Student Advisor

Preference will be given to qualified employees, as defined in the Full-Time Support Staff Collective Agreement. Should a suitable candidate not be found, external candidates will be considered.

Reporting to the Manager of Student Advisement, the Student Adviser provides developmental advising support for students in any program of study or Faculty  the students' Professional Advising point of contact, the Adviser requires a high level of institutional knowledge (both academic and student experience/support familiarity) and professional advising acumen to be successful. The Adviser plays a significant role in the development of students and offers a continuum of care.

Drawing on the student development theory and the student lifecycle, the Adviser has the responsibility of understanding the whole person including their needs, skills, attitudes, beliefs, strengths and values. Using this information, the Adviser works with each student to clearly define meaningful/measurable goals, review academic progress, provide opportunities for reflection, follow-up and celebrate their successes. The Adviser also provides advisement for students who are unclear about their next steps regarding any aspect of their Sheridan experience.

• Serving as adviser to students regarding questions, concerns or issues related to navigating their experience/lifecycle;
• Advising students on both academic (e.g. course availability, academic requirements, group work issues, interpreting policy implications) & non-academic (e.g. navigating stress, food insecurity, career uncertainty) matters;
• Collaboratively working with students to clarify goals and develop individual academic plans including identifying resources and strategies to address barriers that may prevent reaching their goals or succeeding academically;
• Through a practice of developmental advising, providing on-going support by actively following up with students regularly to check on progress towards goals and assessing next steps;
• Maintaining accurate case records of all student interactions to track the student journey or, possibly, mitigate risk;
• Maintaining comprehensive information related to portfolio of programs; conducting interviews with all Program Coordinators/Academic Advisers to establish referral points and understand all relevant academic information;
• Coordinating formal discussions (i.e. case conferences) and non-formal discussions (e.g. one-on-one consults) to analyze complex student situations with College partners to develop solutions in the best interest of each student;
• Maintaining third party relationships with College partners to provide developmental advising, advocacy and case management for targeted groups of students (i.e. WSIB, Home Sweet Hope, WUSC Student Refugee Program);
• Developing and supporting implementation of Student Transition & Retention outreach initiatives;
• Analyzing data to identify trends and flagging areas of concern for action or intervention; providing options, recommendations and solutions backed by evidence to Manager, and/or Associate Deans;
• Researching practices and trends in advising and transition to continuously improve initiatives offered to students;
• Performing other related duties, as assigned.

Your excellent communication skills and professionalism allow you to interact with diverse audiences.

You are a student-centered individual with a passion for facilitating student success and enhancing the student experience.

Your exemplary organization and time management skills allow you to successfully manage resources and documentation.

Your excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, along with your conviction, perseverance, initiative and creativity
, allow you to take an individual and comprehensive approach to complex student cases while exercising a high degree of autonomy, discretion and judgment to evaluate and recommend the best course of action in each case.

You are committed to the principles of empowerment, integration and inclusion enabling you to guide, advise and support a diverse student population, including international students.

• 4-year degree in Business, Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, or a related field;
• 5 years of progressive experience in an educational environment (or a combination of educational and social services environments) where responsibilities included:
  Assessing and advising clients on complex issues; creating and…