Assistant Director, Student Life & Support Services

Join our community and experience Emerson College!

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

• Meet individually with students, as needed, to provide support and referrals to resources and services. Provide timely follow up with students to ensure they have ongoing support and are engaging with referrals and resources.

• Create and update student cases through online management systems and organize and maintain confidential case documents appropriately and with care.

• Manage relationship with Student Accessibility Services (SAS), working closely with SAS and academic department administrators to provide and ensure timely and appropriate implementation of disability support and accommodations to students registered with SAS.

• Provide support for students with mid-term grade concerns.

• Provide occasional after-hours consultation and support to on-call staff responding to students in crisis or other urgent student concerns.

• Advise students and help resolve issues by exploring options, navigating systems, and providing connections to resources. This requires coordinating appropriate referrals and interventions with campus partners at ELA and in Boston including, but not limited to, Student Financial Services, Student Life, Academic Advising, Education Abroad, Student Accessibility Services, Residential Life, and Campus Health and Wellness.

• Analyze impacts, systems and student support and coordinate appropriate follow-ups and interventions with other offices and departments to ensure students receive assistance needed from the Emerson community.

• Strategically collaborate with campus partners to support the programmatic efforts of the unique student needs of the Emerson LA program.

• In conjunction with the ELA Student Life team, coordinate oversight and semesterly evaluation of the ELA Food Pantry and the Student Lunchbox initiative.

• Assist in training faculty and staff in managing and responding to students of concern, and serve as a resource for faculty and administrators who have questions or concerns about a student.

• Through supervision of the ELA therapists, identify, address, and support student trends; track student access and use; and streamline communication between Boston and LA clinicians for holistic student support across campuses.

• Meet with and counsel students and their families who are interested in/are in need of high-level support.

• Utilize college data collection systems to identify and manage students who may be struggling or could benefit from extra support throughout their ELA semester. Monitor and communicate ongoing student progress.

• Propose, create, manage, and support initiatives and/or policy/procedural updates that aim to improve the student experience and overall satisfaction at ELA.

• Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested, including but not limited to: Assist with campus-wide events and programs such as move-in, orientation, First Fridays, and the like; Occasionally support residential life staff; Provide general student support as needed within the ELA campus.    

• Plan, implement, and evaluate all aspects of diversified campus-wide activities and programs such as, but not limited to, Welcome Week, Wrap Party, monthly cultural programming, orientation, theme park day, LA city excursions and civic engagement programs.

• Interface directly with students by attending student life events and programs and gather satisfaction feedback from student participants to implement into future student life initiatives and objectives.

• Provide oversight and leadership to the student employment hiring process and serve as the main liaison to the Boston Student Employment department.

• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS – Qualifications are deemed required or preferred and represent what is needed to effectively perform job. 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in higher education or a related field is required; a Master's degree in social work, counseling is preferred. 

• A minimum of three years of experience in academic environments with experience in case management and/or counseling.

• Familiarity with, or the ability to learn quickly, the use of student software and management systems such as Maxient, Workday, and Banner.  

• Evening and weekend work hours will be required for this position. Position may require a timely on-campus response under emergency and time-sensitive circumstances. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES – May be representative, but not all-inclusive, of those knowledge, skills, and abilities commonly associated with the job.  

• Ability to remain abreast of emerging trends in higher education particularly among international, first-generation and diverse student populations.

• Experience with diverse and international student populations, including an understanding of the challenges/barriers these students may face.

• Must demonstrate awareness and understanding of FERPA, Clery Act, HECMA standards, and other issues and standards pertaining to case management in a higher education setting. 

• Must be able to manage sensitive and confidential information and demonstrate excellent written, oral, interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. 

PHYSICAL ABILITIES – Activities commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job. The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Requires ability to lift and move objects that are light

• Requires ability to move materials occasionally

WORK ENVIRONMENT – Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.

• Usual Office Conditions

Disclaimer: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.  Employees may be required to follow other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties as requested, subject to all applicable state and federal laws.  Certain job duties described herein may be subject to possible modification in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.

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In addition to a competitive salary, Emerson College is committed to the health and well-being of our employees and family members. We offer a generous benefits package to regular staff scheduled to work 20+ hours per week. 

Emerson Employment Categories influence work schedules, benefits eligibility, and time off policies. Benefits include outstanding health plans with limited out-of-pocket expenses, dental plans, generous time-off programs, and a 403(b) retirement benefit with a 9% employer contribution once eligible. Additional benefits, such as life and disability coverage and commuter offerings, are available.

Please refer to our benefits website for a full list of benefits and eligibility requirements.