Director of Student Advocacy & IvyCares

Position Summary The Student Advocate at Ivy Tech Community College – Lake County serves as a neutral, confidential, and informal resource for students seeking assistance in navigating college policies, resolving concerns, and addressing barriers to their academic and personal success. This role promotes fairness, student rights, and risk mitigation while fostering a culture of trust and accountability. The Director also provides leadership and oversight for Ivy Cares, coordinating wraparound support and resources that help students address personal and basic-needs barriers affecting enrollment, persistence, and completion.

Key Responsibilities Student Support & Navigation Serve as the primary point of contact to assist students in determining the next steps for resolving academic and non-academic issues. Explain and interpret college policies, procedures, and student rights. Provide high-level customer service by offering a safe and neutral space for students to share concerns. Mimic a case management approach without enforcing policy violations.

Conflict Resolution & Crisis Prevention Provide informal resolution strategies and act as a confidential intermediary. Deliver QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) and suicide prevention training. Address concerns before they escalate into formal complaints or disciplinary actions. Consult on issues of student discomfort (e.g., interpersonal conflicts with faculty or peers). Risk Identification & Reporting Review and assess incident reports and student complaints.

Maintain a secure, de-identified database of cases using a color-coded stoplight system to track the resolution methods of each case. Identify patterns, such as discrimination or policy gaps, and use the findings to make recommendations to leadership. Submit an End-of-Year Report summarizing themes, risks mitigated, and student retention impact. Policy and Procedure Expertise Use the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook, college website, Lafayette-specific policies, and ASOM guidelines to advise students.

Partner with mental health and conduct-related staff (e.g., Stephanie) to ensure a cohesive approach to student care. Advocate for equity and address systemic gaps caused by unwritten or poorly documented policies. Training, Outreach, and Engagement Facilitate training sessions, such as  What is the Role of an Ombudsperson?  for staff, faculty, and student groups. Actively promote services through orientations, flyers, and campus partnerships.

Conduct 5–10 student appointments per week and devote the remaining time to outreach and reporting.

Ivy Cares Responsibilities:

Provide overall leadership and day-to-day oversight of Ivy Cares services, ensuring students receive timely, caring, and coordinated assistance.

Assess student needs and service gaps related to transportation, emergency financial assistance, food insecurity, housing, childcare, mental health, technology, and other barriers that may affect enrollment, persistence, and completion.

Develop individualized student support plans and connect students with appropriate campus departments, community agencies, and external resources through effective referrals and warm handoffs.

Oversee Ivy Cares intake, case coordination, follow-up, and confidential recordkeeping in accordance with FERPA, College policies, and applicable requirements.

Manage Ivy Cares resources and processes, including emergency aid requests, food pantry access, and the distribution and retrieval of other student-support resources.

Maintain and review Ivy Cares data to monitor student needs, services provided, outcomes, resource utilization, and the program’s impact on student retention and completion.

Manage the Ivy Cares budget and related requisitions,…