Academic Advisor

The Academic Advisor will provide students with general guidance and direction in an effort to promote student persistence, improve retention outcomes and support enrollment growth. This role will build strong relationships with students that foster open communication to effectively advise students in an effort to ensure the students successfully meet their University educational goals. The Academic Advisor will build and nurture collaborative, interdepartmental relationships within the University including admissions, faculty, career services, and central services to meet student’s collective needs. In addition, the Academic Advisor will always act ethically by demonstrating a commitment to Rasmussen University’s mission, vision, and culture-based competencies. The Academic Advisor will support an environment of understanding, acceptance, and appreciation for diversity.

Responsibilities: 

• Serves as the student’s primary point of contact to seek resolution to student needs by providing relevant educational advice, directing students to the appropriate self-serve resource and/or acting as liaison between the student and the requested student service area ensuring resolution is obtained in a timely manner.
• Creates and maintains quarterly student schedules and advises students on course schedule sequence to ensure that the student successfully meets their University educational goals.
• Completes quarterly student academic progress (SAP) audits, including but not limited to GPA and CCR calculations and projections. Actively manages their schedule, outreach and overall student success.
• Recognizing the rigors of student life and students’ personal obstacles to educational success, strives to instill confidence by providing encouragement and support through the course of advising.
• Utilizes student information system (SIS) to identify, document and track student progress and advising activities.
• Serves as the student’s primary point of contact for financial aid questions, including FAFSA/FAConnect, ledger card entries, payment plans, and excess funds.
• Communicates the impact of the student’s credit load on tuition and the financial aid award.
• Performs regular proactive student outreach to drive student outcomes throughout the student’s life cycle; collaborates interdepartmentally and conducts audits of student success data trends to support this effort.
• Assists with the development of strategies which address student retention data.
• Keeps abreast of and maintains strict adherence to all institutional, governmental and accreditation policies, regulations, codes of conduct.
• Makes the best use of time/resources and prioritizes activities; stays focused in spite of distractions.
• Possesses a high level of integrity in all interactions with students and employees by showing a regard for both the stated expectation of the policy as well as its intent.
• Cultivates and maintains a positive team environment including on campus and across the organization.
• Actively contributes to the learning environment and collegial experience for students and employees; provides constructive and appropriate input and ideas to assist the University in decision-making and process improvement.
• In support of the collaborative team environment, shares equal responsibility of providing assistance with campus and community activities both on campus and off-site such as, covering campus welcome area, supporting student orientations, career fairs, graduation ceremonies, etc.
• Maintaining an accurate fundamental knowledge of all programs available, Institutional and programmatic accreditation, affiliation, general learning outcomes, typical career opportunities, and industry outlook.

Requirements:

• 1 year experience in Advising, Counseling, Customer Service or related field.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite; student information system experience preferred.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as a member of a team and with other departments both in-person and virtually.
• Strong multi-tasking, organizational, planning and coordination skills.
• Proven customer service in a professional environment.
• Must be self-motivated, flexible, patient and solutions oriented.
• Strong interpersonal skills to interact with students, management and peers.
• Must have strong command of the English language, in both oral and written form.
• Professional appearance and telephone/virtual manner are essential.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends.

Rasmussen University, a university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (www.hlcommission.org), is dedicated to changing lives and the communities it serves through innovative educational programs. As a pioneer in career-focused education since 1900, the University is defining a new generation of higher education that focuses on competency-based education, technology and transferable skills. Rasmussen offers undergraduate and graduate programs online and in person at 20 campuses around the country. The University is designed to lift and support its students every step of the way, from each student’s first credential to their last. Rasmussen is dedicated to global enrichment, serving the underserved, and meeting the evolving needs of diverse students, communities, and economies. Rasmussen encourages its students, faculty, and staff to strive for academic excellence, community enrichment and service to the public good. Rasmussen is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Public Education, Inc. (Nasdaq: APEI). For more information about Rasmussen University, please visit www.rasmussen.edu.