participants :

• Identify students who are beyond the 25% absentee rate and as possible, assist with resources to improve attendance.
• Track the number of students whose absenteeism rate improves from 25% to 15% or less by end of term
• Oversee all Student withdrawals both Official and Unofficial
• Contact 100% of students with midterm grades of a C or below
  • Respond to problems and issues raised by the Academic and Program Managers and Faculty regarding student issues/attendance/grades, following process through to resolution
  • Contact students within 5 days of midterm grades being reported
  • Schedule 100% of students requesting tutoring assistance
  • Refer 100% of responding students for tutoring or other assistance as appropriate
  • Refer 100% of SSS Participants to the SIM Program
  • Monitor academic progress and counsel students on academic probation.
• Contact 100% of all eligible students within the first 3 weeks of Registration being opened
  • Assist students with online registration.
  • Analyze Midterm and Final Grade Reports in order to contact any student who has failed a course and needs to retake that course.
  • Process student class add/drops and follow up with returning students and re-registration.
  • Interact and work with Academics to discuss students’ Degree Audits and to confirm what is needed for a returning registration.
• Schedule Caseload with Career and Transfer Coach and Support Coaches
  • This assists the CTC to contact and schedule appointments beginning at Midterms with every graduating cohort to discuss options for transfer or career placement assistance.
  • Refer students to ASC, Tutoring, Financial Aid, Career and Transfer Coach as appropriate
• Assist in planning and implementation of Student Affairs and TRIO SSS programming
• Alert the Director of all incidents, particularly those related to Student Discipline
• Providing Academic and Personal support for students.
• Personal Coaching (relationship issues, homelessness, abuse, grief)
• Help mediate/resolve conflicts that arise between students.
• Attend weekly staff meetings
• Maintain current and accurate records of coaching sessions in CV.
• Troubleshoot and resolve attendance, registration, and financial aid problems with other departments as needed.
• Assist students with retrieving their Student Portal/ Network Credentials, class location, instructor, and administrator contacts.
• Develop and implement assessment surveys for each area of responsibility; summarize each assessment by semester or academic year and submit to the Director of Student Affairs and/or the Director of the Student Support Services Program
• Conduct new student orientation sessions.
• Other tasks as assigned by the Director of Student Affairs and/or the Director, Student Support Services Program

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology shall, in its discretion, modify or adjust the position to meet the school’s changing needs. This job description is not a contract and may be adjusted as deemed appropriate in the employer’s sole discretion.

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (P.I.T.) has a policy regarding post-offer background screening for all appropriate faculty, staff, and volunteers of the College. This policy includes but is not limited to verifying credentials, criminal history, credit status, and other information related to employment decisions.

The College requires all new employees to have successfully completed background clearances. New employees must complete the background clearances prior to hire and, for those employees having direct contact with minors other than those described above, prior to the time they will begin having direct contact with minors and every 60 months thereafter. The College also reserves the right to require any employee to have a background check in its discretion during employment. Clearances required include a PA Statewide Criminal Record search, PA Child Abuse History, and FBI Criminal History record fingerprint search. A criminal record may be considered justification not to hire or for employment termination, depending upon the circumstances and record.