Academic Advocate

The Academic Advocate's primary role is to enhance undergraduate student retention and success, supporting key university goals. This position provides case management for students facing academic progress challenges, identifies barriers to success through data analysis, and collaborates with university offices (e.g., Registrar, Financial Aid, and Academic Advising) to address institutional challenges. The Academic Advocate works directly with students, assisting them in navigating academic plans, major selection, and career goals, while proactively outreaching to at-risk students and connecting them to resources.

This role also contributes to policy and process improvements to foster student persistence and graduation.

• Serves as the case manager for specific cohorts of undergraduate students. Follows outreach plans to enhance persistence and completion of students. Responds to student referrals and researches student cases referred to OAA. Collaborates with and coordinates among academic and non-academic departments to provide information on and targeted intervention strategies for students identified as "at‑risk" of not persisting or completing.
• Resolves individual student issues that involve coordination between multiple offices at the university. Assists students with understanding institutional policy and processes, reviewing available options, and resolving issues. May assist students in major exploration and reselection when necessary. Maintains student files, facilitates updates to student academic records and monitors progress of students to ensure ongoing satisfaction and successful persistence.
• Uses analytical and evidence‑based decision‑making skills to develop and interpret reports, analyze and understand trends, and create actionable information drawn from multiple sources to inform outreach plans, enhance persistence and completion programs, and focus efforts on student populations where greatest needs exist. Uses analytical and evidence‑based decision‑making skills to develop and interpret reports, analyze and understand trends, and create actionable information drawn from multiple sources to inform outreach plans, enhance persistence and completion programs, and focus efforts on student populations where greatest needs exist.
• Monitors for student trends and makes recommendations for changes in academic policy, procedures, and processes related to enhancing undergraduate student persistence, retention, and completion across USF departments and systems.
• Supports the team by presenting at meetings, workshops, and other venues of internal and external audiences to disseminate and enhance USF's student success goals and strategies. Addresses areas where misinformation or new information causes issues with persistence or progression to graduation.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications
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This position requires a master's degree in education or a field of study related to the academic program, or a Bachelor's degree in those same fields with a minimum of two years of experience.

Preferred Qualifications
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The preferred candidate will possess a master's degree in education, counseling, or academic field related to the position's responsibilities. The preferred candidate will have three years of progressive academic advising, career development, or coaching experience in higher education. Preferred candidates will have demonstrated experience or knowledge with first‑year retention or in student completion/graduation efforts. Preferred candidate will have participated with a regionally or nationally recognized professional organization such as NACADA and will have research and/or publications focused on first‑year retention, student success, or related areas.

Senate Bill 1310
- The Florida Senate ( https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). ) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.

• SB 1310:
  Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
• A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct…