Graduate Assistant - SPS Admissions and Enrollment

Position Overview

The Graduate Assistant (GA) for SPS Admissions and Enrollment plays a key role in advancing student success by supporting prospective and admitted students from initial inquiry through enrollment. Grounded in transition theory and relationship‑based enrollment management practices, the position focuses on proactive outreach, student guidance, and documentation of potential barriers to success.

The GA serves as an early point of connection for students and families, helping establish relationships, answer questions, connect students to appropriate campus resources, and ensure continuity of support by sharing relevant insights with admissions, retention, and student success staff. This role supports both enrollment outcomes and the professional development of the graduate student through applied experience in outreach, enrollment strategy, and cross‑functional collaboration.

This Graduate Assistant position supports the professional development of graduate students across a wide range of academic disciplines by providing applied experience in relationship‑based student engagement, professional communication, and cross‑functional collaboration within a complex institutional environment.

Through sustained student outreach and documentation, the Graduate Assistant builds transferable skills in qualitative data collection, written and oral communication, problem solving, ethical information management, and stakeholder engagement. The role also provides practical experience applying transition theory and student development frameworks to real‑world contexts, strengthening the graduate student’s ability to translate theory into practice. Exposure to enrollment strategy, retention planning, and student success initiatives supports professional pathways in education, nonprofit organizations, public service, healthcare, business, policy, research, and other applied fields.

This position supports the educational needs of Johnson County Education Research Triangle (JCERT) programs, funded through a 1/8 of a cent sales tax within Johnson County. Specific percentages of effort for JCERT are determined each year. The person in this position must understand and adhere to FERPA and institutional compliance expectations.

• Serve as a primary outreach contact for prospective and admitted students from initial request for information (RFI) submission through enrollment, using phone calls, email, and text messaging.
• Conduct proactive, personalized outreach to welcome students, answer questions, and provide guidance related to admissions processes, enrollment steps, and next actions.
• Build early relationships that support students’ transition into the university and foster a sense of connection and belonging prior to matriculation.
• Respond to student and family inquiries in a timely, accurate, and student‑centered manner, escalating complex or specialized questions to appropriate staff as needed.

• Utilize structured outreach and documentation tools to record student interactions, key questions, and any identified concerns or potential obstacles (e.g., academic preparation, enrollment logistics, life circumstances).
• Apply a transition theory lens in student interactions, recognizing common challenges faced by traditional, adult, returning, and non‑traditional learners.
• Share relevant, documented insights with admissions leadership and designated retention or student success staff to support continuity of care and proactive intervention.
• Contribute feedback to improve outreach workflows and documentation practices aligned with relational admissions and student success goals.

• Assist with admissions and enrollment activities, including:
• Supporting on‑campus visits for prospective students and families
• Assisting with hosted student group visits
• Supporting admissions and recruitment events as needed
• Provide logistical and coordination support for outreach campaigns, visit programming, and enrollment initiatives.
• Participat…