Degree Pathways Coordinator

About the role

The incumbent independently advises students and resolves student services-related issues on the full range of academic issues inherent to participation in degree pathways, e.g., application, enrollment, finances, academic and degree progress; Under guidance from the Director of Global Initiatives coordinates development and implementation of new pathways to UC Santa Cruz degrees, including promotion, reporting, and recommendation of changes to policies, practices, and procedures as necessary.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the primary resource and point of contact for students and academic advisors with regard to degree pathways;
• Uses advanced knowledge of academic policy and highly developed advising skills to resolve complex student issues in collaboration with departmental academic advisors, including grievances, grade disputes, student conduct, and personal crises;
• Reviews students’ progress and advises students and faculty on requirements for degree and pathway completion; identifies students with progression problems and recommends interventions;
• Devises study plans for pathway students in collaboration with departmental academic advisors and faculty;
• Plans, designs, and provides workshops for students in degree pathways, such as academic strategies and enrichment programs;
• Participates in campus-wide committees relevant to student support and advising.

• Careers in Global Engagement:
• Coordinates intra-campus efforts to implement and expand degree pathways (e.g., 2+2, 3+1+1, 4+1) for both international transfer and domestic degree-seeking students;
• Liaises with campus stakeholders, including faculty, academic advisors, Academic Senate committees, Admissions, and the Degree Progress Unit to facilitate mapping of external curricula to UCSC requirements;
• In collaboration with the campus Articulation Officer, proposes new course equivalencies to Course Supervising Authorities (CSAs) and General Education equivalencies to the Committee on Courses of Instruction (CCI);
• Communicates with overseas partner institutions as needed to obtain and review academic and curricular information in support of new pathway development, e.g., syllabi, degree plans, transcripts;
• Compiles and organizes program data e.g., applications, admissions, enrollment, graduation rates, and placement, to prepare high-level reports for organizational leadership.

• Recruitment & Admissions:
• Plans and implements outreach programs with specifically targeted institutions;
• Coordinates development of promotional materials;
• Oversees and maintains web and online presence for degree pathways to ensure timely and effective messaging;
• Initiates and arranges student recruitment visits;
• Monitors application, admission, and enrollment of pathway applicants; in collaboration with both undergraduate and graduate Admissions Offices, ensures applicants are reviewed in accordance with established institutional agreements and eligibility requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience and/or training;
• Demonstrated expertise in academic program coordination and/or development;
• Successful prior experience in university-level student advising and/or support services;
• Demonstrated skills in verbal communication and public presentation;
• Effective written communication skills; demonstrated attention to detail;
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills to effectively communicate and successfully work with students and campus stakeholders; academic department staff, faculty, Academic Senate committees, etc.;
• Demonstrated multicultural competencies; successful prior experience working with diverse populations;
• Demonstrated skills in common computer applications used in higher education settings;
• Demonstrated skills in problem identification and analysis; ability to develop original ideas to solve problems;
• Skilled in judgment and decision-making, problem solving, identifying measures of system performance and the actions to improve performance;
• Prior experience in student recruitment for university level academic programs;
• Prior experience in university level admissions work, such as application reading, transcript evaluation, and course articulation;
• Prior experience in developing outreach and marketing plans.