Student Success Coach-Chicago

Overview

Who We Are: National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service.

We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What You Will Do: The Student Success Coach is an integral component of the signature undergraduate student experience at NLU, actively working towards supporting student transitions, persistence toward graduation, students' satisfaction and sense of belonging and sustainable employment in their major upon completion. The Coach will be responsible for providing intensive academic advising and support to a caseload of approximately 125 undergraduate students and serving as a guide for academic, career, and personal success, while also connecting the students to wraparound supports and university resources.

The ideal coach will be proactive in communicating with students and building confidence around their ability to persist at the post‑secondary level and successfully transition to the workforce post bachelor's degree. The role includes proactive direct student advising, ensuring students stay on‑track and meet academic milestone and degree requirements. The Coach works in close partnership with faculty and several other University departments to provide students a comprehensive support model and effective referrals.

Additionally, the Coach provides and promotes opportunities for community‑building and learning through out‑of‑classroom student programming. The Coach must be an influential, passionate, equity‑minded individual with experience working with first‑generation and underrepresented college students to drive change and problem‑solve. The candidate must have a general belief that all students have the ability to succeed and be personally driven to change the opportunity gap that currently exists in education and presents barriers toward a successful transition to college and persistence toward graduation.

• Provide direct academic advising and coaching support to a caseload of undergraduate students from their transition to NLU until graduation. Coaches should ensure students are meeting their degree requirements by registering them for courses, modifying their degree plans on a quarterly basis, and effectively communicating the curriculum and graduation requirements for each major and in accordance with university policies. As well as provide additional guidance on maintaining satisfactory academic standing for students entering academic warning, suspension or probation.
  
  Coaches should support students in major selection and career exploration as well as help build a student's self‑advocacy on campus by helping them access wraparound supports available as needed and be actively engaged in referral process, and follow‑up.
• Coaches should use in‑person engagement (sometimes modified to virtual face‑to‑face engagement) and technology (texting and calls) for interventions to stay in close communication with their caseload of students—using developmental and intrusive advising practices as well as motivational interviewing when students are struggling to overcome barriers. As well as maintaining accurate and timely student records in platforms such as BANNER, Retain, and Smartsheets, for which training will be provided.
• Build collaborative relationships with department chairs, faculty and Career Bridge staff to ensure a cohesive student experience for caseload. Attend Student Success Collaboration meetings and Career Success Team meetings regularly in order to provide a bridge between students, faculty, and career development.
• Share planning and execution responsibilities for the following coaching team‑led events:
  Summer Melt, Y1 Majors Exploration Day,…