Academic Advisor

Academic Advisor

The primary purpose of this position is to support the recruitment, academic success, and retention of students in the undergraduate electrical and computer engineering programs through effective advising, outreach, and engagement. The Academic Advisor provides comprehensive guidance to prospective and current students, helping them make informed academic decisions, remain on track for graduation, and fulfill their degree requirements. The advisor also helps students explore their academic interests, align their educational pathways with their career goals, and prepare for graduate study.

As a key representative of the department, the Academic Advisor provides accurate and timely information about university and departmental policies, procedures, and requirements. The advisor serves as a resource for students and other stakeholders, uses proactive problem-solving to address complex academic matters, and assists with forms, requests, petitions, and appeals. Through a student-centered approach, this position advances George Mason University's strategic goals by promoting academic achievement, improving retention and graduation rates, and preparing students for successful careers and continued education.

*Please note that this is not a 100% remote/virtual position, but it is telework friendly. Depending upon your department/office, you may have the ability to telework 1-2 days per week.

Responsibilities include advising current undergraduate students in decision making and developing a plan of study consistent with students' interests, goals, and abilities; assisting students with course selection, prerequisites, transfer courses, registration and overrides, career and/or educational goal and general university rules and regulations; processing graduation applications for all undergraduate students who have applied for graduation and ensuring that all program requirements are met; ensuring that students meet departmental requirements of degree progress; proactively assisting with trouble shooting and problem solving (registration errors, late schedule adjustments, retroactive withdrawals, etc.); communicating essential academic registration information to students; providing information on academic policies, procedures and practices, including working through various academic requests, forms and appeals; organizing and retaining student records, to include advising notes and email exchanges; escalating complex issues or situations with students to Supervisor for guidance (any requests for policy exceptions); participating in outreach initiatives organized by the department/college/university; planning and conducting regular outreach campaigns to proactively engage students; utilizing university platforms for tracking and reporting student interactions and making referrals; and advising and supporting students participating in the Bachelor's Accelerated Master's (BAM) program by providing pre-application guidance, monitoring eligibility and academic progress, recommendation for admission, maintaining applicant records, recommending coursework to maximize accelerated credit opportunities, coordinating undergraduate and graduate approval processes, facilitating program transition requirements, and serving as a liaison among students, academic departments, Graduate Admissions, and university offices to ensure a successful transition from undergraduate to graduate study.

Undergraduate student affairs responsibilities include developing and coordinating student recruitment initiatives, including outreach campaigns, information sessions, campus events, and follow-up communications with prospective students and their families; developing and coordinating retention initiatives, including proactive outreach, early identification of students who need additional support, and referrals to appropriate academic and university resources; assisting in coordination of efforts to organize departmental functions for students, including events such as orientation or faculty-student advising meetings; participating in university wide programs and events related to undergraduate students such as admissions, orientation, articulation, advising, graduation and other social and networking events; assisting and functioning as liaison between students, faculty, management and administrative agents in understanding the programs, university rules and regulations; assisting and performing the oversight of operations related to student records, graduation and student recruitment functions; generating correspondence in communicating with students, faculty and other administrators and units such as the Dean's office, registrar's office, etc. in writing, via e-mail or through other communication means in response to students and other constituents' inquiries in fostering student success as needed; assisting in updating ECE department's advising materials (printed and on the website) prior to each catalog year; assisting in creating sample schedules, transfer guides, and degree worksheets for different student populations; serving as the department's liaison for transfer student and articulation matters by attending relevant meetings, monitoring policy and program changes, and maintaining current transfer information in all departmental publications and resources; serving as the primary contact for academic grade appeals, providing guidance to students, ensuring compliance with university policies and procedures, and coordinating communications among students, faculty, and departmental leadership; and participating in training of new and current faculty in advising and student mentoring practices.

Other duties include serving on committees and other projects related to advising and student support as needed; participating in university-wide advising training and ongoing professional development; developing and maintaining marketing and communication materials to support student recruitment, outreach, and departmental events; managing and expanding the department's social media presence, including LinkedIn and Instagram; and contributing content for newsletters, web pages, and other communications that promote student achievements, academic programs, and departmental initiatives.

Required qualifications include a high school diploma or equivalent; generally, one to three years experience with or demonstrated knowledge in one or more of the following areas: academic advising, success coaching, counseling, orientation, disability services, veteran's services, career services, student involvement, and student rights and responsibilities; experience serving and supporting diverse student populations; experience working with multiple complex projects simultaneously; experience with spreadsheets, email, and Microsoft Office suite including Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint; excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with students, families, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders; strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize competing responsibilities and manage multiple projects simultaneously; ability to meet deadlines while maintaining a high degree of accuracy, attention to detail, and professionalism; strong customer service orientation, with a commitment to providing responsive, student-centered support; excellent problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, with the ability to handle sensitive and complex situations effectively; strong interpersonal skills with an ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds; ability to collaborate effectively as part of a team while also working independently when appropriate; ability to plan, coordinate, and participate in outreach, recruitment, orientation, and student success initiatives; and flexibility to work occasional evening and weekend hours in support of orientation, recruitment, admissions, and departmental events.

Preferred qualifications include a bachelor's degree in related field; professional credentials or certificates in academic advising; experience assisting students in a higher education setting in academic advising/support; experience working with science/engineering students; experience with leadership, communication, program development, and administrative activities; experience with recruitment, retention and outreach activities; experience with developing marketing materials and social media engagement; experience with educational database management systems, degree audit tools and customer relationship management systems (CRM) such as Salesforce; knowledge of academic advising best practices and student success strategies; and knowledge of student development and the academic, personal, and transitional challenges faced by undergraduate students.