Additional Details |
Overview: The Students First Office (
SFO) fosters a learner-centered experience for undergraduate success by serving as one of the first lines of response in helping
UNCG students address any number of academic issues they may experience at the University. The office coordinates intervention processes across different academic and administrative units to help students determine the best possible success strategies for addressing academic concerns. In collaboration with other support services across campus,
SFO serves as an academic one-stop-shop for assisting students with academic advising, academic recovery, appeals, and graduation planning. Additionally, the office is the centralized center for the advisement of all Exploratory (undecided) students at
UNCG and the coordination of all programs for students in academic recovery.
Through all of our services, the Students First Office is committed to providing students with the access and the opportunity to achieve their greatest academic potential during their time at
UNCG.
Position: The Graduate Assistant for Exploratory Advising is intended to be a two-year assistantship and reports directly to an Exploratory Majors Academic Advisor. The GA serves as a contributing member on the Academic Advising Team (
AAT) within the Students First Office. This team of advisors and GA staff is currently led by the Director of the Students First Office.
Graduate Assistant Responsibilities:
- Manage a caseload of approximately 50 Exploratory students.
- Meet one-on-one with assigned Exploratory advisees in scheduled appointments for a minimum of two meetings per semester.
- Monitor Starfish flags/kudos for assigned advisees and provide weekly outreach.
- Conduct additional outreach for various enrollment and retention efforts, including midterm grade outreach and not yet registered outreach.
- Partner with an FYE 101: Succeed at the G instructor during the Fall term for an Exploratory specific section. The GA will also conduct a minimum of three classroom visits: 1) brief introduction 2) a presentation summarizing Exploratory advising at UNCG and 3) a registration tutorial.
- Provide supplemental academic advising, consultation, and referrals in one-on-one meetings with students to enhance their opportunities for academic success. Supplemental appointments cover topics such as general course registration/advising, GPA calculations, academic policies, and academic appeal explanations and feedback/review.
- Available to provide drop in services approximately once per week for supplemental students (see above for potential supplemental topics).
- Deliver referral information where needed to guide students in seeking appropriate campus support.
- Perform general administrative tasks in accordance with FERPA.
- Contribute to the planning and implementation of various SFO departmental initiatives including but not limited to SOAR, Appeal Review, graduation plans, max credit hour increase requests, etc.
- Serve as a mandatory reporter for Title IX and Clery Act incidents disclosed during work related responsibilities.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Skills or Prerequisites: This position is very high in student contact and requires an individual who demonstrates the following:
- A desire to understand and address the diverse needs of undergraduate students as they relate to academic advising, academic support, and student success
- A genuine interest in and commitment to supporting students
- The ability to work in a fast-paced environment and demonstrate flexibility
- Strong problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, willingness to seek consultation with supervisor and colleagues, and openness to receiving constructive feedback
- The ability to work with a diverse student population, a willingness to seek understanding, and a drive to strengthen multi-cultural competence as it relates to working with a diverse body of undergraduate students
- Effective time management & self-management skills, including the ability to take initiative and exercise sound professional judgment independently in ambiguous situations
- Excellent oral communication skills, particularly in one-on-one settings with students; a strong desire to build relationships is also required
- Excellent written communication skills that convey professionalism and respect; an ability to demonstrate or gain skills in professional email etiquette
- A general proficiency with various technology skills/software's, and/or the ability to learn and adapt to new technology platforms quickly
Though graduate assistants are student employees, within
SFO they are regarded with as much professionalism, trust, and respect as any professional staff member, and are entrusted with maintaining high professional standards to allow them to effectively support students. As such, the GA is expected to attend weekly team meetings, contribute ideas/feedback to the team/office, and participate in office initiatives/events.
Additionally, the GA in this position will be expected to host supplemental appointments and drop-in meetings as part of their role. These hours are open to any undergraduate student at the University. GAs can expect to encounter students who are
NOT their assigned exploratory advising caseload during these hours, requiring the GA to be skilled in conducting quick, comprehensive reviews of student records and think critically to provide accurate support in a limited time frame.
Work Hours, Environment: 20 hours per week to span the standard Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00 business week; four days per week for a minimum of 3 hours each day is expected
- The Academic Year 2024-2025-time commitment spans August 1, 2024 - May 23, 2025. Graduate Assistant work hours will be determined in cooperation with the position supervisor and SFO leadership based on office needs.
- The direct supervisor for the GA will develop the GA's schedule around their class schedule at the beginning of each semester. The GA schedule will be built to allow the GA as much student contact as possible, while also incorporating time for weekly supervisor meetings, advising team meetings, and necessary administrative time.
- Some periodic adjustments to GA work hours may be needed for evening or weekend hours
- GAs are expected to report to work in person by August 1. If moving or travel-related needs require remote work after August 1, please communicate with your direct supervisor by June 14, 2024.
- A training period spanning 3-weeks in July is required for additional pay, when departmental budget allows.
- *acation and travel requests during the academic year should be discussed prior to finalizing plans (example: booking a flight, etc).
Additional Terms of Employment: In
SFO, the 2024-2025 calendar is subject to change due to any adaptations made to the department's internal calendar and/or the University academic calendar. An earlier start date in July 2024 is likely, contingent upon departmental budget. An updated calendar will be provided to GAs when a formal offer is made.
Compensation: Graduate Assistants are compensated $15,000 for the academic year. The Students First Office does not provide tuition waivers
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