Director, Online Student Support Srvc

Augusta University

About Us
Augusta University is Georgia's innovation center for education and health care, training the next generation of innovators, leaders, and healthcare providers in classrooms and clinics on four campuses in Augusta and locations across the state. More than 9,000 students choose Augusta for educational opportunities at the center of Georgia's cybersecurity hub and experiential learning that blends arts and application, humanities, and the health sciences. Augusta is home to Georgia's only public academic health center, where groundbreaking research is creating a healthier, more prosperous Georgia, and world-class clinicians are bringing the medicine of tomorrow to patient care today.

Location
Augusta University -
Our Health Sciences Campus:
1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912
Our Summerville Campus:
2500 Walton Way, Augusta, GA 30904

College/Department Information
Augusta University Online Services, will reach the modern learner and ensure online success— and the greater university — our three building blocks at Augusta University Online include building online opportunities where the need is greatest, focusing on student and faculty engagement, and fostering a sense of belonging. Our hope is to create an engaging, supportive learning environment that is easy for students and faculty to access, that will serve as a model of best-in-class online education.

Job Summary
Augusta University Online (AUO) is a major strategic effort sponsored by the President of Augusta University to take us into the 21st century with advanced learning models for AU students. Seeking to become a best-in-class provider of online education, AUO will act as an internal OPM (Online Program Management) unit deploying the most advanced learning technologies and methods to support our faculty in the development of leading-edge online instruction through this innovative new model for online program development and marketing.

Augusta University is one of four major public research universities in the State of Georgia, boasting one of the oldest and largest Medical Schools in the country, the only Dental School in the state and the only public nursing school in Georgia. AU has become a leading provider and innovator of healthcare services and instruction. Our school of Cyber and Computer science supports the US Cyber Central Command, which is also located in Augusta and responsible for $4.7 billion investment in our region and our nation's cyber security. With over 4,000 graduate students seeking some of the most applied and career-relevant degrees in the southeast region, Augusta remains one of the fastest growing universities in the state.

AUO is seeking a collaborative, energetic forward-thinking Director of Student Support Services. Under the supervision of the AVP of Online Education, the Director of Online Student Support Services will lead the operations for student success coaching, online student support systems and success metrics for AUO. With AUO leadership will design and deploy a new model for wrap-around student services for our online learners. As such, this role oversees the development and delivery of comprehensive online student services operations and the supervision of analytics, project management, system and technology support for the function. The Director of Online Student Services will develop and manage enrollment and student success strategies, establish policies, and processes, and evaluation of operations, recommending improvements and modifications to AUO leadership. This role will oversee the hiring, training and development of up to 15+ FTEs in the next few years. As a member of the AUO leadership team, the Director of Student Services will work collaboratively with all university departments and services.

The Director is primarily responsible for achieving student retention goals through the following activities:

Set targets for persistence, retention, and other leading indicators of student success.

Develops, coordinates, and implements retention and assessment initiatives

Manages and expands AUO student success efforts through the usage of various technology-based platforms.

Works collaboratively with faculty and staff to identify and design best practice and appropriate interventions to support and enhance online student success.

Determines the most effective intrusive and advising intervention strategies for students in promoting retention and student success throughout the students' journey from initial enrollment through graduation.

Evaluates retention activities and recommend appropriate strategies and resources necessary to achieve increased student retention and graduation rates.

On boards new students into AUO and addresses all of their needs to have them successfully start their first courses.

Oversees the conduct of exit interviews of departing students, communicate regularly with withdrawn and onboards returning students and captures lessons learned

Creates and implement communication plans to students academically at-risk students using a variety of delivery methods

Develops and implements a data-driven assessment plan to regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of retention activities and recommend changes as necessary.

Routinely identify areas to investigate that serve as potential barriers to student success and works collaborative with university stakeholders on developing and implementing solutions.

Responsibilities
The duties include, but are not limited to:

Leads Online Student Support Services

Develops and implements internal and external student support services using third party services or vendors as needed.

Participates on University committees, work groups, and other various initiatives related to student services.

Maintains knowledge of university policies and procedures and ensures alignment with university regulatory compliance principles and practices.

Develops and maintains cooperative interdepartmental partnerships in order to meet high quality online student services objectives.

Utilizes solid analytical and research skills to assess the effectiveness of student support programs geared towards online students.

Makes appropriate recommendations and implements new support service programs, program improvements, and enhancements to meet the needs of AUO students.

Manage and support the ongoing use of university technology platforms in focusing on academic and support interventions.

Work with all university student support services and offices to strengthen the outreach and support available to AUO students.

Supervises course registration for new and continuing AUO students. ¿ Demonstrates understanding of the academic requirements of all Augusta University Online programs.

Designs the academic support needs of AUO students by collaborating with faculty.

Creates Orientation Materials for Online New Student Orientation and serve as the non-academic facilitator.

Coordinate with relevant support offices support for students struggling with study skills, time management, and other learning related needs.

Collaborates with the relevant offices and faculty to develop programs and services to counsel, advise and provide guidance to online students to increase student retention and success.

Work collaboratively with existing academic support services and other services offered campus wide such as the Registrar, Student Accounting, Health Services, Career Services, IT, Writing Center, Math Center, Counseling, etc.

Identify and coordinate training and workshops for staff, utilizing best equitable and culturally relevant practices.

Work collaboratively with AUO Enrollment to develop and implement an enrollment bridge program for students to effectively on-board them as students.

Serves as the leader of the online Success Coaches Team

Develops and leads the AUO Student Success Coaches team to provide personalized and proactive care to students.

Seeks and identifies ongoing professional development activities for the AUO Student Success team.

Sets priorities for online student support team such as: assigns work, ensures staff training, conducts performance evaluations, and makes necessary human resource related recommendations.

Leads AUO Student Success Coaches team using a continuous improvement process to successfully execute AUO enrollment coaching strategies.

Develops the AUO Coaches Team that is dedicated to providing holistic support to help online adult learners meet their personal, professional, and academic goals.

Collaborates with the relevant offices to develop programs and services to counsel, advise and provide guidance to online students and collaborate with department chairs, faculty, and advisors to develop, update, and implement targeted interventions to increase student retention and success.

Educates the AUO Success Coaches team regarding best practices for identifying and supporting students who are struggling academically and provide a student-centered solutions, which promotes student success, retention, and program completion.

Oversees the counseling students who are at risk for dropping out of their online program.

Develops a case management approach to support students' development and success.

Uses all necessary data/metrics and systems to assess and track AUO student success

Serves as a lead for AUO Student Services systems that pertain to identifying factors related to student success, including but not limited to: student information systems (SIS), customer relations management (CRM) systems, learning management system, and other systems as necessary.

Maintains security of confidential student records and university data.

Leads the continuous monitoring and tracking of AUO students throughout their academic journey.

Works with student support units to develop assessment plans and tools to measure those plans as they relate to retention efforts.

Collects applicable data regarding online student success in order to achieve program metrics.

Provides online student retention support data, trends and reports to university leadership.

Develops and implements a data-driven assessment plan to regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of retention activities and recommends changes as necessary.

Through data, identifies areas to investigate regarding potential barriers to student success.

Ongoing Professional Growth

Mentor other AU Online staff members in their job roles, professional growth and development; update and improve one's own knowledge, skills and attitudes pertaining to online student success.

General Responsibilities

Perform related duties as assigned to support the mission of the University.

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements

Master's degree from a regionally accredited university.

Required Experience

Minimum 3 years of student advising

Minimum 3 years of supervisory experience in a student services area

2 or more years of experiences utilizing technology to track student progress

1 or more years of successful online and/or hybrid teaching experience in higher education.

Preferred Qualifications
Preferred Experience

3+ years of student advising experience with online graduate students

Successful online and/or hybrid teaching experience in higher education.

Experience developing and facilitating orientations for online students

Direct experience with D2L, Banner, Navigate and a student portal system

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
KNOWLEDGE
Utilize strong interpersonal and communication skills to work with students, faculty and staff.
Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Understanding of issues, both academic and non-academic, affecting online student success.
Comprehensive knowledge of issues related to and strategies that foster student success.
Demonstrated effective leadership skills.
Understanding of academic and financial aid requirements.
Demonstrated effective problem-solving and strategic planning skills.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in various forms and strong presentation and facilitation skills.
Commitment to and knowledge of assessment and program effectiveness methodologies.
Successful experience in designing and implementing new student orientation sessions.
Knowledge of and experience with advising and early alert technology-based student success platforms
Knowledge of regulatory compliance principles and practices
Knowledge of Administrative procedures and practices
Knowledge of project management and fiscal practices
Skills in analyzing data and drawing conclusions

Shift/Salary/Benefits
Shift: Days/M-F (work outside of the normal business hours will likely be required of an employee in an exempt level position)

Pay Grade: 24

Salary: Minimum $74,604.00/Annually - $100,715.00/Annually

Salary to be commensurate with qualifications of the selected candidate within the established range (generally minimum-midpoint) of the position

Recruitment Period: 3/1/23 - Until Filled

Augusta University offers a variety of benefits to full-time benefits-eligible employees and some of our half-time (or more) employees.

Benefits that may be elected could include health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, Teachers Retirement System (or Optional Retirement Plan), as well as earned vacation time, sick leave, and 13 paid holidays.

Also, our full-time employees who have been employed with us successfully for more than 6 months can be considered for the Tuition Assistance Program. Consider applying with us today!

Conditions of Employment
All selected candidates are required to successfully pass a Background Check review prior to starting with Augusta University.

If applicable for the specific position based on the duties: the candidate will also need to have a credit check completed for Positions of Trust and or approved departmental Purchase Card usage.

All employees are responsible for ensuring the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of sensitive [patient, student, employee, financial, business, etc.] information by exercising sound judgment and adhering to cybersecurity and privacy policies during their employment and beyond.

Other Information
This position is also responsible for promoting a customer-friendly environment and providing superior service to our patients, students, faculty, and employees. "Augusta University is a patient-and family-centered care institution, where employees partner every day with patients and families for success."

Augusta University is a tobacco-free environment, and the use of any tobacco products on any part of the campus, both inside and outside, is strictly prohibited.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Augusta University is proud to be an equal opportunity employer welcoming applicants from underrepresented groups, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.

How To Apply
Consider applying with us today!
https://www.augusta.edu/hr/jobs/
Select University Faculty & Staff > External Applicants if you are a candidate from outside the university
Select University Faculty & Staff > Internal Applicants if you are a current university employee
If you need further assistance, please contact us at 706-721-9365

To apply, please visit: https://careers.hprod.onehcm.usg.edu/psp/careers/CAREERS/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=12000&JobOpeningId=255440&PostingSeq=1



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