Director of First-Year Experience

Director Of First-Year Experience

The Director of First-Year Experience provides visionary leadership and strategic direction for Berea College's comprehensive first-year student success ecosystem, including new student orientation; summer transition programming, including Summer Bridge; the First-Year Summit; and first-year academic success initiatives. Reporting to the Executive Director of Student Success, this position serves as a key architect of the College's approach to supporting students from enrollment through their successful transition into the academic, social, and campus life experience.

The Director leads the design, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of high-impact practices that promote student belonging, academic achievement, persistence, and retention. This position integrates advising, teaching, mentoring, and transition programming to create a seamless first-year experience aligned with Berea College's mission, Great Commitments, and institutional student success priorities. The Director serves as a strategic collaborator across campus, partnering with Academic Affairs, the Office of Advising and Retention Strategy, Admissions, Student Affairs, the Labor Program Office, Athletics, and other campus stakeholders to ensure first-year students experience intentional support, meaningful engagement, and coordinated pathways to success.

The Director will bring expertise in first-year student development, academic advising, transition programming, curriculum design, and student success assessment. This individual will serve as both a strategic leader and practitioner, teaching first-year courses, advising students, developing educators and mentors, and using data-informed practices to enhance the student experience. Following long-standing tradition and practice at Berea College, this position includes responsibility for supervising, mentoring, and developing students in the College's integrated Work College Program.

This supports student learning, career readiness, and the program's learning goals and outcomes. The Work College Program provides a developmental framework that guides student learning while creating a structured mentorship opportunity, with role-specific training that equips faculty and staff mentors to support student development. Faculty and staff mentors play an essential part in helping students connect their work-learning-service experiences with broader academic, professional, and personal development.

For faculty, this aligns with Berea's tenure and promotion criteria.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Regular and predictable attendance is essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• First-Year Experience Leadership and Strategic Design (30%) Provide strategic leadership for the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of a comprehensive first-year experience that connects orientation, transition programming, academic advising, student engagement, career exploration, and retention initiatives with institutional priorities and student needs.
• New Student Orientation and Transition Programs (20%) Provide vision and leadership for new student orientation and direct the Summer Bridge Program, including program design, campus coordination, student-staff supervision, curriculum support, assessment, and continued engagement with participants throughout their first year.
• First-Year Summit and First-Year Seminar Leadership (15%) Lead the development, implementation, and assessment of the First-Year Summit curriculum and learning outcomes. Recruit, train, and develop Summit Guides and instructors, provide ongoing professional development, and serve as a Summit Guide or instructor for designated sections.
• Academic Advising and Student Success Coaching (10%) Provide proactive academic advising and student-success coaching to an assigned caseload of first-year students. Use student information and assessment findings to identify barriers, coordinate referrals, support academic planning, and contribute to advising models that promote persistence and equitable student achievement.
• Teaching, Curriculum Development, and Student Learning (10%) Teach assigned first-year experience courses and collaborate with faculty and staff to develop engaging curriculum and learning experiences focused on college transition, academic success, belonging, and student development.
• Assessment, Data-Informed Decision Making, and Continuous Improvement (5%) Develop and implement assessment plans, analyze student retention, engagement, participation, and academic outcomes, and prepare reports and recommendations that guide program improvement and innovation.
• Campus Collaboration and Partnerships (5%) Build…