Executive Director Student Success Center
Minnesota State
**All Job Postings will close at 12:01 a.m. CT on the specified Closing Date (if designated).**
**Working Title:**
Executive Director Student Success Center
**Institution:**
Bemidji State University
**Classification Title:**
MSUAASF Range E
**Bargaining Unit / Union:**
211: Minnesota State University Association of Administrative Service Faculty
**City:**
Bemidji
**FLSA:**
Job Exempt
**Full Time / Part Time:**
Full time
**Employment Condition:**
Unclassified - Unlimited Academic
**Salary Range:**
**Job Description**
**Bemidji State University (BSU)** invites applicants to join our team as an **Executive Director of Student Success Center.** Reporting directly to the Vice President for Enrollment Management, the Executive Director Student Success Center provides strategic, equity-minded leadership and daily oversight of the Bemidji State University (BSU) Student Success Center (SSC) including the design, implementation, direction, and assessment of the university’s undergraduate advising model; implementation and operation of the university’s early-alert student success platform (EAB Navigate); career coaching, counseling, and readiness, proactive and personalized outreach intervention for holistic and equitable student success; accessibility and accommodation services; onboarding and career planning programs (including New Student Registration, Major and Grad School Expo, and various New Student Orientation programs); and providing resources and training support for BSU faculty, academic staff, and student affairs educators.
The Executive Director collaborates in close partnership with colleagues in other Enrollment Management departments such as Admissions, International Programs Center, Records and Registration, and Financial Aid. Additionally, close collaboration is expected with other departments in Student Life, Academic Affairs, and Athletics, such as Academic schools and colleges, Residence Life, American Indian Resource Center, Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and others to promote and support holistic student learning and success that is grounded in diversity, equity, and inclusion and centered in student belonging and well-being.
The Executive Director has delegated authority to enact programs and services – as well as to help systematically revise policies, structures, and systems – to promote greater student retention, academic progress, and successful first-destination graduate outcomes. The Executive Director also performs various duties outside of the SSC that support the mission of the university and contribute to a culture of equity-centered, individualized approaches to student support services and college and career readiness.
**Responsibilities of the Executive Director Student Success Center** **include:**
+ **Leadership and Oversight. (30%)**
+ Leading, overseeing, implementing and evaluating all operations, services, programs, and activities of the SSC including but not limited to academic advising and coaching for undergraduate students, accessibility and accommodation services, career coaching/counseling/readiness, mentorship and coaching programs, new student registration, outreach and intervention for student success, proctored testing services, and supporting and training for faculty advisors and academic staff.
+ Overseeing and supporting PSEO student advising, registration, and policy development.
+ Being available to respond quickly, confidently, and effectively to issues that are escalated within the SSC. Providing as-needed guidance and time-sensitive support to ensure student issues are handled quickly and equitably.
+ Building a culture of collaboration and teamwork among SSC staff as well as between these individuals, faculty, and other student affairs educators throughout the university. Maintaining a bias toward making decisions that are informed by research, data, and theory and that leverage students’ unique cultures, experiences, and backgrounds as strengths.
+ Serving in a leadership capacity working with faculty advisors, student affairs educators, and enrollment management professionals specifically related to academic advising, accessibility services, career advancement, coaching, retention strategies, student learning, and the unique needs of adult and online learners.
+ Demonstrating self-awareness of one’s own cultural beliefs, perspectives, and privilege as a part of one’s orientation toward leadership. Exhibiting a philosophical approach grounded in the belief that all students can learn and succeed.
+ Acknowledging the specific and particular realities of Indigenous, Black, and other communities of color, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, and other minoritized communities. Developing practices to respectfully invite and serve these communities in the SSC.
+ Along with SSC directors, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical employment standards, FERPA, ADA, Section 504, and other related state and federal laws and regulations.
+ **Core Advising and Success Coaching. (25%)**
+ Managing an advising case load to ensure coverage as advising demands fluctuate.
+ Managing faculty and staff advisor case loads, assignment and maintenance, taking care to build an equitable and programmatically aligned assignment structure and procedure.
+ Developing and maintaining collaborative advising model materials and training for new staff/faculty.
+ Working directly with academic schools and colleges to ensure consistently high-quality advising across disciplines.
+ Providing expertise to the campus community on the advisement of all undergraduate students.
+ Working with the BSU Transfer Partnership Coordinator to build support for transfer advising in times of student transition.
+ Providing leadership and direction to student success programs such as RISE (Roberge Inspiring Student Excellence).
+ Leading and facilitating meetings of the Undergraduate Academic Advising Council.
+ Joining and actively participating in system-wide advising collaborations and development opportunities such as the Advising Community of Practice.
+ Creating and utilizing a network of relationships with faculty and student affairs educators to effectively deliver general advising and support services for on-campus, online, transfer, and returning students.
+ Providing strategic leadership and managing high-level execution in work designed for holistic and equitable student success, retention, and the student experience in the first year, including support for non-traditional learners and online course delivery.
+ Ensuring that students are supported through detailed degree planning using technology and interpretation of data to communicate accurate information about, and to, students.
+ Presenting information to and collecting feedback from faculty and administrators at semester starts and other opportunities.
+ Developing and administering all aspects of the university general advising system for undeclared majors, including providing innovative training and assistance to faculty advisors to ensure a consistent advising experience by all students, developing advising resources for faculty advisors, assigning undeclared students to advisors, and providing resources (e.g., major selection, job search assistance) and advice for undeclared students.
+ **Student Success Initiatives and Technologies. (20%)**
+ Leading the implementation, operation, and oversight of the university’s early-alert student success platform which is used for student outreach and intervention including but not limited to alerts, holds, warnings, progress report campaigns, and other indicators, training and support for faculty and staff, and ensuring that data on general academic advising and student success are collected, maintained, and disseminated for data-informed decision making.
+ Developing, implementing, and assessing a comprehensive student retention and success plan to include strategies and interventions informed by theory, inclusive and equitable practices, and data-informed practices that enhance student retention, graduation, and graduate outcomes.
+ Working collaboratively across units and departments to promote and support holistic and equitable student learning and success.
+ Designing, implementing, assessing, and continuously improving a student success team that promotes student progress, retention, and graduate outcomes.
+ Collaborating with Records Office staff to identify and communicate to students enrolled in potentially unnecessary courses (e.g. TZ and Repeat queries).
+ Working with instructional faculty, overseeing the development and delivery of First-Year Experience (FYE) seminar courses, collecting and monitoring assessment data, and promoting continuous improvement efforts for the courses.
+ For a select number of FYE-related programs, providing leadership for the planning, implementing, and evaluating co-curricular programs that promote academic achievement, career exploration, and a sense of belonging for all students.
+ Facilitating the development of a culture that recognizes, affirms, and helps students draw upon cultural, communal, and identity-based ways of knowing, being, and doing to achieve educational outcomes.
+ **Financial and Human Resource Management. (10%)**
+ Recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and directly and indirectly supervising personnel in the SSC.
+ Responding to the development of nine professional staff in the center by performing annual performance reviews, PD reviews and audits, supporting professional development opportunities and offering daily/weekly check-ins.
+ Managing a modest programming budget, supervising pre-professional staff (student employees), and supporting university efforts to pursue and secure external funding for programs.
+ Overseeing budget and fiscal management for the SSC, including establishing financial goals, monitoring and adjusting budget to ensure it is both met and sustainable in the short- and long-term.
+ Facilitating the development of a space that welcomes and informs all students, faculty, and student affairs educators who are interested in centering the voices and experiences of students from communities that have been historically excluded, underrepresented, or not well-served within higher education.
+ **Career Advancement. (5%)**
+ Supporting and backing-up the work of the Director of Career Advancement in building a network of relationships with faculty, student affairs educators, alumni, and employers to effectively deliver career readiness, and career development services.
+ Providing support for, and participating in programs related to major selection, career readiness and exploration, and job/internship assistance.
+ Supporting the mandated Annual Graduate Follow-up Study for BSU and NTC and sharing data with administration, faculty, higher learning commission, and program review committees.
+ Supporting the development of reference guides by each academic major program that identifies projected employment demand by field, employment areas/career clusters, placement rates, and partial lists of employers and graduate schools who have hired or admitted BSU graduates.
+ Implementing fair and equitable hiring policies and procedures for students.
+ **Equitable Access for Students with Disabilities. (5%)**
+ Supporting and backing up the work of the Director of Accessibility Services in building a network of relationships with faculty, student affairs educators, community agencies, and system office colleagues to effectively deliver equitable access for students with disabilities.
+ In partnership with the Director of Accessibility Services, helping interpret and apply state and federal legal mandates such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
+ Backing up and supporting the work of the Test Proctor Coordinator for the SSC’s proctored testing facilities and procedures.
+ Ensuring alignment between on-campus (local) and remote proctored testing procedures and management.
+ Facilitating the development of a culture that moves beyond compliance and commitment to creating and sustaining an equitable and inclusive environment that embraces universal design as a framework for inclusive teaching and learning, facilities, and technology.
+ **Other Duties. (5%)**
+ Assisting with planning, facilitating, and assessing anti-racism, equity, and inclusion professional development experiences on campus.
+ Serving on the BSU Emotional and Physical Health (Care Team) committee, responding quickly to any urgent student needs identified by the group.
+ Serving on the BSU Athletics Compliance committee to provide transfer and advising perspective and input.
+ Contributing to assessment, accreditation, and other continuous improvement processes.
+ Systematically revising policies, structures, and systems to promote greater student retention, placement, and success.
+ Actively participating in department, division, and university programs (e.g., new student registration and orientation events, academic/career exploration and job/internship fairs).
+ Serving on various university, system, and community committees and work groups as appropriate.
+ Performing other duties as assigned.
**Minimum Qualifications**
+ Master’s degree plus five (5) years of professional work experience in academic support and advising, accessibility services, career services, student affairs, or a closely related field, OR Bachelor’s degree plus six (6) years of professional work experience in academic support and advising, accessibility services, career services, student affairs, or a closely related field, OR equivalent combination of post-secondary training, education, and/or professional experience.
+ Experience leading and supporting the development of students, professional staff and-or teams.
+ Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural humility and fluency, and achievement in working with diverse student populations.
+ Strong communication, administrative, presentation, and organizational skills.
+ An ability to work collaboratively with faculty, student affairs educators, and students.
+ An ability to navigate shared governance environments and productively work with bargaining units and student governance.
**Preferred Qualification**
+ Doctoral degree in higher education/student affairs administration, counseling, or a closely related field with knowledge of student development and learning theories.
+ Five (5) years of proven progressive management, supervision, and equity-minded leadership experience at director level in academic support and advising, accessibility services, career services, student affairs, or a closely related field within a higher education setting.
+ Knowledge of and appreciation for the mission of regional public universities, and familiarity with public two-year technical and community colleges.
+ Direct experience with providing trauma-informed and culturally responsive support, coaching, and advising.
+ Proven track record of creating and sustaining programs that increase outcomes and close or eliminate educational equity gaps for historically marginalized and underserved students.
+ Professional experience working in a one-stop or similar multi-functional student success center.
+ In-depth knowledge of student success platforms and student information systems (i.e., Workday Student).
+ Proficiency in data analysis related to retention, placement, and student success.
+ Active involvement in national/international professional associations in student affairs, academic advising, accessibility/disability services, career development, or a closely related field; and
+ Capacity to effectively interact and partner with various internal and external constituencies.
**Other Requirements**
+ All applicants must be able to lawfully accept employment in the United States at the time of an offer of employment.
+ Official transcript(s) must be provided to Human Resources upon hire.
+ Employment for this position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement for the Minnesota State University Associate of Administrative and Service Faculty (MSUAASF) – see agreement (https://www.msuaasf.org/current-members/contract/) .
+ In accordance with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MinnState) Vehicle Fleet Safety Program, faculty and staff driving on college/university business, who use a rental or state vehicle, shall be required to complete a vehicle Use Agreement form and conform to MinnState’s vehicle use criteria and consent to a motor vehicle records check.
+ BSU is a tobacco free workplace ( see policy ) .
**Working Conditions:**
+ Occasional weekend/evening assignments may be required including but not limited to overnight travel for meetings, professional development opportunities, and system meetings.
**A complete application will include the following attachments:**
+ Cover letter, which addresses the required qualifications and your specific interest in working at BSU.
+ Resume / Curriculum Vitae.
**Inquiries about the position** :
Ben Hoffman, Vice President of Enrollment Management & Admissions
Phone: (218) 755-2180
Email: benjamin.hoffman@bemidjistate.edu
If you have general questions about this posting or submitting an application, contact Mary Miller at mary.miller@bemidjistate.edu
**Work Shift (Hours / Days of work)**
Exempt / Full-Time
**Pay / Salary Range**
Depends on Qualifications; Range E ($63,405 - $128,300)
**Telework (Yes/No)**
Telework currently not available for this position.
**About**
**UNIVERSITY / COMMUNITY**
**WHY BEMIDJI:**
**It’s more than a job. It’s an opportunity for the extraordinary.**
_On the idyllic shores of Lake Bemidji, cradled among the limitless natural beauty of the North Woods and neighbored by Minnesota’s three largest Indigenous nations, Bemidji State University offers opportunities for the extraordinary._
Bemidji State University has been ranked as one of the top 30 public institutions in the Midwest region by U.S. News & World Report each year since 2019. BSU offers its diverse student body a comprehensive spectrum of opportunities with nearly 120 undergraduate degrees and emphasis areas in more than 50 areas of study, 14 pre-professional programs, and 14 graduate programs and certificates.
As Bemidji State continues its second century of service, our vision is simple: we educate people to lead inspired lives. To achieve this, BSU centers diversity, equity and inclusion as a core value and strives to create a campus culture in which all members are free to be their authentic selves. BSU also proactively engages with Indigenous communities in northern Minnesota and nationwide toward its goal of becoming a destination university.
BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities, the third-largest system of higher education institutions in the United States. It shares a unique alignment with Northwest Technical College, with administration and student services generally having dual responsibilities to serve both campuses. Through this alignment, NTC students can take advantage of services, support, activities, and opportunities at BSU that expand and enhance their college experience — such as full access to BSU’s library and the ability to live in BSU’s on-campus resident housing.
For the first time, a joint strategic planning process will guide the future directions for both institutions. The schools are pursuing four shared strategic priorities: student success, the Nisidotaading initiative, northern distinction, and telling our story. These priorities will serve as the foundations for master planning processes for facilities, academic programs, fundraising, information technology, intercollegiate athletics, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, among others.
The Nisidotaading initiative — named for an Ojibwe phrase meaning “building mutual understanding” — is creating a statewide center of excellence. It will develop communities of practice meant to help Minnesota State colleges and universities better educate their campus communities on historical trauma and lived experiences of their Indigenous populations, and how to most effectively guide Indigenous students toward their educational goals. In addition, BSU is the first university in the United States to expose all of its students to a course on Indigenous people before graduation.
Bemidji State University acknowledges that it is located on land and water that is the current and ancestral homeland of the Ojibwe and Dakota. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide, forced assimilation, and efforts to alienate the Indigenous inhabitants from their territory here. We honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land, retained tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, and cultural resilience. Indigenous people are spiritual and physical caretakers of this land to which we all belong. Bemidji State University respects these sacred lands, stands with the community members from these Nations, and will fight injustice in all its forms.
At Minnesota State, the work we do is more than just a job. In their pursuit of purpose, connection, and growth, our employees play a critical role on our campuses. They develop policies, provide essential services, and work to improve the well-being and quality of life for our students and for all Minnesotans. Minnesota State is committed to equity and inclusion, and we invest in our employees by providing benefits, support resources, and training and development opportunities. **Unlock your potential through possibility.**
**The City of Bemidji**
Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College lie amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota. Bemidji State occupies a wooded campus along the western shore of Lake Bemidji while Northwest Technical College lies just three miles east, near Bemidji’s robust industrial district.
The city sits between Minnesota’s three largest American Indian tribal nations: the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the Red Lake Nation and the White Earth Nation. When settling the Bemidji area in 1750, the Ojibwe people named the lake Bemidjigamaag, which means “a lake with crossing waters” as the Mississippi River flows in from the south and exits on the east. Today, a city proper with a population of around 15,000 serves as a regional economic and cultural hub for about 100,000 Minnesotans.
Located just minutes away from a thriving downtown Bemidji, both the BSU and NTC campus communities have convenient access to affordable restaurants, fine-dining experiences, cozy coffee shops, grocery stores — including a natural foods co-op — city parks, and nearly unlimited outdoor recreational opportunities. Small, locally-owned shops and art sculptures line Bemidji's downtown streets, while national chains are also found in and around the area. The historic Paul Bunyan Playhouse has a calendar of classic shows, restaurants offer weekly live music performances, the First Friday Art Walk provides a tour of new monthly art exhibits, and annual festivals bring the community together throughout the year.
Additionally, the North Woods setting means students, staff, and faculty have a variety of activities available at their fingertips year-round. With more than 400 lakes — and a 240-acre research forest owned by BSU — within 25 miles of the city, there is easy access to kayaking, canoeing, swimming, boating, paddle boarding, hunting, hiking, biking, foraging, fishing, and more. An expansive network of multi-use trail systems is available for running, cross-country skiing, single-track or fat-tire biking, and skijoring. Further, downhill skiing, snowboarding, and tubing lie just north of Bemidji at the Buena Vista Ski Area.
Bemidji is also near two of Minnesota’s 66 state parks: Lake Bemidji State Park, which sits along Lake Bemidji’s northern shore, and Itasca State Park, home to the majestic Mississippi River Headwaters. Both parks are popular recreational and camping destinations where locals and tourists gather for sailing, swimming, and fishing during the summer months, and skating, hockey, curling, and—yes—more fishing in the winter.
Of course, no tour of Bemidji is complete without a visit to — and a selfie with — its two most famous residents: the iconic statues of Paul Bunyan and his trusty companion, Babe the Blue Ox. The famed duo, which has greeted visitors to Bemidji since 1937, is on the National Register of Historic Places and was once ranked by Kodak as the second most-photographed statue in America.
**For further information** About BSU (https://www.bemidjistate.edu/offices/president/search/presidential-search-profile/about-bsu/) **visit our website at** **http://www.bemidjistate.edu** **.**
**Review a "special report on how this former lumber town has rebuilt itself as a high-speed, regional center of enterprise" at** Bemidji 2.0 (http://tcbmag.com/news/articles/2017/february/bemidji-2-0)
**Other Resources:**
+ Visit Bemidji – https://www.visitbemidji.com/
+ 218 Relocate / Greater Bemidji – https://www.218relocate.com/
+ Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce – https://www.bemidji.org/
+ Explore Minnesota – https://www.exploreminnesota.com/article/top-things-to-do-bemidji
**Statement of Notice**
Bemidji State University prohibits discrimination and sexual violence of any kind. Contact the Title IX Coordinator if you have concerns regarding discrimination and/or sexual violence.
Per Minnesota State System Procedure 1B.3.1 , all universities and colleges must provide contact information of their Title IX Coordinator.
Megan Zothman, Campus Human Resources Officer & Title IX Coordinator
Email: TitleIX@bemidjistate.edu or Megan.Zothman@BemidjiState.edu
Phone: (218) 755-2502
1500 Birchmont Drive NE, Deputy Hall, Room 335, Bemidji, MN 56601
_Bemidji State University is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer and Educator. This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities. Consumers with hearing or speech disabilities may contact us via their preferred Telecommunications Relay Service._
**Benefits Information:**
At Minnesota State, we have a GREAT BENEFITS PACKAGE! Our generous benefits include 11 paid Holidays, Vacation Time, Sick Time, six weeks of Paid Parental Leave, low cost medical and dental insurance with low deductibles ($250 - $1500), a Pension Plan, 457(b) and 403(b) retirement plans and other retirement investment options, pre-tax medical and dental expense (with roll-over option) and dependent care accounts, employer paid life insurance, short and long term disability, as well as professional development and a tuition waiver program for employees and their dependents, etc. We promote the health and well-being of our employees and take work/life balance seriously.
**Desired Start Date:**
04-21-2025
**Position End Date:**
**Open Date:**
02-24-2025
**Close Date:**
03-26-2025
**Posting Contact Name:**
Mary Miller
**Posting Contact Email:**
sg9312lx@minnstate.edu
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