Academic Advisor

Department: Col of Engineering and Computing

Classification: Education Support Spec 3

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Sid & Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE) is an internationally recognized program leading the engineering profession with the expansion of knowledge through research and scholarship. We aim to provide a transformative learning experience that yields visionary stewards of society who are prepared to discover solutions to complex global challenges and make the world safer, healthier, sustainable, and more prosperous.

About the Position:

The Academic Advisor provides academic advising services for all current and prospective undergraduate students and replies to general inquiries about undergraduate programs offered by the department. This position contributes to the recruitment and retention of students through effective advising and outreach, and is responsible for facilitating students' education, decision-making, and planning. The Academic Advisor discusses academic interests, makes connections to career goals with students, and provides information on academic policies, procedures, and practices, including working through various academic requests, forms, and appeals. This position represents the department in a professional manner and acts as a resource regarding the university and department's rules and regulations while troubleshooting, problem-solving, and contributing to Mason's strategic goals of preparing career-ready graduates while increasing graduation and retention rates.

Responsibilities:

Undergraduate Student Advising:

• Leads and coordinates all aspects of undergraduate advising for the CEIE department. Meets with and assists students regarding course selection, prerequisites, transfer courses, registration and overrides, career and/or educational goals, and general university rules and regulations, and ensures that students meet departmental requirements of degree progress;

• Communicates essential academic registration information. Provides information on academic policies, procedures, and practices, including working through various academic requests, forms, and appeals. Organizes and retains student records, to include advising notes and email exchanges;

• Meets with prospective undergraduate students and responds to inquiries, escalating complex issues or situations with students to the supervisor for guidance;

• Participates in outreach initiatives organized by the college/university. Organizes regular outreach campaigns to reach out to students proactively, including for the Bachelor's/accelerated Master's program; and

• Performs prerequisite checks for all CEIE undergraduate courses at the beginning of each semester and verifies student eligibility for each class.

Undergraduate Student Affairs:

• Provides administrative support to students and faculty. Acts as a liaison between students, faculty, and administrative offices in understanding the program, and University rules and regulations;

• Distributes information, including job/professional development/scholarship opportunities, and assists in implementing and performing student support services tasks;

• Participates in university-wide programs and events related to undergraduate students, including admissions, orientation, recruitment, advising, graduation, and other social and networking events;

• Supports and provides oversight of operations related to student records, graduation, and student recruitment functions;

• Assists with department scholarships and awards;

• Generates correspondence in communicating with students, faculty, and other administrators and units such as the Dean's office, Registrar's office, etc., in writing, via e-mail or through other communication means in response to students and other constituents' inquiries in fostering student success as needed;

• Assists in updating CEIE department's advising materials prior to each catalog year;

• Maintains database of department's course syllabi;

• Assists in creating sample schedules, transfer guides, and degree worksheets for different student populations;

• Assists in ABET assessment, including collecting and cataloging assessment information into the university database; and

• Collaborates with faculty from NOVA and other VCCS institutions to facilitate alignment of curriculum.

Performs Other Related Duties as Assigned:

• Serves on committees and other projects as assigned, related to advising and student support as needed; and

• Participates in university-wide advising training.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent;

• Experience with or demonstrated knowledge in one or more of the following areas: academic advising, success coaching, orientation, learning services, disability services, veteran's services, career services, student involvement, and student rights and responsibilities;

• Experience managing multiple complex projects simultaneously;

• Experience delivering exceptional customer service;

• Experience assisting and supporting diverse populations;

• Experience with Microsoft Office suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;

• Related knowledge to assist or support students in a college setting;

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills;

• Demonstrated interpersonal skills;

• Conflict resolution skills;

• Ability to learn new technology; and

• Ability to work orientation, recruitment, and admissions events;

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in related field;

• Experience working in a higher education setting;

• Experience in working with science/engineering students;

• Experience with leadership, communication, program development, and administrative activities; and

• Experience with educational database management systems, and Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM).

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Academic Advisor at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume.

Full consideration will apply to applicants who submit their completed application by June 27, 2024, however, review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

Posting Open Date: June 13, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: June 27, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes

Mason Engineering: The Future of Engineering is Here

About the College

The College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) at George Mason University is a fast-growing force for innovation in research and education. Ranked nationally in the top 100 in both undergraduate and graduate education, the CEC enrolled a record high of 10,933 students in fall 2023. The college has 34 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs including several first-in-the-nation offerings. Of its 320 full-time faculty, 93 are tenured, 77 are tenure-track, 90 are term faculty, and 60 are research faculty. As part of a nationally ranked research university, CEC research teams expended $65 million in sponsored research awards in the past year and had projects with over $119 million in current and anticipated awards. The college stands out for its leading research in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurity engineering, biomedical imaging and devices, healthcare, autonomous systems, 5G/Next G communications, systems architecture, computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and more. The college encourages and supports multidisciplinary research and provides ample opportunity for faculty to work with other disciplines.

About the University and the Region

George Mason University is the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of more than 40,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 research institution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutes of Higher Education. The university has campuses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William County. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. provides unmatched geographical access to federal agencies and national laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providing excellent opportunities for interaction with industry. The region is consistently rated as being among the best places to live in the country and has an outstanding local public school system.

About the Future

In conjunction with Amazon's decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degree programs in computing. As a result, Mason has committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and high-tech fields. Among the university's exciting initiatives are the launch of the Institute for Digital Innovation-a university think tank and incubator to serve the digital economy-and the expansion of Mason Square, home to its Arlington facilities. In 2025, Fuse, a new 355,000 square foot building, will open to students, faculty, and research teams. This net-zero facility will house the Institute for Digital Innovation, state-of the-art classrooms, labs, and collaborative spaces. It will also include retail space, and leasing opportunities for local businesses. These initiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment by Mason that will rapidly elevate the university's already leading national position in computing and related areas.