Director of Student Success

About the role

The Director for Student Success provides leadership in promoting student academic success, persistence, transition, and accessibility services. This role collaborates across campus to support new students’ transition to college, maintains retention strategies, oversees academic support programming, and ensures accessibility for students with documented disabilities. The position reports to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Success and works closely with a range of departments including Academic Affairs, Campus Life, Admissions, Accessibility Resources, and other campus partners.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and lead the Office of Student Success and steward a team of colleagues who support academic success, transition, and retention across the campus community.
• Develop and implement initiatives and strategies to improve student retention, graduation rates, and overall academic success.
• Work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and other departments to ensure a cohesive and supportive learning environment for all students.
• Serve in leadership with the Associate Provost, Dean of Advising and Dean of Students with the planning and execution of new student orientation and onboarding of first year and transfer students. The Office of Student Success is involved in critical components of new students onboarding.
• Provide support to academic affairs with training, workshops and resources for faculty and staff in academic support and accessibility resources.
• Co-Chair the Care Team that manages the student of concern notification process to enable the campus community to identify and support individual students and their academic success and wellbeing.
• Manage accessibility services for students with documented disabilities ensuring appropriate and effective access and utilization to the college’s resources.
• Supervise staff member that facilitates testing accommodations.
• Work closely with the Academic Standards Committee (ASC) to facilitate deliberations and conduct follow-up meetings and/or communications to students and parents, when appropriate.
• Be available if needed to teach and facilitate first-year courses and seminars that support students in their academic and social transition to College as requested by academic affairs each semester.
• Coordinate the Student Success Program for sophomores and upper-class students who have been placed on probation.
• Establish systems and strategies to track, monitor, and reach out to students at risk of not retaining or falling behind in their path toward graduation.
• Advise as well as assign all partnership students to Lycoming Partnership Mentors (LPM).
• Carefully coordinate pre-semester academic programs and offerings, specifically the Lycoming Summer Academy (LSA), that invite academically or socially at-risk students to gain valuable tools and academic preparation in support of student success and retention.
• Other duties as assigned by the Vice President for Student Affairs and Success
• Serve as a permanent Ad Hoc member of the Academic Standards Committee (ASC)
• Supervise any staff, students, and/or AmeriCorps volunteers assigned to support partnership programming
• Support students facing academic probation, including the College Anew initiative, or those who are not returning to ensure an appropriate transition and access to needed resources.
• Engage and work with senior leaders across campus and serve as representative for student success at campus events, community activities, and with external organizations.

Qualifications

• A minimum of five years of experience in student-oriented administration or college teaching experience
• Working knowledge of retention literature and strategies to support student persistence
• Passion for working with and supporting students experiencing academic difficulties
• Ability to communicate effectively with students, parents, and colleagues across a wide spectrum of issues, concerns, challenges, and successes
• Experience in successful programming and event planning
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills including the ability to present the College in a positive way to diverse populations
• Professionalism and ability to contribute to fostering a positive work/learning environment
• Effective collaborator across a wide array of personnel and offices
• Effective interpersonal skills (listening, verbal/non-verbal, and written communication skills)
• Effective conflict resolution and creative problem-solving skills
• Ability to work under pressure and handle confidential matters with discretion
• Effective organization and time management skills
• A valid U.S. driver’s license

Benefits

Lycoming College has an excellent benefits package that includes:

• Health insurance – with a wide variety of health plan options available
• Dental insurance, including orthodontia coverage.
• Vision insurance
• Flexible spending accounts for medical expenses and dependent care expenses
• Life & accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Cancer insurance
• Personal accident insurance
• Wellness program
• Employee assistance program
• 403(b) retirement plan with up to 8% contributions from the College