Blackburn College, a unique four-year liberal arts college with a student-managed work program located in Carlinville, IL, seeks internal applications for Student Success Director. The successful candidate will be a dynamic and experienced leader with a strong understanding of student success and the role of the student success center as a center for student engagement and academic support. The Director is responsible for planning, implementing, supervising, and assessing the Student Success Center’s resources and services, including academic support services such as peer tutoring and disability services. The Director will work closely with counseling services to ensure student success. The Director supervises and mentors Work Program student workers and professional staff. The Director will supervise the Accessibility and Accommodations Coordinator. The successful candidate will be committed to innovative service and outreach and will strengthen partnerships with faculty and staff to foster student success.  

Essential job functions:

• Develop and manage programs to support students’ academic success, including tutoring services, study skills, academic advising, and time management workshops. 
• Implement Academic Improvement Plans (AIP) for students on academic warning and probation.
• Implement retention strategies to ensure students persist in their education, including identifying at-risk students and developing interventions to help them stay on track.
• Collaborate with Institutional Research to collect and analyze data related to student success, including retention rates, graduation rates, and academic performance, to identify trends and areas for improvement and report findings to key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Institutional Research to evaluate the effectiveness of student success programs through surveys, focus groups, and other assessment methods to make adjustments as needed, and report findings to key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the Director of Week of Welcome to create, implement, and support orientation programming for new students.
• Coordinate with the Student Success and Accessibility Coordinator to review and assess accommodation requests submitted by students.
• Reach out to students individually or in groups to provide guidance, answer questions, and address concerns related to academic progress and personal development. 
• Advocate for students’ needs and concerns within the institution, working to ensure that policies and procedures support student success.
• Address and manage crises or emergencies that may impact students’ well-being or academic progress.
• Co-Chair, with the Vice President of Diverse and Equitable Student Life and Dean of Students, the Early Alert Support Team (EAST)
• Ensure that all student success programs and activities comply with relevant federal and state laws and institutional policies.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate will have documented experience enhancing student success services, as well as substantive knowledge and skills in planning, building relationships across campus, and staff development, including student staff. Experience in accessibility services and accommodations. A Master’s degree in a related field is preferred. Demonstrated experience in building and administering student success services is strongly preferred; knowledge of federal and state disability laws and regulations, including ADA and Section 504, would be a plus. A Bachelor’s degree with demonstrated experience in the abovementioned will be considered.

The salary for this position will be $65,000-$70,000 per year.

Blackburn College features a robust benefits package. For additional information, please visit https://blackburn.edu/about/administrative-offices/human-resources/ and click on the Employee Benefits Summary Tab.

This job is for you if you like:

• Benefits starting on your first day
• A generous vacation and sick time policy
• Reduced Summer Hours
• Extended Christmas Break
• Onsite gym and locker room
• Gaining hands-on experience working with students
• Working as part of a student-oriented team

Blackburn College seeks to build an inclusive community that can engage the interests of a diverse population. We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and sustaining a culture that reflects the diversity of our country. As such, we particularly encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups such as women, people of color, LGBTQ+, veterans, and those with disabilities.

Please send a letter of application addressing the above expectations, including a description of what diversity means to you and how you cultivate it in a learning commons environment, a resume, a statement of philosophy for effective student success services, and the names/addresses/telephone numbers/e-mail addresses of three to five references to: Human Resources, Blackburn College, 700 College Ave., Ludlum 110, Carlinville, IL  62626 or email hr@blackburn.edu. Review of Applications will begin on May 2nd and will continue until the position is filled. Employment-based immigration sponsorship is not offered for this position. Phone calls or walk-ins are not accepted.