Student Success and Completion Specialist

Student Success and Completion Specialist

Job Category
:
Student Affairs

Requisition Number
: STUDE
002793

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• Posted :
  February 10, 2026
• Full-Time
• Hybrid

Showing 1 location

Chicago, IL 60603, USA

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on‑campus galleries and state‑of‑the‑art facilities.

SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post‑baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

About the Department

The Student Success department fosters a community of support and inclusion for students to succeed in their educational endeavors; to help make art & design education equitable and accessible to vulnerable student populations. Consisting of an Associate Dean, Academic & Career Coaches, a Student Success & Completion Specialist, part‑time Faculty Mentors, Student Peer Mentors, and program student staff. Student Success provides comprehensive, coordinated and targeted support for the First Gen Fellows and Chicago Fellows Programs, as well as retention and degree completion support for continuing undergraduate students.

Position Summary

The Student Success and Completion Specialist (SSCS) is the primary staff person responsible for developing, coordinating and analyzing the department's comprehensive student retention plans within the Office of Student Affairs and in cooperation with other institutional department partners. The SSCS oversees enrollment retention for all students and identifies and engages 6‑year cohort students and those who have left SAIC who may be able to return to finish their degrees.

The SSCS facilitates student advising on relevant policies such as AP and transfer credits and taking classes off campus for SAIC credit. The Student Success and Completion Specialist supervises the Student Success Program Coordinator student worker position and provides support to our First Gen and Chicago Fellows programs. This role reports to the Associate Dean of Student Success

Responsibilities

• Enrollment Retention Outreach and Management Initiate, oversee and coordinate semesterly enrollment retention initiatives. Identify and assess unenrolled students, develop and coordinate outreach strategy and priorities, and monitor progress. Initiate retention campaigns in EAB Navigate, or other designated tool, and coordinate efforts of Advising staff to assist with intervention for targeted groups of at‑risk students. Work with partner departments such as Student Financial Services to prepare them to engage and assist students needing help during the enrollment retention campaign period.
• First Time Freshmen Retention Reporting Develop and produce standardized reports charting first‑time freshmen persistence from semester to semester and year over year. Prepare reports comparing persistence data and contribute to analysis of trends. Serve on departmental and institutional student retention committees.
• 6 Year Cohort Serve as primary staff responsible for continuously identifying all Fall‑admitted first‑time freshmen who are eligible to graduate within six years of initial enrollment and providing individualized advising and support to those who have not completed their degree 8 semesters after their start date. Advise students, review credit checks, provide planning resources, assist in course selection, oversee degree progress, and assist with procedural steps as needed (appeals, grade change requests, off‑campus classes requests, etc.).
  
  Follow up post‑term and review grades and future enrollment, and assist…