Director of the Student Success Center

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The Director of the Student Success Center provides strategic and operational leadership for student success initiatives within the unit of Retention and Belonging. Reporting to the Associate Provost for Retention and Belonging, the Director is responsible for operationalizing divisional priorities related to persistence, belonging, proactive intervention, and shared accountability through the work of the Student Success Center.

The Director leads the implementation of a professional advising model that clearly differentiates and coordinates the roles of professional advisors, faculty mentors, and academic departments. This includes oversight of advising, academic support services, and coordinated care strategies that support students from enrollment through graduation, with particular leadership for transfer student success and transition.

Working in close partnership with faculty, academic leadership, and campus partners, the Director ensures the delivery of proactive, data-informed, and student-centered practices that support academic continuity, timely progression, and degree completion.

Duties:

Strategic Leadership & Retention Initiatives
- Provide leadership for student success initiatives within the Student Success Center, in alignment with divisional retention strategy and institutional priorities.
- Operationalize divisional priorities related to persistence, belonging, proactive intervention, and shared accountability through advising, academic support, tutoring, academic recovery, and Testing Center services.
- Lead the implementation and continuous refinement of a professional advising model, ensuring clarity of roles across professional advisors, faculty mentors, and academic departments.
- Design and implement proactive advising and academic support strategies, including structured outreach, case management, and coordinated intervention.
- Develop and assess structured support processes for students on academic alert, probation, or recovery.
- Maintain knowledge of current research and best practices in student success, advising, and academic support, and apply these within unit operations.

Direct Student Support & Case Management
- Maintain a strategic caseload of students, with emphasis on transfer students.
- Provide leadership for student transition and success, including ongoing coordination with Admissions/Enrollment Management, Registrar, and academic departments to support onboarding, credit alignment, academic integration, and persistence.
- Oversee international student academic support in collaboration with International Student Support staff.
- Serve as a Designated School Official (DSO) as part of a collaborative team, ensuring compliance with SEVIS regulations and supporting processes related to F-1 student status and Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Staff Supervision & Professional Development
- Supervise, mentor, and evaluate professional staff within the Student Success Center, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Provide leadership and coordination across advising, academic support, Learning Center, and Testing Center operations.
- Collaborate with Associate Directors to ensure clear functional alignment across student populations.
- Develop and deliver training and professional development for advisors, academic support staff, tutors, and faculty partners.

Advising, Onboarding & Academic Coordination
- Oversee first-year advising coordination in alignment with the professional advising model, including faculty mentor training and summer registration processes.
- Collaborate on institutional onboarding and transition initiatives, including new student onboarding and orientation-related programming.
- Maintain ongoing communication with academic departments to remain current on curriculum, course offerings, and major requirements.

Scholarship & Program Leadership
- Provide leadership for the Meredith Promise Scholarship in collaboration with campus partners, supporting student engagement, compliance, and retention outcomes.
- Oversee the application and award process of the Margaret Weatherspoon Parker International Fund in partnership with the Office of Institutional Advancement.

Data, Assessment & Systems
- Lead the effective use of student success technologies, to support coordinated care, documentation, and proactive intervention strategies.
- Ensure consistent use of shared workflows and data systems across advising and academic support teams.
- Partner with the Associate Provost to monitor trends related to retention, progression, and student engagement, using data to inform practice and continuous improvement.
- Partner with the Associate Provost to support shared accountability, transparency, and alignment across student support systems.

Campus Collaboration & Institutional Service
- Maintain ongoing collaboration and communication with Admissions/Enrollment Management, faculty, academic leadership, financial aid, residence life, and international programs to support a coordinated student experience from enrollment through graduation.
- Serve as a liaison to campus committees related to student success, advising, retention, and academic policy.
- Perform other duties as assigned in support of divisional and institutional priorities.

Skills Needed:
- Strong active listening, empathy, and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on student support.
- Demonstrated supervision, coaching, and team development skills.
- Strong organizational, project management, and time-management abilities.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to use technology and data systems to track, analyze, and communicate student success outcomes.
- Sound judgment and ability to navigate complex, sensitive student situations.

Qualifications:
- Master's degree required in education, counseling, higher education administration, or a related field.
- Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in student success, advising, retention, or related student support functions in higher education.
- Demonstrated experience supervising professional staff and leading student-facing teams.
- Experience with proactive advising, case management, cohort-based support models, or structured student success initiatives.
- Valid NC Driver's License and clear driving history.

Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with TRIO programs, federally funded access initiatives, or similarly structured student success or retention programs.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with faculty and academic leadership.
- Commitment to inclusive student success practices, student belonging, and excellence in the education of women.
- Doctorate or terminal degree preferred.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands:
- Primarily office-based work environment.
- Occasional evening or weekend work to support student programming or institutional needs.
- Occasional travel on and off campus.
- Ability to lift and carry materials weighing up to 25 pounds.

Required Documents:
- Cover Letter
- Resume / CV