Georgia College & State University Hiring for Director of Student Success and First Year Experience at Georgia College & State Univ Full Time

Job Title: Director of Student Success and First Year Experience
Location: Georgia College & State Univ
Regular/Temporary: Regular
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Job ID: 263308
About Us

Georgia College & State University (GCSU) is the state’s designated public liberal arts university, where students learn the essential skills to compete in a fast-paced and technology-driven global society. The university prepares students for successful careers, leadership in communities, problem solving and life-long learning through personalized attention in a residential setting with opportunities for a variety of transformational experiences through its award-winning, high-impact practices. One of only three selective universities within the University System of Georgia and a top 10 ranked public university in the Southeast, GCSU offers undergraduate degrees in more than 40 majors, 34 graduate programs, doctorates in education and nursing, professional certificates and continuing education programs.

As a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), GCSU is committed to fostering a liberal arts environment that values academic preeminence, interdisciplinary inquiry and an inclusive learning community. GCSU enjoys a strong reputation for academic excellence and nationally ranked programs according to US News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Colleges of Distinction – among other ranking sources.

Georgia College & State University takes great pride in combining the educational experience of a private liberal arts college with the affordability of a public university. Faculty and staff are dedicated to student engagement and experiential learning through high-impact practices such as internships, service- and community-based learning, diversity, study abroad opportunities, mentored undergraduate research and a capstone project that fosters intellectual curiosity, reasoned inquiry and critical thinking.

The university’s beautiful and historic campus is located downtown in Milledgeville, Georgia, a charming, diverse college town of approximately 19,000 residents in Central Georgia, and only 90 miles southeast of Atlanta. Milledgeville is also the home of noted American author and alumna, Flannery O’Connor, ’45, and the college community enjoys many exciting literary arts programs at O’Connor’s former home, Andalusia, now owned by the university. Milledgeville is located on the banks of beautiful Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee, allowing faculty, staff and students to take full advantage of the environmental and recreational benefits of being part of a lake community. For cultural, educational and leisure opportunities beyond Milledgeville – Macon and Atlanta are located within easy driving distances.

Georgia College & State University is committed to protecting academic freedom in addition to supporting the freedom of expression as outlined in the University System of Georgia’s Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom policy and its Ethics Code of Conduct. For more information, visit us online at gcsu.edu.

Job Summary

The Primary Function of the First-Year Experience Program at Georgia College & State University is to ensure the academic success and to promote the retention of first-year students. The First-Year Experience consists of a year-long series of programs design to help onboard the students to the culture, organization, and expectations of the College and provide social and educational opportunities to enrich their first-year student experience. The office also supports the on-boarding of the first-year students in the Bridge Scholars Program and develops social and academic programs to supplement first-year orientation and the Weekend of Welcome activities. The First-Year experience is one of the five high impact practices that Georgia College students complete as part of the GC Journeys Transformative Experiences Program. As a Director for First -Year Experience and the Student Success Center, the incumbent will develop university wide retention strategies focused on first year students, monitor student success metrics including retention, persistence, and graduation rates.

Responsibilities

Leadership – 50
Establish mission, objectives, structure, requirements, curriculum, etc. and refocus as needed.
Plan and coordinate events and track participation.
Communicate program information to stakeholders and serve as a campus resource.
Create, monitor, and reconcile the First-Year Experience budget and expenditures.
Evaluate program and assess student learning.
Manage program expenditures.
Oversee Program use of social media.
Serve on and potentially chair the Georgia College & State University Retention Task Force committee.
Chair the Persistence Support Team committee (a committee that develops proactive strategies to provide a lift in retention for at risk students), and monitor the work, recommendations, and progress of the task force subcommittees.
Provide a regular newsletter and sponsor seminars/speakers to enhance campus knowledge of successful student success practices.
Develop and maintain a student success website.

Supervision – 15
Supervise the Coordinator of the Bridge Scholars Program and the First-Year Experience student staff.
Set clear performance expectations and evaluation measures.
Recruit, train, and monitor both professional and student staff members.
Establish positive environment, with clear policies and open communication.
Recruit and train FYE student staff.

Liaison – 20
Collaborate with Student Life, Faculty, the Associate Provost for Transformative Experiences, and other campus partners to develop a comprehensive and robust FYE program and develop and implement programs and initiatives designed to enhance student success (retention rates, persistence rates, graduation rates, and work outcomes).
Serve as a liaison and advocate for students by identifying campus resources and services.

Reporting and Data Analysis – 10
In collaboration with the Registrar, provide regular retention reporting with predictions.
Maximize the use of Civitas-Inspire (student success CRM) to improve student success throughout the student life cycle, provide training and information to the campus community regarding best practices in student retention and persistence.
Communicate data and reports to senior leaderships including the Sr AVP for Enrollment Management and the Provost.

Other – 5
Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements
Master’s Degree in one of the following fields of study; Study-Student Affairs, Higher Education Administration, Counseling, or related field.

Required Experience
Three to five years of experience working in Undergraduate Program Development, First- Year Experience Programs, and Co-curricular Academic Programs.

Required Documents to Attach

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• List of References

Equal Employment Opportunity Georgia College & State University (GCSU) is committed to the fundamental principle of equal opportunity and equal treatment for every prospective and current employee. No person shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or genetic information, be excluded from employment or participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination, under any program or activity conducted by GCSU.

Georgia College & State University is a national award-winning institution in areas of student success and achievement. It strives to achieve excellence in the composition of its community, educational programs, university policies, research and scholarship, campus life, employment practices, extracurricular activities, and community outreach. It is a priority of the university to be a welcoming and inclusive environment so that its campus culture will enhance the ability of its community members to succeed in their endeavors, to be respected as individuals, and to feel a sense of belonging. Please visit Equal Employment Opportunity for more information.Other Information

This is a supervisory position.
This position has financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position will not travel
This position does not require security clearance.

Background Check

• Criminal Background Check
• Education Verification
• Credit Check