Temporary Bilingual (English/Spanish) Admissions Counselor

Job Description:

Western Illinois University seeks a dynamic and motivated individual for an Admissions Counselor position in the Undergraduate Admissions Office. This position professionally represents the university and serves as the admissions point person for a pre-college preparation grant the university has received for the Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) program to promote success for rural students. The school districts included in the grant are in Illinois and are Beardstown CUSD, Galesburg CUSD, Macomb CUSD, Moline CUSD, Monmouth CUSD, and Rushville CUSD. The admissions counselor will coordinate pre- college readiness workshops with parents, teachers, counselors, and school administrators for 8th through 11th grade students from these districts. The counselor will also organize and arrange summer camps with a cohort of 8th-grade children and guide them through to college enrollment.


The Admissions Counselor will also reach out and recruit students from other high schools and community colleges with high proportions of underserved students.


The position will be based on the main, residential campus in Macomb, IL with occasional overnight travel. The ideal candidate is enthusiastic, self-motivated, and results-oriented with the ability to think creatively to implement new initiatives, foster relationships with students, parents, mentors, and other influencers in schools, communities, and organizations.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and implement, in conjunction with the grant Project Coordinator, one in-person parent workshop in each of the six districts per semester, totaling 18 workshops per year.
• Support grant investigators in coordinating teacher and counselor training in each collaborating school district. The training will be facilitated by research and subject matter experts to help support teachers and counselors to serve diverse students and improve their access to college.
• Recruit a cohort of eighth-grade students from the six collaborating school districts to participate in a summer camp to introduce them to the college experience and support personal and career exploration.
• Plan and coordinate summer camp activities, with meaningful and relevant content. Continue engagement with students throughout their high school career to help prepare them for college attendance.
• Host an in-person workshop for all principals and school board members at our six collaborating school districts to support them in influencing a college-going culture.
• Represent Western Illinois University at in-person or virtual recruitment functions which include high school and community college visits, presentations, college fairs, community-based organizations and special recruitment programs both on and off campus.
• Conduct in-office admissions counselor functions, meeting 1:1 with students/families, supporting campus tours and other recruitment activities and engage in student recruitment events (ex: Discover Western preview days)
• Document all activities related to the grant in the manner required by the grant.
• Perform other administrative duties as assigned
• Other duties as assigned.

SALARY: $45,000 per year.

Western Illinois University employees may be eligible for a variety of State of Illinois benefits. These benefits are administered through the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS). These benefits include: Health Insurance plans, (HMO's, OAP's, QCHP, and CDHP), Dental Insurance, Vision Plan, Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), Supplemental Long-Term Disability (LTD), Flex Spending Accounts (HAS, MCAP, and DCAP), 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plans and 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plans.

Eligible employees are required to participate in the State Universities Retirement System (SURS). SURS is the retirement administrator for employees in public higher education in the State of Illinois.

Other benefits available to eligible employees include: paid time-off, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Waiver programs, and discounts to the local YMCA.


For a full list of benefits as a WIU employee, please visit our Benefits Homepage:

For questions on benefits, or eligibility, contact our benefits team at View email address on click.appcast.io or by calling View phone number on click.appcast.io.



Requirements:

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Earned bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Ability and desire to work evenings, weekends & occasional overnight stays
• Ability and desire to work with diverse populations and cultivate positive working relationships with student influencers
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Valid driver's license.
• Ability to lift (or have an adaptation to lift) up to 50-pound boxes of recruitment materials on a daily basis.
• Ability and desire to work with a variety of technology applications, including enterprise systems, imaging and reporting systems, as well as working with a variety of other platforms, including Microsoft Suite and Google Suite
• Excellent analytical, written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, as well as organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and balance a variety of tasks.
• Ability to plan, coordinate and execute multiple events.
• Proof of current eligibility to work in the United States.

For a degree to be considered, it must be conferred from a regionally accredited degree-granting institution of higher education (or equivalent from an international accrediting body). Unless otherwise stated, the degree must be conferred at the time of appointment.



Additional Information:

THE UNIVERSITY:

About WIU

Since 1899, Western Illinois University has provided outstanding educational opportunities to individuals in west central Illinois and well beyond our region and state. WIU's traditional residential campus in Macomb, Illinois, is the educational, cultural and athletic center of the region, while the WIU-Quad Cities non-residential branch campus in Moline, Illinois, is the only public university in the immediate Quad Cities region.

WIU-Macomb, IL: Western's traditional, residential main campus offers a comprehensive slate of undergraduate and graduate programs, including a doctorate in education, and post-baccalaureate certificates. A diverse community in west central Illinois, Macomb features a unique blend of agriculture, industry, service, retail, education, and culture. Macomb serves as the county seat, with connections across the state with Amtrak providing twice-daily service from Macomb to Chicago (and point in between). Macomb is located approximately 75 miles from the Quad Cities International Airport (Moline, IL) and 70 miles from the Greater Peoria Regional Airport (Peoria, IL).

WIU-Quad Cities: Located on the banks of the Mississippi River in Moline, Illinois, the WIU-Quad Cities campus is the only public four-year regional university that serves the Quad Cities region. Designed as a metropolitan commuter campus, WIU-Quad Cities offers select undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Moline is located just 80 miles north of the Macomb campus and is centered within a diverse, bi-state community of 383,000 that offers a broad range of cultural, social, and entertainment amenities and experiences, as well as varied businesses and industries.

Academics

More than 61 undergraduate degree programs, 41 graduate programs, two doctoral programs and 16 post-baccaulaureate certificate programs prepare students for a successful career after graduation.

Student Resources

More than 200 student organizations at Western provide social, academic, recreation, athletics, service, academic, and many other opportunities for students to grow and learn, develop leadership skills, and much more.

Numerous concerts, lectures, films, dance performances, cultural events and more are presented and performed each year, along with numerous major theatrical and dance productions and studio shows, and a variety of service-oriented projects and activities, all in a diverse and inclusive campus environment.

The Multicultural Center is home to four cultural and resource centers: The Gwendolyn Brooks, Casa Latina, the Women's Center, and the LGBT*QA Resource Center. These cultural and resource centers promote WIU's goal of enhancing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion through educational programming and advocacy.

WIU Intercollegiate Athletics

The University's athletics program, based on the Macomb campus, sponsors 17 NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's and women's varsity sports. All varsity sports compete at the Division I level through The Ohio Valley Conference.



Application Instructions:

Complete applications include:

1) a letter of application

2) current curriculum vita or resume

3) copies of unofficial or official academic transcripts; official copies will be requested of selected candidate

4) the names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of three current professional references

Please upload the requested documents by clicking APPLY NOW or by navigating to the WIU Employment page at the following URL

**Note** In order to upload Individual documents must be under 2 MB in size.

Screening will begin on September 22, 2025.

Western Illinois University endeavors to provide a safe environment for its employees and students and requires candidates to submit to a background investigation upon offer of employment. Employment is contingent upon compliance with University policies and procedures relating to the receipt and evaluation of information contained in the background investigation.

Western Illinois University is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity employer with a strong commitment to diversity. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people, including, but not limited to, minorities, veterans, women and individuals with disabilities. WIU has a non-discrimination policy that includes discrimination based on an individual's membership in the following classes: sex, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, marital status, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and any other classes protected by state or federal law.

Questions regarding the search may be directed to: Cameron Ruiz at View email address on click.appcast.io.

For assistance with the online application system contact the Office of Human Resources at View phone number on click.appcast.io or via email at View email address on click.appcast.io.