Description

Title: Student Services Specialist

Position Number: 0096601T

Hiring Unit: UH AT WEST OAHU, STUDENT SERVICES, STUDENT EQUITY & ACCESS

Location: Kapolei, O’ahu

Date Posted: 11/22/2024

Closing Date: 12/10/2024

Band: A

Salary: salary schedules and placement information

Full Time/Part Time: Full-time

Month: 11-month

Temporary/Permanent: Temporary - Not to Exceed (NTE): September 30, 2025, with the possibility of extension pending availability of funds.

This position is located within a Title III funded grant program, Wailau Ola Pathway (WOP) in the Student Affairs Division at the University of Hawaii - West Oahu (UHWO) campus. This position serves as a key member of the Project team who works collaboratively with other Division staff at UHWO and at Windward Community College (WCC) to improve transfer and on-time graduation rates of Native Hawaiian students from WCC so that they may directly matriculate into UHWO online bachelor’s degree programs of study. In the process of their matriculation, Native Hawaiian students will advance their linguistic, cultural, historical, political, socio-emotional, and spiritual knowledge and skills. Specific duties and responsibilities are described below.

Duties and Responsibilities: *denotes essential functions

Academic Success Programs

• *Supports students' success, learning, and growth by providing quality and proactive support services for students individually, in groups, or via designed interventions as students matriculate through program, degree, and University requirements. Duties include, but are not limited to:
  • Providing holistic advising, in addition to consulting with Project students, as they navigate the college experience. This also includes providing appropriate levels of holistic support while advocating on their behalf by collaborating with divisional staff to support students to fulfill their application requirements for student aid, enrollment, academic course planning, academic concentration declaration, transfer credit evaluations, and institutional billing processes.
  • Advising Project students grounded in holistic and cultural awareness and clarifying their educational objectives that are compatible with their career/life goals and in planning their educational programs of study.
  • Advising Project students to ensure their selection of courses fulfill their designated degree objective given their evaluations of transfer credits, and to use online and in-person tools (e.g. STAR) to empower themselves in making academic progress towards timely degree completion.
  • Communicating University policies and procedures about matriculation and academic progress in declared programs of study to Project students as well as the intent, rationale, and philosophical approach underlying such policies and procedures.
• *Monitors the academic progress of assigned Project students to ensure their satisfactory academic progress and continued financial aid eligibility. This may include direct outreach, phone calls, and emails to students who have dropped out or stopped out of their enrollment and who are approaching achievement levels that may hinder their persistence toward course or degree completion.
• *Designs, executes, and evaluates educational experiences, opportunities, and activities that contribute both to Project students' continued matriculation and persistence towards their educational goals as well as student learning, growth, and success. Duties include, but are not limited to:
  • Designing and implementing a comprehensive plan that supports Olelo, Nohona, and Ike Hawai'i as identified strategies and timelines that support the Project's four goals.
  • Promoting the involvement and engagement with campus and community experiences designed to increase students' knowledge of Olelo Hawai'i, Nohona Hawai'i, and Ike Hawai'i.
  • Planning and encouraging participation by Project students' ohana in appropriate Project activities and programs to support their students' growth and success.
• *Maintains and manages data on assigned Project students to evaluate the impact of Project activities, programs, services and institutional initiatives to aid students in their persistence towards their educational objectives and in their own holistic development culturally, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Duties include, but are not limited to:
  • Analyzing Project student data to identify indigenous strategies successful to retaining Native Hawaiian students.
  • Preparing and presenting regular reports to appropriate offices, programs, and staff members demonstrating effective and not so effective approaches and strategies that impact the persistence and graduation rates of Native Hawaiian students.
  • Summarizing and presenting findings from data analyses impacting persistence and graduation rates of Native Hawaiian students.
  • Collaborating with IT and staff members to craft accurate assessments and data collection and data storage methods.
  • Partnering with other University staff and faculty to guide campus retention efforts, plans, and approaches.
• *Serves as a liaison to assigned divisions and faculty members therein to stay current of changes in program requirements and/or curricula in order to convey accurate information to students.
• *Serves as a liaison to Community College Counselor groups in support of smooth transitions between colleges and the University.
• *Serves as a liaison to WCC in support of transfer and outreach events and programming.
• *Designs and implements onboarding pathway, programming, and orientation for incoming Project students.

Administrative & Operational Services

• *Serves as a point of contact for assigned services, programs, and operations related to the Title III project and other initiatives to support Native Hawaiian student entry, matriculation, and degree and completion goals.
• Assists in the recruitment, interviewing, selection, advising, training, supervision, and evaluation of paraprofessional, intern, practicum, student assistant, and volunteer mentor staff involved in the Title III project and other initiatives to support Native Hawaiian student success.
• *Provides technical support/advice in the area of financial management, budget, and accountability for delegated accounts.
• *Assists in developing, interpreting, implementing, and revising of policies, procedures, and operational manuals governing assigned programs, facilities, and services, working closely with others to review and evaluate such policies and procedures.

Other

• Participates via institutional and/or personal membership in various national and professional associations appropriate to the position (e.g. Native Hawaiian Education Association, Native Indian Education Association, Council for Opportunity in Education, National Association for Developmental Educators, National Council on Student Development, National Academic Advising Association, American College Personnel Association, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, etc.).
• Serves as a member of the divisional and sectional team, providing administrative support for projects and activities as appropriate, including but not limited to professional staff training and development, student transition and success efforts, and other related student affairs projects.
• Serves on University-wide committees and participates in planning efforts and programs appropriate to the position.
• Assumes other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Possession of a baccalaureate degree in education, social sciences, humanities, social work, or a related field and one year of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities for providing educational services or assistance to students, including academic advising, career advising, academic success programs, or related work experience; or any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills and abilities as indicated.

Functional knowledge of principles, practices and techniques in the area of student success, student support programs and services, minority student learning and development, grant program management, or operational technical support as demonstrated by the broad knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply concepts, terminology.

Functional knowledge and understanding of principles, theories, federal and state laws, rules, regulations and systems associated with student success, student support programs and services, minority student learning and development, grant program management, or operational technical support.

Demonstrated ability to recognize problems, identify possible causes and resolve the full range problems that may commonly occur in the area of student success, student support programs and services, minority student learning and development, or grant program management.

Demonstrated ability to understand oral and written documentation, write reports and procedures, and communicate effectively in a variety of situations.

Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, team members and individuals.

Demonstrated ability to operate a personal computer and word processing software.

Supplemental Minimum Qualifications:

Functional knowledge of advising practices, policy, and strategies associated with student retention and success in formal academic programs and extracurricular programming activities.

Functional knowledge of administrative and organizational processes as applied to the management of operations, services, facilities, and programs.

Demonstrated ability to facilitate groups and conduct presentations.

Demonstrated ability in program development skills, especially in the areas of needs assessment, design, and evaluation.

Ability to interpret and apply legal and policy provisions to situations consistently.

The ability to work outside normally scheduled business hours including evenings, weekends, and/or holidays as necessitated by unit requirements.

Ability to evaluate, redesign, and implement program curriculum.

Ability to work effectively with multicultural populations including those from Native Hawaiian communities, at-risk, socio-economically disadvantaged, first-generation college students, non-traditional aged students, and other underrepresented groups in higher education.

Desirable Qualifications:

Working knowledge of the Hawaiian language, culture, values, and traditions.

The ability to converse and understand Hawaiian language.

The equivalent of two (2) years of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities for providing educational services or assistance to students, including advising, student success, student support programming, minority student learning and development, or related areas; or equivalent education/training or experience.

Functional knowledge of principles, practices, and techniques in educational or cultural programs demonstrated by knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply concepts, terminology.

Experience in providing direct services to communities in West O’ahu.

To Apply:

Click on the "Apply" button on the top right corner of the screen to complete an application and attach required documents. Applicant must submit the following:

Cover letter indicating interest in the position and how the minimum and desirable qualifications of the position are met.

Current resume’

References - names and contact information (telephone number and email addresses) of at least three professional references.

Transcripts showing pertinent degree (copies of transcripts are acceptable, but official transcripts will be required at the time of hire.

Note:

Late, incomplete, or unreadable application materials will not be considered. Please redact any social security number and/or birth date on your documents prior to submitting. All submitted documents become the property of UH West Oahu and will not be returned. Please create an account if this is your first time applying for a position using NEOGOV.

Inquiries: uhwohr@hawaii.edu; 808-689-2525

EEO/AA, Clery Act, ADA

The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender identity and expression, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, genetic information, marital status, breastfeeding, income assignment for child support, arrest and court record (except as permissible under State law), sexual orientation, domestic or sexual violence victim status, national guard absence, or status as a covered veteran. For more information or inquiries regarding these policies, please refer to the following link: http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/eeo-coordinators/
Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks.

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/, or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office.

In accordance with Article 10 of the unit 08 collective bargaining agreement, bargaining unit members receive priority consideration for APT job vacancies. As a result, external or non BU 08 applicants may not be considered for some APT vacancies. BU 08 members with re-employment rights or priority status are responsible for informing the hiring unit of their status.

Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/