Bethel University Hiring for Academic Advising Specialist at St. Paul, MN  Full Time

Responsible for providing first point of contact for student counsel and support for Bethel’s student population through collaboration with partner offices, and for the proactive cultivation of substantive relationships with students for the purpose of supporting their overall success as students and seamless transition into Bethel academic programs.

Become an expert, and stay updated, on Bethel’s Early College Programs and become familiar with other Bethel programs and Advising best practices:

Early College Programs:
• Develop an understanding of early college and other Bethel programs. Serve as the primary advisor for all Early College programs and pathways, for students, faculty and staff.
• Understand all early college pathways and which options serve which student the best.
• Other Bethel Programs:
• Develop an understanding of Bethel programs and curriculum
• Cultivate relationships with faculty and program directors to stay abreast of curricular and program updates and changes
• Help students determine programs that would best fit their current and future academic needs, by providing connections to faculty for exploration, and helping students seamlessly transition from Early College programs to other Bethel programs.
• Advising Best Practices:
• Use student-centered best practices for advising
• Participate in professional development opportunities as available (e.g. meeting attendance, conferences, training workshops) and serve on committees that pertain to academic advising and Early College Advising in order to provide expert service to students.
• Maintain the email box and program phone line.

Provide advising for students during the admissions process.

• Serve as primary contact for students during the early stages of their journey to Bethel, working in close conjunction with Admissions Office, the CAS Advising team and other members of the Early College Advising team.
• Collaborate with registrar staff to communicate with and advise early college pre-enrolled and accepted students about transfer work (prior college work, CIS, AP exams, etc) prior to their first semester at Bethel.
• Create a sample academic plan, which may include a full listing of degree courses, for prospective early college students seeking to understand how their work may fit into a future program (for example, an AA program or an undergraduate major program). This type of planning would be prioritized for those students who are using plans as part of their Bethel admissions decision.

Provide advising for students after acceptance.

• Understand high school requirements; how these impact student scheduling needs and which course work would best help students meet these needs.
• Determine future course requirements for a desired major and how this impacts course selection. Equip students with information on topics such as college degree programs requirements, to ultimately help refer them to degree programs based on interests, aptitudes, or educational assessments.
• Provides support with registration planning and completion for incoming students. This will involve being the primary builder of Early College/PSEO schedules.
• Coordinate with the Registrar’s office for smooth communication through student registration.

Provide ongoing advising for students with a goal towards matriculating to Bethel programs

• During the first term and beyond, provide primary advising for students, helping them prepare for registration as well as answering questions about their academics, both current and future.
• Connect students with specific departments for major exploration and planning while guiding them towards Bethel programs.
• Help plan for transition to other Bethel programs by connecting with faculty and other relevant offices to understand equivalencies, and how the student would transition into a particular program.
• Provide expertise for students and faculty regarding early college details such as high school requirements, forms, etc., particularly during the advising and registration season.
• Provide encouragement for students, preparing them for later educational experiences by helping them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.

Provide excellent student care

• Work with and provide resources for those outside of Bethel who are supporting Early College Students, so that they receive information and can help students navigate their college experience. This will include parents/guardians, high school counselors, and others.
• Develop strong working relationships with: the CAS Advising Team, the CAPS/GS student success team, Early College Advising Team, and Assistant Dean of Early College.
• Pay careful attention to students that need additional support systems.
• Maintain a strong partnership with Admissions and the Registrar’s office to provide the best student care experience as students are determining if Bethel is the place they will further their education.
• Triage and be able to point students towards offices and resources.
• Communicate with and train staff/student coaches or other support staff who are communicating with students, regarding academic programs.
• Continuously improve and develop tools and resources that will best serve students.
• Understand the unique needs of the early college group and how this impacts interactions with and resources for these students.

Provide leadership to the Academic Advising team

• Lead and generate systematic improvements in the advising process.
• Lead and generate systematic improvements in the student experience through advising.
• Oversee special needs of partnership schools. (Who attends events etc.)
• Oversee day to day activities of the advising team. (ie on campus time, advising central days, email coverage, weekly meetings.)
• Represent advising on university wide committees and to other departments
• Provide guidance to other advisors regarding challenging students/parents as needed.

• Active listener with a heart for students, particularly those at the early college level. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Knowledge in word processing (preferably Microsoft Word), spreadsheet, and database experience required.
• Position requires ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, dealing with frequent interruptions, and turning over a high volume of inquiries.
• Must have the ability to think critically and act independently, and perform the duties of the position in a professional and confidential manner as necessary.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, including the ability to present to audiences of both students and faculty.
• Outstanding customer service skills are required, with experience dealing directly with customers/constituents, demonstrated talent in human relations, and conflict management.
• Detail orientation with the ability to manage projects, meet deadlines, and set priorities for multiple tasks.
• Capacity and enthusiasm to work independently and as part of a team with strong leadership skills.
• Ability to understand and articulate requirements for academic majors, general education and academic policies.
• Initiative to develop new systems and procedures.

Minimum Experience Required:

• 1 to 2 years of experience working with students or in an academic setting (K-12 or higher education)

Preferred Experience:

• Three to four years of progressively responsible experience. Proven track record of successful work in an academic setting is strongly desired.

Minimum Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.

Prefered Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in fields of student development, student advising, education or a realted profession.
• Master’s degree.

Position requires set daytime hours, occasional evening and weekend hours, and occasional travel for local meetings.

Bethel seeks to recruit, retain, develop, and support a diverse workforce who contributes to our educational and Christ-centered mission. Bethel encourages candidates to apply who can assist the University to develop a faculty that reflects the diversity of people in God’s kingdom through a variety of ethnicities, cultures, and lived experiences.

Learn more about our commitment to diversity in hiring .

Bethel University is a leader in Christ-centered higher education with approximately 6,300 students from 48 states and 32 countries enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and adult education programs. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bethel offers bachelor’s and advanced degrees in nearly 100 fields. Educationally excellent classroom-based and online programs equip graduates to make exceptional contributions in life-long service to God and the world.

Bethel employs qualified individuals regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, familial status, and status with regard to public assistance. Individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.