ANNOUNCMENT OF POSITION VACANCY

FLSA Status:

United States of America (Exempt)

Compensation:

$49,000-$50,000
Commensurate with education and experience. Excellent health and retirement benefits package:

SECTION I - OUR VALUES CULTIVATE OUR VISION AND CULTURE

At CMU, we believe in acting from a foundation of goodwill. This belief gives us the courage to form meaningful relationships, embark on joint endeavors and take risks in the pursuit of new possibilities. It’s this courage that enables the Mavily to explore new ways of thinking and doing, knowing that there is no perfect solution, no perfect idea.

From this place of humility and courage, we’ve built a culture of resilience. We invest in the future by continuously adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and seizing new opportunities. We recognize that change is constant, and our resilience allows us to embrace it with confidence. Endless curiosity drives us to approach the unexpected as if it were expected, seeing opportunities for discovery and renewal in every challenge. In this community rooted in love and dignity, curiosity thrives, leading to endless opportunities for growth and advancement.

Inspired by the soul of the West—the spirit that our region embodies—we emerge as a force for positive change, harnessing our collective power to build a Human Scale University that reflects our values and brings to life our shared vision of the world we aspire to create.

Colorado Mesa University Core Values

Love - Extending oneself for nurturing the growth of self and others

Dignity - Respecting the intrinsic value of each person and believing that others act from a foundation of goodwill

Courage - Taking risks in the pursuit of new possibilities

Humility - Suspending one’s ego and pride to recognize that no idea is perfect and being open to the input of others

Resiliency - Investing in the future by adapting to changes, overcoming challenges and pursuing Opportunity

Curiosity - Cultivating awe and exploring the unknown

Power - The strength to act collaboratively with individual agency to achieve our goals

SECTION II – THE SEAT

At CMU, we look at every position as a seat. Every seat is vital and the individual in the seat contributes significantly to our mission of providing an affordable and accessible education and forming meaningful and mutually enriching partnerships that support the well-being and vibrancy of our community. As a human centric organization, a priority is to ensure we have the “right seats” in our organization, and that the expectations, ownership and accountabilities are defined and communicated clearly for the success of the individuals holding the seats.

IRIS is CMU’s first year advising center and one-stop that supports students’ needs relating to academic advising, registration, financial aid, financial counseling, and navigating college systems. IRIS Advisors provide these services in four ways:
1) front line customer service offered at the front desk, phone and email,
2) in-person or phone extended advising and financial counseling appointments,
3) targeted proactive advising services for students in need of additional support, and
4) events and groups sessions.

Utilizing a case management system and Appreciative Advising framework, IRIS Advisors provide holistic and student-centered advising on multiple aspects of student success, such as academic advising and registration, student finances, financial aid, personal wellness, and student success skills. IRIS Advisors support and empower students from a wide variety of backgrounds and are expected to maintain a high level of customer service with all interactions.

OVERVIEW AND ROLE SCOPE OF TEAM AND/OR TASKS

Advising & Student Support Tasks

• Act as an academic advisor for a diverse population of students, including but not limited to academically underprepared, undeclared, first generation, and nontraditional students.
• Identify barriers that students face, suggest solutions to student challenges, and make appropriate internal and external referrals.
• Provide a high level of customer service and create a welcoming environment for students.
• Cultivate meaningful and productive relationships with students, staff, and leaders by initiating critical conversations, having a visible presence, and maintaining regular communication.
• Assist in coordinating and providing proactive outreach efforts to assist in the retention goals of the university.
• Responsible for documenting student appointments and outreach efforts.
• Responsible for training other departments in relation to advising, financial counseling, and student support services.

Programming & Events Tasks

• Assist with onboarding new students during new student orientation.
• Organize and design departmental events, such as major exploration events, First Gen Day, financial literacy events, etc.
• Assist with various campus events and lead presentations on IRIS resources when needed.
• Deliver instructional coursework for supplemental courses.

Individuals in this seat support the following teams:

• IRIS Advising Team (Team Black, Team Gold, and Team MAVroon) - IRIS Advisors are assigned to a team of 3-5 IRIS Advisors led by an IRIS Lead Advisor. IRIS Advising Teams are divided based on academic department.
• IRIS Department - Advisors support the Director of IRIS, Assistant Director of IRIS Advising, and IRIS department operations.
• Enrollment Management - IRIS Advisors support the overall efforts of the Enrollment Management team regarding student success, enrollment, and retention.
• Regularly collaborate with university partner offices, such as Financial Aid, Educational Access Services, Student Wellness Center, Student Services, Registrar, and Student Accounts.

Leadership, Management, and Accountability (LMA) Responsibilities

• IRIS Advisors do not directly supervise other professional staff.
• Supervision of a small student employee team (1-5) assigned to their IRIS Advising Team may be required.

Individuals in this seat are required to:

• Demonstrate a high level of discretion and professional judgment in actively assessing and advising students from all backgrounds on key aspects of student success, such as academic advising and registration, student finances, personal wellness, and student success skills.
• Interpret and apply institutional policies, procedures, and regulations related to academic, financial, and student support programs.

Other duties may be assigned as needed by our business.

IRIS Advisors are accountable for delivering the following outcomes and results to metrics:

• Accountable for managing an advisee caseload of 150-200 students. Includes one minimum touchpoint per semester with assigned advisees and three minimum touchpoints with Compass advisees.
• Accountable for being available for an average of 15-25 appointments per week.
• Teach minimum one section of College Success Skills (UNIV 100) in fall semester.
• 90-day Rocks Completion Rate - 80%
• Participating in regular training and professional development activities.
• Utilizing an Appreciative Advising approach in advising appointments and student interactions.
• Advising Appointment Feedback Survey – 80% positive reviews

Additional metrics and results may be assigned as needed by our business.

Ensuring that our core processes across departments are known, documented and operate effectively, brings clarity and efficiency to our business. IRIS Advisors contribute to the following core processes:

• IRIS and Enrollment Management Programming and Events
• New Student Onboarding and Registration
• First Year Academic Advising and Registration
• Financial Counseling and One Stop Services
• Undeclared and Academically Underprepared Student Advising and Registration
• IRIS Caseload Management and Outreach
• College Success Skills Course Instruction

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

DISCLAIMER - This position description is only a summary of the typical functions of this seat, and not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and areas of accountability.

• Must demonstrate strong communication, active listening, and relationship building skills
• Must embrace Appreciative Advising approach and student-centered customer service experience
• Ability to learn quickly and stay up to date on current academic and financial policies
• Ability to present complex information in an understandable manner to students, parents, and guests
• Ability to manage stress in demanding customer and student-service areas
• Ability to learn and adapt to new software and technology quickly
• Ability to prepare and present programming to various audiences
• Flexibility to juggle multiple student appointments, meetings, and duties
• Ability to maintain student confidentiality and educational privacy rights (FERPA)
• Ability to communicate strategy, facilitate decision making and work through difficult conversations with people at all levels in the organization.
• Ability to embrace change and innovation

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE FOR RIGHT FIT

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university.
• Experience working with diverse student populations, especially first-generation, low-income, academically underprepared and/or groups that are underrepresented in higher education.
• Experience in customer service, academic advising, success coaching, college classroom teaching and/or counseling/social work.
• Must possess strong interpersonal skills, sound judgment, and the ability to work independently as well as be a team player.
• Strong computer skills. Proficient with MS Office. Experience with Banner student database system experience and/or Slate software preferred.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex documents.
• Ability to respond effectively, both orally and in writing, to highly sensitive inquiries, information, challenges, or complaints.
• Ability to give clear and effective presentations, lead discussions on complex topics, and respond effectively to questions from students, faculty, staff, and the general public.

REASONING ABILITY

• Strategic and analytical reasoning skills are necessary.
• 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.
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, proportions, and percentages.
• Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this seat. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the individual is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and talk or hear.
• The individual must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this seat include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those the individual in this seat will encounter while performing the essential functions of this seat. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• The individual typically performs the duties of the job in an open office setting.
• The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud at times, with several disruptions throughout the day.

DISCLAIMER

This seat description is only a summary of the typical functions of this role, and not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and areas of accountability.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applicants will be asked to complete an online application by creating a profile and then providing personal and demographic information. In addition, please be prepared to upload a:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Copy of transcripts for all degrees completed (if your transcripts include a social security number or birthdate, please redact that information before uploading the document. Official transcripts will be required upon hire)

Colorado Mesa University is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and who have a demonstrated commitment to improving the levels of access and success for underrepresented students within higher education.

Colorado Mesa University is committed to providing a safe and productive learning and living community. To achieve that goal, we conduct background investigations for all final applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include reference checks, a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial and/or motor vehicle history. Applicant must be able to verify U.S. employment eligibility. Colorado Mesa University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a culturally diverse faculty, staff and student body. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact the CMU Human Resources Office by phone or email. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and the type of accommodation needed.