Early Support Specialist

at  California State University

Job no: 540251
Work type: Staff
Location: Pomona
Categories: Unit 4 - APC - Academic Professionals of California, Probationary, Full Time, Student Services, On-site (work in-person at business location)
Type of Appointment: Full-Time, Probationary
Collective Bargaining Unit: Academic Professionals of California – Unit 4
Job Classification: SSP III
Anticipated Hiring Amount: $5,276 per month
Work Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 am-5:00 pm

QUALIFICATIONS

• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field, including or supplemented by upper division or graduate course work in counseling techniques, interviewing, and conflict resolution where such are job-related.
• Possession of these knowledge and abilities is typically demonstrated through the equivalent of three years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience. One year in the program area to which assigned may be preferred but is not required.
• A master’s degree in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a directly related field may be substituted for one year of experience. A doctorate degree and the appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling or guidance may be substituted for the three years of experience for positions with a major responsibility for professional career or personal counseling.
• The following knowledge and abilities as well as those listed at the lower levels in the Student Services Professional series are required for appointment into this classification.
• Thorough knowledge of the principles of individual and group behavior. General knowledge of the principles, practices and trends of the Student Services field as well as general knowledge of the policies, procedures and practices of the program area to which assigned; general knowledge of individual counseling techniques; general knowledge, or the ability to rapidly acquire such knowledge, of the organizational procedures and activities of the specific campus to which the position is assigned. Working knowledge of student services programs outside the program to which immediately assigned.
• Ability to analyze complex situations accurately and adopt effective courses of action; advise students individually and in groups on complex student‑related matters; determine appropriate courses of action and proper techniques to utilize while engaged with individuals in personal interactions of an argumentative or sensitive nature; interpret and evaluate descriptions and explanations of problems brought forward by individuals or student organizations, analyze and define the problem, draw valid conclusions and project consequences of various alternative courses of action; carry out a variety of professionally complex assignments without detailed instructions; and establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with a variety of individuals.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Masters degree in Educational Leadership, College Student Personnel, Educational Counseling, or related field.
• Knowledge of General Education in the California State University system, deep commitment to educational equity and student success, and skill in working with multiple and diverse constituencies to create and sustain positive learning experiences for students.
• Experience working with students in academic distress, dealing with highly sensitive issues.
• Ability to work with a diverse student population and diverse work environment.
• Ability to work efficiently and effectively, and to adapt to change in a dynamic work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with experienced staff and unite them around common goals; personal qualities of integrity, flexibility, compassion, and an enduring sense of humor. Experience in at least two of the following areas: academic advising, teaching, assessment, counseling, and co-curricular activities.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks at once while remaining composed.
• Ability to retain and utilize large amounts of detailed information and quickly access and utilize additional information in the moment.
• Strong verbal & written communication skills including phone and in-person, emails, texts, etc.
• Technology savvy.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, meet deadlines, handle and prioritize simultaneous requests.
• Self-starter who advocates for him/herself with the ability to exercise independent judgment.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Creative and analytical thinker with strong problem-solving skills.
• Ability to interact and maintain good working relationships with individuals of varying social and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to cultivate strong interpersonal customer and co-worker relationships and work effectively cross functionally.
• Ability to read and interpret complex information, talk with customers and listen attentively.
• Must protect the confidentiality of student personal information and comply with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
• Experience with and/or a general understanding of program coordination.
• Experience and proficiency with Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.

Program Coordination

• Researches best practices and trends on the national and local levels related to early alert interventions. Implements program enhancements to improve student outcomes and progress to degree.
• Partner closely with college advising staff (retention and graduation specialists, coordinators, and advisors), academic departments, primary and supplemental advisors, Enrollment Services, and Health and Wellbeing staff to develop alerts, case management workflows, and business processes.
• Manages and maintains the tracking of student persistence and monitoring progress to a degree.
• Reports on strategies for utilizing assessment data, program information, student persistence numbers, graduation rates, and other student success markers
• Trains professional staff, and student staff on advising models developed.
• Serves as a resource and referral for professional staff, faculty, and student advisors regarding program implementation and logistics.
• Early Support Specialist (ESS) will be responsible for ensuring that faculty receive the appropriate training to effectively complete the progress reports and issue early alerts.
• Leverage the work that CPP has been doing to identify “success markers” or courses that have historically had an adverse impact on persistence from the first to second year.
• The success markers will be programmed into CPP Connect, which will help the ESS to identify students who have completed, are enrolled in, have an upcoming, or have missed a success marker course.
• Coordinate with the course faculty, advisors, and the Learning Resource Center to ensure that students who are currently enrolled in success marker courses are actively engaged in tutoring and supplemental instruction to increase the students’ likelihood of completing the course successfully.
• For those students who have upcoming or missed success markers, the ESS can partner with the appropriate college advisor to ensure that these students are enrolled in the correct course.
• Support the assessment/analysis of intervention effectiveness data and report findings to different audiences (i.e., advisors, retention and graduation specialists, associate deans, deans, student affairs leadership, etc.)
• Special Projects: Summer Completion Grant, Centralized Campaigns
• Support Senior Coordinator of the Bronco Advising Center with students in unique situations – reentry, inactive, etc.

Student Staff and Intern Supervision and Training

Work with the Executive Director of University Advising, Associate Director of University Advising, and the Senior Coordinator of University Advising to:

• Recruit, hire, train and supervise graduate student staff interns on receiving, triaging, and disseminating alerts and cases.
• Provide training on interpreting University policies, advising and administrative procedures, student development theory, transition issues, advising skills and techniques, and workshop presentations.
• Coordinate office staffing and scheduling of student staff.
• Intervene with any complex student issues that require professional attention.

General Advising

• As needed, provide timely, focused advising to all students to ensure they stay on track to graduation and are able to successfully navigate university policies and procedures to meet their academic and career goals. In advising, utilize a combination of high-level analytical and interpersonal skills as well as independent judgement when developing effective and creative solutions to student problems.
• Assists with the Bronco Advising Center’s drop-in general advising, available to all undergraduate students.
• Use e-advising tools including CPP Connect/EAB, Degree Progress Report and semester conversion tools to advise students and educate them on academic planning.

Miscellaneous

• Serve as an active member of the College and University advising community.
• Regularly participate in Academic Advisor Council and attend its meetings, as well as advisor trainings, webinars, and workshops.
• Participate in supplemental advising committees and working groups, as appropriate
• Provide robust documentation of advising interactions, interventions, and programming via CPP Connect and other available tools. Summarize all information in annual reports and provide data-informed recommendations for improvements.
• Utilize reporting tools such as CPP Connect, CSU Dashboards, and Tableau to identify students in need of support and track progress toward improving their academic outcomes.