A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.
The Director of Undergraduate Student Success provides leadership for undergraduate advising operations, enrollment management, and student success initiatives serving approximately 1,000 undergraduate students in the College of Business (COB). The Director supervises a team of five full-time staff and leads advising services, orientation programs, recruiting events, course registration management, and other initiatives that support students from recruitment through graduation.
Working closely with the Assistant Dean, faculty, department chairs, and other University partners, the Director develops office policies and procedures, contributes ideas to improve student success and office operations, and helps ensure a seamless, integrated student experience. As a member of the College's student services leadership team, the Director collaborates regularly with the Director of Graduate Enrollment and Success and the Director of the Business Career Center to advance College priorities and support student success. The position may require occasional overnight travel.
Academic Advising Oversight (50%):
- Oversee academic advising services for undergraduate business students, including in-person and online advising appointments and new student orientation sessions.
- Train and supervise a team of academic advisors, support staff, and possibly temporary student workers.
- Develop and implement effective advising and other office policies and procedures.
- Advise students through appointments and walk-ins during peak periods and staff absences.
- Plan, speak, and participate in admissions recruiting events, student and parent orientation sessions, and other initiatives in coordination with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and other relevant departments.
Course Registration Management (20%):
- Review and monitor COB course schedule each semester and advise the department chairs and Assistant Dean on anticipated student demand and scheduling conflicts. Maintain the College's master reference list of typical undergraduate course offerings each term.
- Manage course registration caps and waitlists to optimize enrollments and accommodate student demand.
- Ensure appropriate course registration restrictions and prerequisites are properly coded in Banner.
- Monitor course registrations to ensure students meet prerequisites.
- Review and update the Undergraduate Catalog annually to reflect changes in academic policies and programs.
Academic Administration (10%):
- Retrieve student lists, reports, and other data using a variety of University information systems. Respond to data requests in support of College leadership, faculty, scholarships, enrollment management, and other College priorities.
- Coordinate with other University offices to obtain more complex reports and data when necessary. Maintain and enhance office tracking reports and datasets to support ongoing operations and planning.
- Coordinate annual Poets&Quants rankings surveys and other external surveys or reporting requests. Gather, validate, and submit required data in collaboration with the Assistant
- Dean and appropriate College and University offices.
- Review and decide readmission petitions and marginal applications; review cases with the Assistant Dean as needed.
- Oversee academic probation process each semester; approve final decisions, review cases with the Assistant Dean as needed.
- Oversee degree audit process each semester to ensure timely graduation of students; certify all degree lists.
Committee Participation and Collaboration (10%):
- Serve on the COB Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and provide input on program and course changes.
- Represent Undergraduate Student Services on various committees, including the COB Governing Faculty, UM-Dearborn Advising Directors Group, Dearborn Discovery Core Committee,
- Registration and Advising Group, and other groups as needed.
- Coordinate staff participation in additional committees such as the COB Academic Standards Committee, Scholarships Committee, UM-Dearborn Salesforce and Degree Works committees, and other committees as needed.
Strategic Initiatives (10%):
- Oversee, update, and maintain the College's 2+2 agreements. Develop and maintain relationships with community college partners across Michigan to strengthen transfer pathways and undergraduate enrollment, including occasional in-person and possibly overnight travel.
- Collaborate with the Assistant Dean, Director of Graduate Enrollment and Success, and Director of the Business Career Center to develop and lead programs and initiatives that strengthen student success, student engagement, and connections among students, faculty, and the College. Contribute ideas and recommendations that support continuous improvement and an integrated student experience.
- Collaborate with the Assistant Dean and COB marketing staff to identify and implement communication improvements and strategies for undergraduate business students. Ensure timely, accurate, and engaging messaging across office presentations, publications, website content, and other communication platforms.
- Assume primary responsibility for developing, maintaining, and updating the office of undergraduate admissions, orientation, advising, curriculum, and other student-facing communications.
- Exceptional organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
- Excellent spreadsheet skills. Demonstrated ability to retrieve, compile, interpret, and communicate data. Experience with University information systems, including Ellucian (Banner), Business Objects, Salesforce, and Degree Works, preferred.
- Bachelor's degree required; master's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.
- Experience with academic advising in a College/School of Business
- Understanding business education in a regional public university
- Experience with undergraduate advising operations, design and administration of business bachelor curricula, including their intersections with other campus units, first time in college and transfers student's needs, articulation agreements with community colleges, and course planning and waitlist management needs.
- Experience with settings where academic and career advising closely collaborate in support of students career outcomes
- Experience with 3+2 or 4+1 degrees and working with undergraduates seeking to continue with a graduate degree
- Experience with degree completion programs (2+2) and returning learners is a plus
- Demonstrated leadership experience, such as mentoring, coordinating, coaching, or supervising professional staff.
- Experience working in a collective bargaining environment.
The University of Michigan-Dearborn is a vibrant and diverse community, centrally located within one of America's largest business regions. The area provides a variety of urban, suburban, and rural environments within a reasonable commute, including Detroit, its suburbs, and Ann Arbor.
In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan-Dearborn offers a comprehensive benefits package, effective on your first day to help you and your family stay well, and plan for a secure future.
Benefits include:
- Generous time off
- A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions after 12 months of eligible service
- Many choices for comprehensive health insurance, along with prescription drug plan
- Life Insurance
- Long-term disability coverage
- Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
Eligibility for benefits is based on your job group, your appointment percentage and the length of your appointment. Learn more about employee benefits and eligibility from the UM Human Resources Benefits and Wellness webpage.
Additional UM-Dearborn benefits include:
- Employees may be eligible for tuition reimbursement. Learn more about the tuition reimbursement policy.
- Eligible UM-Dearborn dependents may receive a 50% tuition and fees scholarship towards undergraduate courses. Learn more about the Dependent Tuition Scholarship from the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships webpage.
- No charge for all faculty and staff parking permits. Learn more from the Parking Transportation webpage.
Information about our mission, values and leadership can be found at: https://umdearborn.edu/about-um-dearborn/mission
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Candidates must be able to be lawfully employed in the United States; sponsorship to obtain such status is not available at this time.
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
