Title: Director of Institute for Academic Excellence
Reports to: Dean of Students, Diversity, Engagement & Success
Department: Division of Student Affairs & Success
Basic Purpose
This position is for the director for the Anthony and Geraldine Zembrodt Institute for Academic Institute (IAE). Responsible for providing programming and administrative leadership for the IAE including academic support, peer-to-peer tutoring services, academic coaching, and other non-traditional services, including support for adult learners at Thomas More’s. Additional responsibilities include re-envisioning the modern academic support services unit and leveraging our new location with the campus library to support learning for all students, teaching the student success course, collaborating with stakeholders, timely reporting and budgeting, support for students with disabilities, and direct assistance to students.
Housed in the Thomas More University Success Center, the IAE is committed to assisting students in achieving academic success. Through proactive counseling and support, the IAE develops disciplined, independent learners. The director should possess experience in the area of academic support for all students including at-risk, honors, and non-traditional students, ADA policy, providing service data and have the ability to work cross-functionally across departments and with staff and faculty at different levels of responsibility within the institution.
Principal Duties & Activities
- Manage all facets of the Institute for Academic Excellence for all undergraduate students, traditional and non-traditional. Representative tasks include:
- Training and supporting professional and para-professional staff
- Developing programs
- Managing logistics
- Timely and regular reporting
- Representing the institute within and beyond the University
- Maintaining and implementing knowledge of best practices
- Direct work with students
- Work with fellow IAE and TSC staff along with other stakeholders to re-envision the modern academic support services office and develop a three-year plan Representative tasks include:
- Advise, support, and mentor students with the goal of them becoming independent learners
- In collaboration with Institutional Research, assess student’s academic progress and success and report results
- Develop, manage, and/or support programs for all students including high achieving, at-risk, and the marvelous middle
- Implement procedures and processes to ensure quality support services for on-campus, online and remote learners
- Develop programming to support faculty work with students
- Leverage synergy between library and success center
- Manage the peer-to-peer tutoring program. Representative tasks include:
- Managing tutoring requests
- Ensure timely tutoring support
- Manage all reporting and budget aspects
- Maintain and supervise the Robinson Family Academic Mentoring Center
- Supervision of professional and para-professional staff. Representative tasks include:
- Supervise, hire and train IAE staff including staff for academic coaching and study tables
- Supervise, hire, and train IAE paraprofessional staff for peer-to-peer tutoring
- Oversee time sheets
- Provide direct support to students. Representative tasks include:
- Assist students in setting realistic academic and personal goals
- Assist students in the development of academic skills, such as, time management, stress management, test taking and study skills
- Provide counseling to students in the areas of social, academic, personal and career needs.
- Manage contracted services. Representative tasks include managing:
- Contracted on-line tutoring
- WCOnline
- Support ADA-mandated student services. Representative tasks include:
- Maintain competency in legal issues and best practices related to disability services
- Support logistics related to ADA-mandated student services
- Work with stakeholders including students, families, faculty, staff, and relevant committees to ensure equitable access for students
- Manage services documentation, office assessment, and office budget. Representative tasks include:
- Maintain accurate accounts, records, and budget
- Maintain and update office operation procedures for institutional wiki/manual of policy and procedures
- Compile, maintain and manage data reflecting progress, trends, use of services and appropriate recommendations for future programs and initiatives
- Collect data an assess the office’s work and ensure timely reporting
- Monitor Institute for Academic Excellence budget
- Provide timely reports.
- Develop, provide, and supervise academic success programing for all students. Representative tasks include
- Teach, annually, the student success course at Thomas More
- Develop academic support, disability services, and tutoring services to accommodate non-traditional students, i.e; extended office hours, extended hours for testing, alternate tutoring opportunities such as online tutoring
- Design, schedule, and conduct workshops for students e.g., preparing academic papers, taking University exams, time management, and study skills
- Coordinate academic support needs with faculty
- Coordinate educational programming according to the needs of the campus
- Work with programs for high achieving students such as Cleves Scholars Program, the first-year honors society, Alpha Lambda Delta
- Develop and support mentoring and co-curricular programs for the marvelous middle in the strategic goal areas of community, career, classroom, and character.
- Represent the IAE to internal and external constituencies. Representative tasks include:
- Coordinate with retention office in support of student success
- Promote student awareness of pertinent events within and outside the University via email, on-line, and print communications, and prepare informational documentation as needed
- Create and maintain rapport with faculty and staff in order to better facilitate supportive services on behalf of students
- Participate in staff meetings, professional meetings and professional development
Education, Specialized and/or Technical Knowledge Requirements
- Master’s or terminal degree with preference for degrees in Counseling, Social Work, Education, Special Education or related field
- Must have work experience in higher education; prefer experience with Disability Services/ADA requirements for higher education, academic support services in higher education, and working with a wide-spectrum of students including high-achieving, at-risk, and the marvelous middle
Core Competencies
- Ability to multi-task
- Proactive approach
- Ability to problem solve when faced with obstacles
- Positive Attitude
- Strong Supervision Skills
- Flexible
- Ability to collaborate with other professionals
- Detail Oriented
- Strong Managerial Skills