About the position

SJSU Online represents San José State University’s commitment to provide fully online access to higher education for working adult learners striving to advance their education and obtain their bachelor’s degree. The Online Student Success Advisor will support the enrollment, retention, and engagement of SJSU Online students. Under the general supervision of the Managing Director of the SJSU Online Student Success Center, the Online Student Success Advisor will provide academic advising and success coaching while building relationships with online students, monitoring their academic progress, providing proactive outreach, and connecting students to appropriate University resources to foster student success. Working with the center team, the advisor also participates in assessment processes, provides professional advising support for recruiting and orienting new students, and supports University initiatives on retention, persistence, and graduation.

Responsibilities

• Provide holistic academic advising and support to online students
• Implement a proactive advising approach to establish and maintain on-going relationships that include regular meetings, documentation, and tracking of student progress using online tools
• Assist students with individualized success strategies, including goal setting, time management, study skills, etc.
• Introduce and orient students to their academic requirements, academic planning tools, and university resources
• Assist students in creating educational goals and interpretation of policies and procedures in relation to their goals
• Identify barriers to student success, develop action plans to focus on completion
• Provide support to students facing issues that impact retention, persistence, and academic success and referring students to resources as appropriate and necessary
• Provide students with responsive and effective student-centered communication through email, phone, virtual, and video conferencing
• Work with Managing Director to develop and implement strategic communication and outreach plans to help new students navigate the onboarding process
• Monitor new student online orientation to ensure student engagement and responsiveness to any student questions regarding the onboarding process
• Work with Managing Director to develop online student related community building events and activities
• Introduce and orient students to co-curricular resources, events, and communities to help foster a sense of belonging and engagement
• Assist in the planning, development and implementation of programming efforts and materials that support student success, with special focus on degree completion and online academic success
• Contribute data and information in support of the Center’s program assessment efforts
• Support efforts to maintain student success data elements and metrics, as needed
• Recommend changes in program procedures to improve student success

Requirements

• Knowledge of sensitivity to issues students may face in an online learning environment, particularly in reference to the adult online learner, and degree completion
• Knowledge of student development theories and principles, retention strategies, and program development
• Knowledge of the academic disciplines, General Education, University, and system requirements for graduation
• Knowledge of CSU and SJSU policies and procedures
• Knowledge of FERPA and confidentiality guidelines
• Skilled in strong advising/counseling skills, including demonstrated excellence in active listening and in helping individuals with problem identification, problem solving, conflict resolution, and decision making
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) with individuals/groups
• Ability to present clear and concise information
• Excellent customer service and public relations skills
• Ability to take advisor notes (documentation) to monitor and assess student progress
• Excellent interpersonal skills are required to effectively establish rapport and work with students, staff, and faculty
• Ability to be detail-oriented with strong organizational and programming skills
• Ability to quickly learn and understand complex university regulations/policies and relay information clearly to students, faculty and staff
• Ability to use PeopleSoft (student administration database), EAB Navigate, and other enterprise platforms, as needed
• Ability to use software applications such as Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Suite/Apps (Docs, Sheets, Drive), video conferencing software (Zoom), DocuSign, OnBase
• Ability to establish trust and a strong working relationship with SJSU Online students
• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural diversity and commitment to equity
• Ability to motive and advocate for students
• Ability to plan and conduct workshops, organize special events or activities, and make effective presentations remotely before groups
• Ability to recognize and refer students to appropriate student services and resources in a timely manner
• Ability to Work collaboratively with stakeholders across campus to meet the needs of students in an online environment
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals, including team members
• Ability to use professional training to enhance performance initiatives and teamwork communication
• Ability to be flexible and manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines
• Ability to be available to work occasional evenings and weekends
• Ability to maintain responsibilities, meet deadlines, and communicate effectively with team and students in a remote working environment
• Ability to be reliable and trustworthy
• Ability to communicate with constituents in a professional and respectful manner
• Ability to advise students individually and in groups on routine matters where required
• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field, including or supplemented by upper division or graduate coursework in counseling techniques, interviewing, and conflict resolution, where such are job-related
• Two years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience. A master’s degree in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a directly related field may be substituted for one year of experience.

Nice-to-haves

• Master’s in educational counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work or directly related discipline
• Two or more years of progressively responsible experience providing academic advising and support to students in a post-secondary setting; a master’s degree in higher education administration, counseling, social work, or a related field may be substituted for one year of experience
• Experience in student development theory, outreach practices, and student success services
• Experience in establishing and maintaining cooperative working relationships within a diverse multicultural environment
• Academic advising experience with online students and/or working adult learners
• California public higher education system experience

Benefits

• San José State University offers employees a comprehensive benefits package typically worth 30-35% of your base salary.
• For more information on programs available, please see the Employee Benefits Summary