Director of Emerging Scholars Program

About the role

The Director of the Office of Emerging Scholars, housed within The NEST: Student Success Central, is a key leadership position and reports directly to the Executive Director of Student Success. This role provides strategic leadership, vision, and oversight for the financial, personnel, and operational management of the TRIO Student Support Services grant, ensuring compliance, effectiveness, and alignment with institutional student success goals. In addition, the Director maintains a caseload of students, leading them in at least one section of the First-Year Summit and providing direct support, advising, and engagement to promote persistence, academic achievement, and degree completion. Following long-standing tradition and practice at Berea College, this position includes responsibility for supervising, mentoring, and developing students in the College's integrated Work College Program.

Responsibilities

• Cook up and deliver the academic activities and programs to Emerging Scholars participants
• Lead at least one section of the First-Year Summit
• Maintain a caseload of students and provide them with advising, direct support, and engagement to promote persistence, academic achievement, and degree completion
• Maintain confidential information
• Communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals and constituencies
• Synthesize and analyze information and data to ensure continuous improvement of grant management and program delivery
• Design, document, and implement standard procedures for completing advanced administrative tasks
• Manage project timelines, priorities, and meet deadlines
• Supervise and train assigned staff including organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments
• Assume Labor supervision responsibility for the Emerging Scholars Program to build a dynamic "peer supplemental advising" structure in support of the goals and responsibilities of these areas
• Ensure that student workers are trained consistently in College academic policies to support their work with their peers on satisfactory academic progression, curriculum planning, registration support, and other related needs

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in higher education, college student personnel, educational leadership or a related field required
• Master’s degree in higher education, college student personnel, educational leadership or a related field preferred
• At least three years of experience in student success management and programming, particularly related to removing barriers faced by low-income and first-generation students
• At least three years of experience with federal grants, budgeting, reporting, grant writing, project implementation, and project evaluation
• At least two years of supervisory experience

Qualifications

• Significant experience in student success program planning, coordination, and evaluation
• Knowledge of academic and career advising principles, techniques, and procedures
• Excellent attention to detail, including experience in federal grant compliance and budget management
• Demonstrated aptitude for analyzing data and applying findings to direct the program, set goals, and make program projections
• Excellent oral/written communication
• Superior interpersonal skills with the ability to work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting
• Strong organizational skills and capacity to set priorities
• Computer skills including data processing and financial spreadsheets
• Ability to maintain confidentiality

Skills

• Ability to operate standard office equipment: computer, fax, phone, etc.
• Ability to operate vehicles: college vans/cars

Benefits

Berea College offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their families including health care, dental, vision, retirement, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability and an Employee Assistance Program. The benefit package also includes access to the Child Development Laboratory for children of College Staff, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Seabury Center Membership, Staff Development Funds and Tuition Reimbursement. Eligible staff employees also receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave. Part-time employees who work an average of twenty-four hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro-rated basis.