Exploratory Academic Advisor

Department: Academic Affairs

Classification: Education Support Spec 3

Job Category:Classified Staff

Job Type:Full-Time

Work Schedule:Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type:Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility:Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band:04

Salary:Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check:Yes

The Office of the Provost is the primary central administrative unit for the university’s academic programs. Its range of interests include curriculum, instructional personnel, assessment, accreditation, international initiatives, and oversight of the overall academic mission. Within the Office of the Provost, the Office of Undergraduate Education manages undergraduate academic programs that stretch across all colleges and schools at George Mason University.

These include university-level curriculum approval, general education (Mason Core), University Studies programs, the Office of Academic Advising, and Mason Impact initiatives that support transformational learning for undergraduate students, including the Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR), Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning (CECiL), and Office of Fellowships. In all of our work, we seek to inspire undergraduate students to become engaged citizens and well-rounded scholars who are prepared to act in a diverse, global world, by creating and sustaining innovative programs that enhance our students’ academic experience and contribute to their academic success.

We are dedicated to ensuring that students from all backgrounds have equal access to all of our programs.
A critical component of the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Office of Academic Advising (OAA) leads the academic advising community at George Mason University and serves students not formally enrolled in a major. OAA commits to creating ongoing, personal, and purposeful educational partnerships with students and colleagues and to contributing to student success by providing resources and by teaching students to develop the skills required to become life-long learners capable of effective self-advocacy.

Reporting to the Assistant Director for the Office of Academic Advising (OAA), the Exploratory Academic Advisor lays the foundation for academic success at George Mason and beyond by guiding students in the selection of a major based on their academic, career, and personal goals and aspirations, and transitioning students to advisement within an academic unit. The Exploratory Advisor takes a holistic advising approach with students and discusses academic, career, and personal interests.

The Exploratory Advisor makes connections to class selection and career goals, and provides information on major selection, academic policies, procedures, and practices. Also, this includes helping students through various academic requests, forms, and appeals. The Exploratory Advisors at George Mason contribute to George Mason’s strategic goals of preparing career-ready graduates while increasing graduation and retention rates. Additionally, the Exploratory Advisors contribute to the activities within the Office of Academic Advising and the George Mason Advising Community.
Works occasional evening and weekend hours to support activities and required events.

• Guides an assigned caseload of students from George Mason Orientation to major selection that aligns with their academic, career, and personal goals and ambitions, and transitions them to advisement within an academic unit;
• Communicates with academic units about students terminated from their major to provide quality and consistent academic advising toward a new major;
• Provide…