Academic Advisor

Job Description Summary

Academic Advisors are responsible for developing, providing, evaluating and assessing academic advising services, programs and projects for the Faculty of Arts in order to support the academic success, personal development and retention of approximately 12,000 domestic and international students enrolled in two undergraduate degree, four diploma, three certificate programs.

Additional responsibilities for this position include: development and implementation of recruiting and retention activities that support the University International Student Initiative and student success; assisting in the development and use of information technology as it relates to the Faculty of Arts and Arts Academic Advising, participating in the administration of the office.

Organizational Status

The Academic Advisor report to the Associate Director, Arts Academic Advising. Incumbent works independently, with initiative and considerable autonomy under the general supervision of the Director. The position contributes directly to the development of policy and priorities of the unit. Advisors interact regularly and consult with Arts Academic Advising personnel, faculty and university members, departmental advisors, Student (Peer) Advisors, Work-Study students, and student service personnel elsewhere on campus. Advisors hire and supervise the work of support staff, Student (Peer) Advisors and Work-Study students and assists in the hiring and training other advisors. A wide latitude of decision-making is required.

Work Performed

Primary responsibilities are sub-divided into several areas: 1) General/Global, 2) Academic Advising, 3) Recruitment and Outreach, 4) Transition and Retention 5) Promotion, 6) Information Technology and 7) Administration.

1) GENERAL-GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Arts Academic Advisors participate fully in the strategic planning and evaluation of Arts Academic Advising for fulfilling, developing and honing its mandate. To this end they:

• Evaluate and make strategic recommendations for areas of potential improvement and growth in student advising services and develop programs and policies to suit.

• Conduct research and prepare briefs, data and reports related to advising services and the development and application of information technologies.

• Maintain current knowledge of academic advising standards and best practice by attending and presenting at conferences and workshops and maintaining membership in academic advising organisations.

• Develop and maintain a knowledge base of worldwide educational systems in order to advise students participating in exchange programs or considering taking courses outside of UBC and to advise students coming from other global educational systems.

• Collaborate on student development projects with other campus units.

• Research and implement liaison initiatives between the Faculty of Arts and other Faculties and campus units.

• Perform other tasks related to the support and development of student advising and the operation of the Arts Academic Advising unit.

2) ACADEMIC ADVISING

Arts Academic Advising consists of program planning with students, evaluation of students academic performance, conferring academic concessions and career planning. The Academic Advisor s primary advising duties are to:

a) Program Plan

• Direct students to develop a holistic view of academic and career plans in order to balance academic, professional, social and personal demands.

• Assess and interpret student s academic and personal goals and identify appropriate programs.

• Provide advice on University and Faculty of Arts degree and certificate program requirements and admission criteria.

• Assist students with course selection to ensure they meet Faculty of Arts degree requirements and selected program prerequisites.

• Assist students in investigating alternate and/or additional educational options

• Investigate and resolve complex student program issues

• Evaluate and approve student requests to study outside UBC.

• Interpret and advise on University and Faculty of Arts policies and procedures as they apply to individual student programs.

• Plan and execute Faculty of Arts Advising events designed to improve the undergraduate experience and assist students with the cultural and academic transition to UBC.

• Evaluate programs and make recommendations for improvements.

• Participate in advising and orientation events for other campus units

b) Evaluate

• Annually evaluate the academic performance of Faculty of Arts undergraduate students to ensure they meet promotion and continuation requirements. Promote students in the BA and BFA programs and authorise student eligibility for future sessions.

• Bi-annually adjudicate approximately 2,200 student records to determine graduation eligibility and degree standing.

• Evaluate domestic and international transcripts and course outlines to determine appropriate transfer credit and year level

• Evaluate applications and admit students to the Faculty of Arts Minor in Commerce Program. Adjudicate academic records for graduation.

• Investigate and evaluate discrepancies in student records (e.g., un-graded courses, year levels, program specializations, changes in registration, credit loads). Authorise changes where appropriate.

c) Confer Academic Concession (e.g. Standing Deferred, Course withdrawal, academic concession)

• Advise students, departments and faculty on University and Faculty of Arts policy, procedures and regulations

• Evaluate student requests for academic concession and provide appropriate advice, action and follow-up

• Identify students in crisis, either personal or academic, and advise on available academic options and personal support services on campus.

• Liaison between students and faculty/departments to facilitate appropriate resolution of disputes between faculty and students.

d) Career Planning

• Advise students about development of career plans and provide referrals to other appropriate campus units for further exploration

• Educate students on searching for data related to employment, occupational trends and career information.

3) RECRUITMENT/OUTREACH

Arts Academic Advisors participate in the recruitment and retention of students to UBC, outreach planning, implementation and follow up.

a) Recruitment

• Recruit prospective students to the Faculty of Arts through participation in education/career fairs and on-campus recruitment, liaison and outreach events for prospective students, high school counsellors, college counsellors and parents

• Advise undergraduate Arts students about other Faculties at the University including Science, Commerce, Education, Graduate Studies, Nursing, etc in support of university-wide recruitment and retention strategies.

• Contribute to, interpret and apply University and Faculty of Arts admission policies related to undergraduate programs and adjudicate internal transfer, readmission and continuation appeals via membership on the Arts Advisory Committee on Appeals

c) International Student Initiative

• Work collaboratively with the Arts International Student Services Recruiter-Advisor in supporting the UBC Trek vision to recruit, retain, and promote the academic success of international students.

4) TRANSITION & RETENTION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Arts Academic Advisors assist in the transition of newly admitted students to UBC. Advisors also participate and create retention strategies to retain international students in the Faculty of Arts.

• Conducts research, recommends, develops and implements new transition and retention projects for international students, ensuring that programs are culturally sensitive.

• Evaluates transition and retention programs, makes recommendations and implements changes for improvement and growth of the programs.

• Works cooperatively with other UBC depts. (International Student Development, International Student Recruitment and the International Student Retention working group) in developing and providing orientation programs for Arts International students.

• Performs other tasks related to the support and development of student transition and retention programs: creating promotional materials, surveys, forms, etc.

• Responsible for supervising student staff (coop and work study students) and overseeing budgets associated with transition and retention programs within the Arts Academic Services Dept.

• Serves on Faculty and University Committees (e.g., Arts Academic Appeals Committee) where needed or assigned.

5) PROMOTION OF UBC FACULTY OF ARTS

Arts Academic Advisors participate fully in the strategic planning and preparation of promotional materials to support the Faculty of Arts promotional strategy. To this end, they

• Develop, write, copy edit and oversee the design, publication and distribution of advising materials (print and electronic)

• Consult and collaborate on the design, development, and editing of other promotional materials

• Plan and prepare multimedia materials for publicity initiatives to promote academic programs at recruitment and orientation events.

• Evaluate promotional planning strategy on a regular basis with Director

6) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Arts Academic Advisors participate fully in planning the adaptation and use of information technology. To this end, they

• Participate in the ongoing development of University-wide student information systems and services, and contribute to the ongoing development of UBC s e-administration vision as it pertains to advising services in the Faculty of Arts.

• Design, develop, and implement web technologies pertinent to the communication, outreach, and success of students in the Faculty of Arts.

• Report on applied information technologies pertaining to Arts Academic Advising to evaluate the usage, functioning and communication success of technologies in student advising, recruitment, retention, and development.

7) ADMINISTRATION

Advisors contribute to the administration of the Arts Academic Advising Services office as follows:

a) Personnel

• Participates in the recruitment, hiring and training of other professional advisors and other staff and co-op students as needed

b) Operations

• Participate in development of operating policy to improve efficiency

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Misinterpretation of University and Faculty policies could cause students serious difficulty in attaining their educational objectives. Advising decisions directly affect the quality of student undergraduate experience. Poor performance in this position would contribute to inefficient operation and low quality service being provided by the Arts Academic Advising. This in turn affects the reputation and credibility of the Faculty of Arts and the University thereby affecting the recruitment and retention of students. Not considering the intercultural aspects of communication with and commitment to students can adversely affect the advisor s ability to function in a culturally diverse arena. Errors affect the quality of published materials and have negative financial implications.

Administration decisions directly affect the Advising Office s ability to operate efficiently. Errors in decision making have a serious negative affect on the Office s ability to carry out its program and service responsibilities.

Supervision Received

Academic Advisors work independently under the general direction of Director of Arts Academic Advising Services.

Supervision Given

This position may supervise clerical staff and/or student workers (peer advisors, co-op students, and work-study students). Other Arts Academic Advising staff regularly consult the Academic Advisors.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of four to five years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.