Admissions Counselor

Position Summary:

Adams State University is seeking an outgoing, creative individual to support the recruitment of students in the Adams Promise regions of Colorado. A state-supported Hispanic Serving Institution in the beautiful San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado, Adams State University offers undergraduate majors, minors and emphases as well as master's degree programs and a doctoral program.

We are distinguished by caring professors, small classes, and a diverse, yet close-knit community. This environment fosters student engagement, and individual attention helps students achieve their best.

The Admissions Counselor is responsible for the outreach, recruitment, and counseling of prospective students. Responsibilities include representing Adams State University at college fairs, high school visits, and other on and off-campus activities.

The Admissions Counselor will maintain communication with prospective students and families, review admissions applications, coordinate recruitment events, establish and foster relationships with high school counselors, and provide broad admissions, financial aid, and academic advising services. In-state and out-of-state travel as well as the ability to work some evenings and weekends is required.

Specific Job Duties (Essential Functions and Responsibilities)

● Represents Adams State University at college fairs, day/night programs, student conferences, and other outreach activities.

● Travels extensively to conduct high school follow-up visits and classroom presentations to partnering high schools.

● Maintains telephone, email, digital, and written communication with prospective students and their parents.

● Maintains communication with high school counselors, community college advisors, college-prep organizations, and community organizations.

● Advises students on degree options, course selection, placement test interpretation, and other advising-related matters.

● Provides informative and appropriate financial aid counseling regarding federal and state financial aid, institutional and private scholarship opportunities, and student financial services.

● Coordinates and promotes special events related to Adams State University and the admissions process, including but not limited to counselor breakfasts/luncheons, application days, financial aid nights, registration activities, student receptions, and campus visits.

● Reviews applications to determine admissions eligibility for low-index students.

● Participates in on-campus recruitment activities, including Discover Day programs, bus tours, group visits, New Student Orientation and other selected programs.

● Assists in the planning of on- and off-campus recruitment activities and special events.

● Evaluates recruitment activities and reports outcomes to the assistant director of admissions recruitment.

● Participates in on-campus training sessions and planning meetings.

● Represents Adams State University in various state and regional professional organizations and committees.

● Assists in the development of admissions publications and marketing materials.

● Participates in NCAA rules education in order to cooperate with truthful and complete information concerning involvement in or knowledge of NCAA rules violations.

● Oversees social media outreach for the Admissions Office in collaboration with Public Relations and Marketing.

● Serves as a Campus Security Authority, as federally mandated under the Clery Act.

● Serves in other capacities as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications: Minimum Qualifications

● Bachelor's degree.

● Ability to travel extensively as directed by the supervisor. Must have a valid driver's license and clean driving record.

● Experience developing goals/objectives.

● Excellent oral communication skills.

● Ability to prepare effective written communications, utilizing correct grammar and spelling.

● Demonstrated technology proficiency with various software applications.

● Strong organizational skills including an ability to multitask.

● Ability to work effectively as a team member and to work on projects independently.

● Ability to work with diverse, non-traditional, and underserved student populations in a compassionate and structured manner.

● Ability to develop and foster relationships with high school counselors, community college advisors, and college-prep advisors.

● Ability to treat others with respect, civility, and courtesy and to work honestly, effectively, and collegially with employees, students, and the community. This includes the ability to use appropriate conflict management skills to effectively manage any disagreement that might arise or to bring the disagreement to management for assistance in productive resolution when the situation requires.

● Demonstrated initiative in seeking new partners and opportunities for recruitment.

● Ability to work flexible hours.

● Ability to perform with diplomacy, confidentiality and professionalism.

● Ability to perform outlined job descriptions.

● Located in a primary Adams Promise county. adams.edu/promise

Highly Preferred Qualification:

● Bilingual, English/Spanish

Preferred Qualifications:

● Advanced education (Master's degree or higher), especially in Business, Marketing, or Sales

● Years of experience working in higher education as part of an academic team.

● Existing home residence in outlined region or ability to reside in territory.

● Years of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating programs.

● Years of experience in higher education admissions.

● Years of experience in financial planning, financial literacy, and budgeting expenses.

● Ability to perform above primary duties.

● Located in one of the following Colorado regions:

• Eastern Plains

• Front Range

• Western Slope

Salary and Benefits:

Base salary is $38,412 - $43,692 annually or commensurate with years of experience working in an Admissions role plus benefits. In addition to salary, Adams State University offers a competitive benefits program including medical, dental, vision, disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and retirement savings plans. For detailed benefits information please visit https://www.adams.edu/hr/benefits/ Opportunities for supplemental contracts may be available.

Required Application Materials:

● Letter of application, describing interest in and directly addressing qualifications of the position.

● Current resume/vitae.

● Names and contact information of three to five professional references.

● Unofficial or official transcripts from all post-secondary education institutions attended (official transcripts required upon hiring).

All applications must be submitted through the ASU Careers page at https://www.adams.edu/hr/employment/.

Please direct any questions regarding this position to Kara Gaffney, Office of Admissions E-mail: kgpettit@adams.edu

Application Requirements: Review of complete applications will begin as applications are received until the position is filled.

Conditions of Employment:

This position is a full-time, exempt at-will administrative position with benefits through June 30, 2023, or the end of the current fiscal cycle. This position reports to the assistant director of admissions recruitment at Adams State University.

About Adams State University - Alamosa, Colorado:

Adams State University is a state-supported regional comprehensive university in Alamosa, Colorado, United States. Adams State is Colorado's premier Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and is also a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) with over 54% of our students representing diverse backgrounds.

We have a high percentage of first-generation students with an equally high percentage of students who are Pell eligible. The university offers undergraduate programs in physical and social sciences, kinesiology, fine arts, business and nursing, and specializes in educator curricula in several disciplines. Adams State also offers graduate degrees in history, art, business (MBA), and educator programs, including counselor education; the university also has a doctoral (PhD) program in counselor education.

The university has an active athletic program, both in participatory sports and in athletics educator training as well as thriving theater and musical performance opportunities. Students play a major role in shared governance through AS&F (Associated Students & Faculty).

About Alamosa, Colorado and the San Luis Valley:

The city of Alamosa was established in May 1878 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and quickly became an important rail center. The railroad had an extensive construction, repair, and shipping facility in Alamosa and for many years headquartered its remaining narrow gauge service in Alamosa with tracks reaching many points throughout southwest Colorado and northern New Mexico.

Alamosa is a notable tourist town with many nearby attractions, including the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado Gators Reptile Park, surrounded by national forest and several mountain ranges with peaks exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation. The town hosts "Summer Fest on the Rio" which occurs the first weekend in June, the Early Iron car show over the Labor Day weekend, and "Weekends on the Rio" on various Sundays throughout the summer. Alamosa has a population of 9500 with recently built elementary schools, a moderate cost of living, and affordable housing. The city takes its name from the Spanish adjective Alamosa, meaning "of cottonwood," for the cottonwood forests which grow along the Rio Grande and throughout town.

Located in the beautiful San Luis Valley between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges of southern Colorado, Alamosa is over 7,500 feet in elevation and is a high desert basin. Alamosa is located approximately 3.5 hours from Denver, 1.5 hours from Taos, NM, and 2.5 hours from Santa Fe, NM.

The region is known for its abundant sunshine with over 320 days of sun. The altitude and dryness of the air cause day-night temperature differences to be severe year-round. Surrounding Alamosa, the region is rich with large and small farms with high agricultural output.

Alamosa's geography and nighttime temperatures account for it often being listed as the coldest city in the contiguous United States. Alamosa features a cold desert climate with long, cold winters and warm summers, and dry weather year-round. Normal temperatures range from a low of −4 °F in January to a high of 82 °F in July.

Annual precipitation is only 7.25 inches, with summer being the wettest. The aridity depresses mean snowfall to around 32 inches and the median to only 22.3 inches.

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer:

Adams State University is dedicated to providing a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background checks on persons offered positions at the university prior to employment as described in the background check policy.

Adams State University performs background checks as a condition of employment for prospective employees and current employees seeking certain promotional opportunities. Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of an acceptable background check. Applicants will be asked to provide personal data and sign a release form before the background check is conducted.

Applicants who fail to provide the data and consent form will not be considered for employment or promotion. Background checks include review of criminal and financial records and sex offender registry background. Credit and driving record background may apply to certain positions.

In compliance with the Immigration Control Act of 1968, candidates for positions must provide proof of eligibility to work before an offer of employment can be made final.

The university is dedicated to fostering Inclusive Excellence, the recognition that the university's success depends upon valuing, engaging, and including the rich diversity of students, staff, faculty, and administrators. Given the university's mission and student body composition, the department is actively seeking qualified applicants who have experiences, skills, and/or personal attributes that reflect perspectives that can further broaden our students' educational experience.

We will give preference to qualified applicants with experience in ethnically diverse settings, who possess varied language skills, or who have a record of research that supports diverse communities, or a record of teaching a student population that includes historically underrepresented groups and other at-risk populations. Additional information about the university may be found at www.adams.edu.

Adams State University is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for its students, faculty, staff and visitors, and to protecting its funds, property and other assets. Well-informed hiring decisions contribute to this effort.

Therefore, Adams State University has adopted a policy on background screening for its prospective, continuing, and returning employees as well as students in certain circumstances. Offers of employment will be contingent upon the completion of an acceptable background check. The information received in response to a background check will be treated as confidential to the extent provided for by law.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Part 106 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including in admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and CFR 106 to Adams State University (ASU) may be directed to ASU's Office of Equal Opportunity, Director Ana Guevara, and/or to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education. Support resources for sexual misconduct, ASU's sexual misconduct policies, contact information for the Adams State University's Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX, as well as a detailed procedure for filing a grievance due to discrimination on the basis of sex may be found online at https://www.adams.edu/administration/oeo/reporting-sexual-harassment/. These procedures also describe the University's response to reports and/or complaints of sex discrimination or sexual harassment.

Adams State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Applications are sought from all qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, disability, and, as covered by law, veteran status. In addition, University policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation including transgender status and gender expression, marital status, and parental status.

Adams State University is dedicated to fostering Inclusive Excellence and especially encourages applications from women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other historically underrepresented populations. Given the university's mission and student body composition, the institution is committed to increasing the diversity of its professional staff and is actively seeking qualified applicants who have experiences, skills, and/or personal attributes that augment the perspectives of our current faculty and staff; we will give particular consideration to qualified applicants with experience in ethnically diverse settings or who possess varied language skills and have a record of successful experience in engaging diverse communities and student populations. Additional information about the university and the academic mission may be found at www.adams.edu/academics/