Academic Advisor

Department: College 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

Telework Friendly: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The mission of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) is to provide an outstanding education to our undergraduate and graduate students that emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior and integrity, and prepares them for successful careers and future academic work. Furthermore, the department fosters active, visible and leading-edge research that advances the field of mechanical engineering.

About the Position:

The primary purpose of this position is to perform academic advising for all current and prospective undergraduate students and reply to general inquiries about undergraduate programs offered by the department. The individual in this position will contribute to the recruitment and retention of students through effective advising and outreach and will be responsible for facilitating students' education, decision-making and planning. This person will discuss academic interests, make connections to career goals with the student, and provide information on academic policies, procedures and practices, including working through various academic requests, forms and appeals. The individual in this position represents the department in a professional manner and will act as a resource person regarding the university and department's rules and regulations while serving as a trouble-shooter and problem solver. This person will contribute to Mason's strategic goals of preparing career-ready graduates, while increasing graduation and retention rates.

Responsibilities:

Undergraduate Student Advising

• Advise current undergraduate students in decision making and developing a plan of study consistent with students' interests, desires and abilities;

• Assist students regarding course selection, prerequisites, transfer courses, registration and overrides, career and / or educational goal and general university rules and regulations;

• Ensures that students meet departmental requirements of degree progress; acts and assists in trouble shooting and problem solving;

• Communicate essential academic registration information;

• Provide information on academic policies, procedures and practices, including working through various academic requests, forms and appeals;

• Organize and retain student records, to include advising notes and email exchanges;

• Escalate complex issues or situations with students to Supervisor for guidance, such as student's having issues with a professor/course or requesting an exception to an academic requirement or policy;

• Participate in outreach initiatives organized by the college/university;

• Organize regular outreach campaigns to reach out to students proactively; and

• Perform prerequisite checks for all ME undergraduate courses at the beginning of each semester and verify student eligibility for each class.

Undergraduate Student Affairs

• Provide administrative support to students and faculty;

• Distribute information and assist in implementing and performing student support services tasks;

• Assist in coordination of efforts to organize departmental functions for students, including events such as orientation or faculty-student advising meetings;

• Participate in university wide programs and events related to undergraduate students such as admissions, orientation, advising, graduation and other social and networking events;

• Assist and function as liaison between students, faculty, management and administrative agents in understanding the programs, university rules and regulations;

• Assist and perform the oversight of operations related to student records, graduation and student recruitment functions;

• Generate 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;

• Assist in updating ME department's advising materials (printed and on the website) prior to each catalog year;

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

• Assist in ABET assessment, including collecting and cataloging information.

Other Related Duties as Assigned

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

• Participate in university wide advising training and ongoing professional development; and

• Utilize the chosen university platform for tracking and reporting student interactions and making referrals.

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 programs and projects simultaneously;

• Experience delivering exceptional customer service;

• Experience assisting and supporting diverse populations;

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

• Ability to assist or support students in a college setting;

• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills;

• Demonstrated interpersonal skills;

• Conflict resolution skills;

• Ability to learn new technology; and

• Ability to work Orientation 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, customer relationship management systems (CRM).

Instructions to Applicants:

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

Posting Open Date: January 12, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: July 26, 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 architectures, 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.