Director, Student Services
- Position Summary
- Major Duties and Responsibilities
- Qualifications
- About Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning
- Salary and Benefits
- Application Procedure
- Contact Information
Position Summary
The Director of Student Services is a senior member of the Division of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning-Extension (CEOEL). He/she works closely and collaboratively across the division, the institution, and the University of Wisconsin System to create an environment that is supportive, inclusive, and engaging for traditional students as well as for adult and nontraditional learners. As a member of the CEOEL management team, the Director of Student Services works as both a leader and a partner in that team. He/she contributes to strategic decision-making, advocates for his/her area of responsibility, and also supports other members of the team in their areas of responsibility. This is a highly collaborative and integrated position.
The primary responsibility of the Director of Student Services is to develop and direct highly proactive, engaging and supportive adult student services, with particular attention paid to recruitment, retention, and student success. In addition to services for adult and nontraditional students, the Director of Student Services also oversees the University of Wisconsin Higher Education Location Program (UW HELP), which is a System-wide program to help guide students of all ages, including high school students, who are considering attending a University of Wisconsin campus.
CEOEL aspires to be a national leader in innovative, engaging, and highly effective student services that focus primarily but not exclusively on adult and nontraditional students. The next Director of Student Services must be highly knowledgeable about student services with a strong customer-service orientation, have a broad understanding of the ways in which various generations communicate, and know how to make adults feel comfortable and at home in higher education.
There is a strong focus in Wisconsin and in Extension to provide access to all students to the University of Wisconsin campuses across the state. CEOEL is focused heavily on connecting with adult and nontraditional students, and on providing the programs and services that those students need to enter, learn, and succeed in the UW.
The Director of Student Services reports to the Dean of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning-Extension and manages a staff of student services advisors, coordinators, and support personnel.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide guidance and direction for the broad spectrum of student services, advising, and support to build a sense of community and connectedness among adult and traditional students.
- Develop and implement policies, practices and procedures to address relevant issues for adult students, enhance communication between students and administration, and promote student-centered practices that increase student access, engagement, persistence, and retention.
- Develop and implement systems and practices to assist students and enhance student success rates at UW campuses across the state as student’s transition to baccalaureate study and/or employment.
- Develop and implement a model for proactive advising for adult students to establish ongoing relationships between advisors and students throughout the students’ educational experiences within the UW.
- Implement a comprehensive student service delivery system to optimize the impact of programs and services in collaboration with department directors.
- Collaborate with the Director of Communications and Marketing in the implementation of effective marketing strategies and publication development to promote student services within and beyond the institution.
- Promote the development and integration of information systems applications and related technological advances to maximize the accessibility and impact of the programs and services (e.g. electronic application for admission, electronic transcripting, student information system, educational planning, etc.).
- Develop and manage student services budget. Monitor all funds allocated to student services and UW HELP.
- Work with colleagues across UW-Extension, UW Colleges, UW System, and other UW campuses. Maintain liaisons with external experts in the field of student services, with various student services groups throughout the UW System, and with national student services organizations.
- Manage student services staff and UW HELP (Higher Education Location Program) function including advisors, coordinators, and registration, records, technical support, and bookstore personnel. Provide assignments, direction, performance feedback and coaching, and staff development opportunities.
- Oversee coordination of HELP’s year-round, state-wide outreach and training for high school counselors, students, and parents on use of the electronic application, UW HELP website, and precollege advising, and other services in preparation for college in the UW System.
- Identify and expand student services outreach activities to include adult student populations.
- Play a leadership role representing UW HELP and student services with various UW system wide groups and committees such as Admission Directors and Registrars, Chief Student Affairs Officers, Advisers, Financial Aid Directors and others student affairs related groups.
- Convene UW system wide committees annually to maintain and enhance UWHELP system wide technology applications such as the UW Applications for Admission, UW Majors Database, UW Precollege Database and others.
Qualifications
- Masters Degree.
- At least ten years of increasing responsibility and experience managing and leading in continuing education, student services, or other areas that require intimate understanding of and appreciation for human behavior.
- Experience in and clear understanding and appreciation for higher education.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- A proactive, customer service-oriented attitude.
- Ability to handle ambiguity well.
- Strong and demonstrated appreciation for collegiality, humor, acceptance, and understanding.
- Strong and demonstrated appreciation for the power of ideas and the value of clear and constructive argument.
- Commitment to and demonstrated appreciation for a plurality of cultures, perspectives, opinions, and values.
- Student Services: Ability to provide leadership in developing innovative, engaging, and highly effective student services focused primarily but not exclusively on adult and nontraditional students.
- Communications: Evidence of a broad understanding of the ways in which various generations communicate, and ability to develop programs and services that make adults feel comfortable and at home in higher education.
- Ability to communicate and interact at the highest levels of any organization in a succinct and meaningful way; success at communicating vision in a powerful and persuasive manner, working with a multiple clients with diverse needs and widely varying levels of knowledge and expertise.
- Strategic and innovative thinking: A visionary thinker and planner; able to foster creative problem-solving and recognize and reward innovative thinking and planning.
- Collaboration: Experience bringing disparate and disconnected groups, resources and constituencies together to create an integrated student services function.
- Change Management: Ability to assess alternative methods of doing things and ability to facilitate and implement change.
- Team building: Inspires confidence and knows how to tap into and develop capability in staff. Able to recruit, retain and develop the high level of talent needed to ensure the future success of the student services organization.
- Customer service orientation: Success in promoting and maintaining a strong service orientation among staff, serving multiple institutions and community of clients
- Resource mobilization: Experience generating and leveraging resources internally and externally, and establishing strategic partnerships and alliances to support objectives.
- Inclusivity: Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in the work environment and educational programming to meet the needs of all potential stakeholders and clients, including racial/ethnic minorities, women, and people with disabilities.
About Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning
The University of Wisconsin System consists of 15 public institutions: 2 doctoral universities, 11 comprehensive universities, a system of 13 freshman-sophomore Colleges, and statewide Extension. The UW System serves a total of 160,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs.
Through the University of Wisconsin-Extension, all Wisconsin people can access university resources and engage in lifelong learning, wherever they live and work. Fundamental to this mission are UW-Extension’s partnerships with the 26 UW campuses, the county and tribal governments, and other public and private organizations. Fulfilling the promise of the Wisconsin Idea, UW-Extension extends the boundaries of the university to the boundaries of the state and helps the university establish mutually beneficial connections with all its stakeholders. UW-Extension programs are delivered through four main divisions: Broadcasting and Media Innovations, Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning, Cooperative Extension, and Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.
The division of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning aspires to be a national leader in innovative, engaging, and highly effective student services that focus primarily but not exclusively on adult and nontraditional students. The division provides system-wide leadership, advocacy, and support for non-traditional learners, and creates innovative ways for all learners to access and connect with the campuses of the University of Wisconsin System.
Salary and Benefits
The official title of this position is Director, Unspecified 8 with a working title of Director of Student Services. The position is available in summer 2008 at a minimum annualized salary of $80,000. Actual salary is highly competitive and dependent on qualifications and experience.
Excellent benefits include participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System; life, medical and hospitalization insurance; vacation and sick leave. For more detailed information on benefits, see http://www.uwsa.edu/hr/benefits/uben.pdf.
Application Procedure
The position is open until filled. A complete application will include the following:
- A letter of interest addressing the applicant’s qualifications and experience as they relate to the responsibilities of the position.
- A resume or curriculum vitae.
- The names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least five references.
- A completed “Applicant Survey Form” (used for reporting purposes only). The form is available at http://www.uwex.edu/jobs/documents/survey.pdf
In accordance with Wisconsin’s open records law we are required to provide, upon request, a list of all nominees and applicants who have not requested in writing that their identities remain confidential. The names and titles of all finalists for the position must be disclosed upon request. The form to request confidentiality is available at http://www1.uwex.edu/jobs/documents/notice.pdf
Contact Information
Please direct requests for information, written nominations and application materials to:
Melissa Mayo, Director, Human Resources
UWEX, Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning
505 S. Rosa Rd, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53719
melissa.mayo@learn.uwsa.edu
Information about the position, the application process, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, and living in Madison and Wisconsin are available at http://www.uwex.edu/jobs/.
A criminal records review will be conducted for final candidates. In compliance with the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act, the University does not discriminate on the basis of arrest or conviction record. Convictions and pending charges will be considered only if they are substantially related to the circumstances of this position.
The University of Wisconsin-Extension is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and actively seeks and encourages applications from women, minorities and persons with disabilities. It is our policy to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment.
Employment is contingent on establishment of identity and verification of employment eligibility as required by the Immigration Reform and Control act of 1986.