Academic Advisor- McNair Program
About Eastern Washington University:
Eastern Washington University, a regional, comprehensive public university with an enrollment of over 10,000 students, is one of six state-funded four-year institutions of higher education in Washington, each governed by its own board of trustees. As the region's polytechnic, we are recognized for our distinctive approach to hands-on learning that leads to in-demand careers. EWU's 300-acre main campus is located in Cheney, a community of 12,000 residents 16 miles southwest of Washington's second largest city, Spokane. Eastern also offers programs in downtown Spokane at the innovative, energy-efficient Catalyst building, the SIERR building which is a hub for research, development and advancement of health sciences, and at Riverpoint, a campus shared with Washington State University. In addition, EWU programs can be found at select locations throughout the state, aligned with the needs of the community. Eastern contributes to the vitality of the region and the state through its wide array of bachelor's and master's degrees in over 100 fields of study, as well as applied doctorates in physical therapy and educational leadership, offering accessible pathways to career success and personal development to students of all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
Eastern Washington University has been recognized for its commitment to helping undergraduate students learn, grow and succeed by
Colleges of Distinction, a nationally trusted resource guide for college-bound students. The honor recognizes Eastern as a
'24-'25 College of Distinction (CoD).
Money magazine recently named
EWU as one of its Best Colleges in America 2024.
Tribal Land Acknowledgement
At Eastern Washington University, we are proud to recognize the land of the Spokane Tribe and other tribes that shared the land for fishing and trading. The Spokane Tribe, Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Kalispel Tribe, and the Nez Perce Tribe are integral to the cultural heritage and traditional ethnological knowledge of the land.
Native American heritage is woven into the fabric of our institution, enriching our community through tribal culture, historical teachings, and tribal language, and is embraced daily by students, staff, faculty, and the Eastern Washington community.
At EWU, we are committed to reflecting on and acknowledging the historical injustices of genocide and the forced removal of tribal peoples and all our relatives. EWU recognizes and honors tribal sovereignty and government to government relationships with tribes.
From here forward, EWU will remain committed to supporting, honoring, and recognizing the Native American community and the dynamic contributions that are shared with our university.
Job Summary:
We are currently seeking skilled and team-oriented applicants for the following position:
Academic Advisor- McNair Program.
The McNair Program Academic Advisor counsels students in all aspects of the graduate school application process, especially PhD programs, including writing instruction and responding to students' writing of statement of purpose, curriculum vitae, email communication, academic writing, and publishable research. This position assists with advising students in academic preparation for graduate school with a focus on culturally competent programming for success at the PhD level.
The Academic Advisor coordinates virtual events designed to prepare scholars for success at the graduate level, including keynote experiences, research presentations and facilitating other on-line opportunities for scholars to network with faculty, alumni and others in the graduate school pipeline. In creating virtual and in-person events, facilitate small groups on reading, vocabulary development, writing, relevant math, and research strategies. This position guides research projects by coordinating with students and faculty. Assists the director in content development and teaching of seminars, as well as development of program handbooks for faculty and student participants, development of program documents, correspondence and promotional materials, including maintaining the McNair website.
The Academic Advisor assists in the recruitment and retention of potential and current McNair Scholars through one-on-one meetings, collaboration with faculty, departments, and ongoing relationship building and collaboration with campus departments. This position guides students in responding to university requests to interview, preparing for interviews, and acceptances. In addition to supporting students in evaluating school and funding offers, and making the best choice as it aligns to their goals. This position will network with PhD granting institutions including Summer Research Initiatives (SRI) and Summer Research Opportunities (SRO) programs.
EWU is committed to supporting and promoting a workforce that is welcoming to all and encourages applicants of all backgrounds to apply for this position.
The salary for this position is $47,572 up to $57,099. Where the hired candidate will begin within this range is dependent on education, experience, and skills. In addition to salary, the university offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance and disability insurance and retirement. In addition, EWU offers generous vacation and sick leave accruals, 13 paid holidays per year and fringe benefits, such as tuition waiver for employees and eligible family members, discounted EWU sports tickets, full access to our campus workout facilities at a minimum fee and free transportation through STA buses. For additional information regarding insurance benefits please see our Benefits page:
https://inside.ewu.edu/hr/benefits/insurance/.
Eastern Washington University provides an inclusive, equitable, and transformative learning experience, driving the pursuit of knowledge with affordable academic excellence.
Required Qualifications:
- Master's degree
- Experience in academic coaching, academic advising, counseling, or related field; working with groups and/or individuals, setting and completing goals, and encouraging persistence and resilience
- Understanding of and experience in the graduate school application process with a focus on student services or academic advising at the college level
- Strong knowledge of racial, economic, gender, LGBTQIA+, disability, and other areas of social justice, and the issues facing historically excluded and under-served undergraduate and graduate students, as well as how to incorporate this understanding into recruiting and preparing McNair participants for success at the graduate level
- Knowledge of the graduate school application process
- Excellent academic/technical writing skills
- Desire to teach/instruct in program seminars
- Understanding of the components of research writing
- Experience working with the target population of undergraduates who are low-income, first-generation in college, and from groups racially underrepresented at the graduate level
- Requires the ability to maintain a positive working relationship with McNair scholars, staff, faculty mentors, and work-study students while fulfilling key office responsibilities, using a culturally competent, anti-racist, critical, holistic approach in all aspects of the role to best serve students and meet program objectives
- General knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite programs
- Demonstrated ability to apply a responsive and flexible approach that is supportive of the needs including universal access of our students, faculty, staff and the public
Preferred Qualifications:
Other Skills and Abilities:
Note: The above job description is a general outline of the duties and responsibilities typically associated with this position. Specific tasks and responsibilities may vary based on the needs of the department and institution.
Job Duties:
% of Time: 25
Responsibility / Duty:
- Assist students in academic preparation for graduate school using culturally competent and anti-racist strategies to best serve first generation, low-income, and underrepresented students for success in graduate school.
- Guiding research projects.
- Developing and facilitating Virtual Events to meet grant objectives, such as panels, keynote experiences, research presentation opportunities, and other scholarly activities virtually or in-person.
Essential Function Indicator: Yes
% of Time: 25
Responsibility / Duty:
- Assist in instruction of seminars in writing, research and preparing graduate school application documents, including statements of purpose, curriculum vitae and writing samples.
Essential Function Indicator: Yes
% of Time: 15
Responsibility / Duty:
- Assist in recruitment and retention of scholars in collaboration with campus departments, student services, community colleges, and community organizations; including celebrating scholar achievements.
Essential Function Indicator: Yes
% of Time: 15
Responsibility / Duty:
- Assist in the development of program documents, correspondence and promotional materials, including maintaining the McNair website.
Essential Function Indicator: Yes
% of Time: 10
Responsibility / Duty:
- Assist in planning and implementing day-to-day services of the McNair Scholar Program.
Essential Function Indicator: Yes
% of Time: 10
Responsibility / Duty:
- Assist and collaborate with director, faculty, and/or McNair staff in researching and staying up-to-date with the best practices serving first generation, low-income, and underrepresented students
Essential Function Indicator: Yes
Conditions of Employment:
This position, during the course of university employment will be involved in the receipt of, or accountability for, university funds or other items of value, as well as the unsupervised access with the developmentally disabled, vulnerable adults or children under the age of 16. The offer of employment is contingent upon successful completion and passing of a background check
prior to beginning employment.
Applicants must be authorized to work for
ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa currently. Sponsorship is not available for this position at this time.
All new employees must comply with
EWU Immunization Policy 602-02 and provide proof of immunity or vaccination to MMR before beginning work at EWU.
Waivers for the immunization requirements are available for medical or sincerely held religious beliefs.
This position is covered by the Public School Employees of Washington Collective Bargaining Agreement:
https://in.ewu.edu/hr/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2025/11/EWU-PSE-2025-2027-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement.pdf
After starting employment, employees will complete the required training via Canvas. The Office of Employee Belonging, Development, and Leadership will reach out to you concerning Workplace Belonging training.
Note: Interviews might be conducted via Zoom (camera must be enabled). If so, candidates must be able to demonstrate competence using Zoom and other technologies.
Salary Information: The salary for this position is $47,572 up to $57,099. Where the hired candidate will begin within this range is dependent on education, experience, and skills.
Posting Date: 02/26/2026
Open Until Further Notice: No
Closing Date: 6/15/2026
Screening to Begin: Immediately
Special Instructions to Applicants:
Submit your application materials through our online applications portal provided below. If you are unable to submit through the applicant portal, please contact Human Resources Services at (509) 359-2381.
To apply, visit https://jobs.hr.ewu.edu/postings/14752
jeid-c010f487771ea341b16e211060df4a8c
