Reading Area Community College Hiring for Enrollment Support Specialist – Advisor (Career Programs) Full-Time at Reading, PA Full Time

Application Instructions

Send a cover letter, resume and three (3) professional references from past supervisors, to [email protected]

Please indicate the job code CP-ESA-FT in the subject line of your email.

After sending in your documents, please fill out the online Job Applicant Identifier form. RACC is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with government regulations we are required to record numbers of job applicants by sex and ethnic category. We ask that you indicate your race or national origin and sex, but you are not required to provide this information. This information will not be kept with your application and will be used only in accordance with state and federal regulations.

Background Check

If you are chosen for this position, a background check will be required. Full details regarding the background check are available here.

Job Details Title:Enrollment Support Specialist – Advisor (Career Programs) Full-TimeAnnounce date:09/14/2023Apply by date:09/28/2023Application status:Accepting ApplicationsPosition type: Full-time Salary:$42,197 per year

Working Hours:

Working hours for this position consist of a 7.5 hour period (between the hours of 7:30 am and 8:30 pm) Monday through Friday exclusive of a 1/2 or 1 hour lunch.

Note: In this position, the employee may be required to work evening and/or weekend work with the employee having the option of working this time in addition to, or in lieu of regular hours.

Summary:

This position is divided in to two equally critical roles: as an Enrollment Specialist and an Advisor for non-credit programs.

The Enrollment Specialist/Advisor is often the first college representative that prospective students meet. The Enrollment Specialist/Advisor will actively recruit students through outreach activities, college wide events and community opportunities. This individual will help students determine the appropriate program or course offering, provide a general introduction to the college and facilitate the admission and enrollment of new students.

The Enrollment Specialist/Advisor is responsible for advising currently enrolled students, facilitating course enrollment, and providing support to ensure program completion. The Enrollment Specialist/Advisor is responsible for keeping prospective and current students engaged throughout the entire process, regardless of length.

The Enrollment Specialist/Advisor will be expected to function as a contributing member of an overall team. Success in this position requires a high level of self-motivation, an embrace of challenging goals, and the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide variety of constituencies, including prospective students, their families, and community members. This position requires excellent customer services skill sets, a positive attitude as well as being self-motivated and organized during increased activity levels. To be effective, this individual must understand and effectively articulate the value and benefits of the education provided by the College, and develop a level of trust and rapport with prospective and new students. The Enrollment Specialist/Advisor will be expected to commit to, and meet individual as well as unit enrollment goals.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Recruitment and Enrollment:

1. Actively participate in the implementation of enrollment strategies.
2. Effectively conduct interviews and information sessions with prospective students, asking appropriate questions to identify the student’s goals and plans, and assisting in building an educational road map to assist each student in preparing for their education at the College.
3. Provide general information about the college, programs and courses offered and services available including financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
4. Assist students through all steps of the enrollment process (inquiry through class registration) by proactively reaching out to students through email, phone calls and face-to-face meetings.
5. Coordinate and participate in recruitment events. Recruitment events may include, but are not limited to: those organized by the educational unit, college-wide activities and externally hosted events.

Advising:

Proctor placement testing, interpret test results, and remediation. Provide guidance to students as to course and program selection. Advise students regarding program requirements including clearances, and other required documentation.

Assist with the evaluation of college transcripts or other educational training documents to assist with student placement and course scheduling.

Provide course advisement to currently enrolled and prospective students.

Ensure students are registered for the next sequence of classes. Collaborate effectively with others to support success.

Monitor and track student progress and provide outreach to retain students and facilitate completion.

Engage in recruiting events activities for credit and non-credit programs.

Serve as the liaison to Career Link and OVR for individuals referred by those offices. This includes collecting necessary paperwork and monitoring and reporting progress.

Refer students to appropriate campus resources for assistance with college major, accessibility services, academic and personal issues, and other college related concerns.

General Duties:

Utilize administrative software (ie. Colleague, Self-Service, , etc.) to track student prospects, enroll students and provide academic advisement. Create course sections in Ellucian. Additionally, assist students to learn and use Self-Service, Canvas, and other appropriate resources and technologies used to schedule classes, track program requirements, and support their coursework.

Attend meetings as required.

Work with the Cashier’s and Records Office to assist with scheduling courses, student registration, and reporting needs.

Submit monthly reports as requested by the department/division supervisor.

Work with the Sr. Academic Advisor, Health Professions Specialist to develop processes that lead to positive student and program outcomes.

As directed, gather, track and maintain appropriate documentation for student enrollment, including but not limited to clearances, medical records and previous training/education.

Meet with students regularly to review progress.

Work cooperatively and collaboratively with Literacy, the Advising and Enrollment Services areas, and the College at large. Participate in cross training activities as needed. May be required to attend professional development activities.

Conduct him/herself in a professional manner and always exhibit a positive image for RACC.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

Required

1. Bachelor’s degree
2. Experience with job placement, or higher education advising/ admissions/recruitment

Strongly Preferred

1. Bilingual (Spanish/English)
2. One year of experience working in a counseling/advising capacity in an educational setting
3. Community College experience

Preferred

1. Experience working with adult learners in an educational setting
2. Experience working with individuals with diverse academic needs
3. Previous work experience requiring strong organizational skills

Other Skills and Abilities:

1. Ability to work well with people.
2. Excellent one-on-one and group presentation skills.
3. Must be able to develop a working knowledge of the Community College and Higher Education system and the benefits of the educational programs that they provide
4. Experience in maintaining positive relationships with a diverse student population.
5. Ability to communicate effectively and positively in writing, via telephone, e-mail, face to face, or using other media.
6. Strong follow-up skills.
7. Ability to provide exemplary customer service to a diverse customer base.
8. Ability to set and obtain short and long-term goals with measurable results.
9. Strong persuasive ability related to the value of post-secondary training and/or degree pursuit.

Computer Skills:

To perform this job successfully, an individual should be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Internet skills. Ability to learn Colleague, Self-Service, etc).

Communication Skills:

Ability to create and edit effective, engaging communication for various target groups. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills:

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; sit and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.