Retention Specialist

• Written communication

Campus: Cañada College

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Salary

Schedule:

60

Grade: 24

Bargaining Unit: CSEA

Months Per Year: 12

Hours Per Week: 37.5

Mandated Reporter: Yes

Campus Security Authority: No

The Retention Specialist performs paraprofessional work that involves outreach and the retention of students in specific programs designed to foster student success. Under direction, the employee performs a variety of preparatory work and planning and develops strategies to support and enhance student completion and success. Public contact is extensive and primarily includes students, faculty, and staff, but can also include vendors and staff in other educational institutions and agencies, for the purpose of exchanging subject matter and procedural information.

A high degree of independent judgment and creativity is required to resolve a wide variety of minor and occasional major problems that may arise. Consequences of errors in judgment can be moderately costly in public relations and employee time; however, supervisory controls are available to limit the risk of serious error. A Retention Specialist can perform a wide variety of duties within the scope of the classification.

A Retention Specialist can direct the work of student assistants, clerical staff, and instructional aides, as assigned.

The duties below are representative of the duties of the classification and are not intended to cover all of the duties performed by the incumbent(s) of any particular position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the scope of work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to this classification.

• Exchanges information with students, faculty, and staff regarding subject matter, resources, materials, policies, and procedures associated with the classroom or laboratory setting or college programs and services
• Confers with faculty regarding curriculum, computer hardware, software, and other learning tools, student assignments and progress, tests, student test scores, alternate learning methods, and other technical information related to the services and programs provided
• Attends meetings, conferences and workshops to obtain current subject matter, procedural and other information
• Participates in division and department planning activities
• Makes presentations to small and large groups to publicize the services and programs as assigned
• Assists with outreach and retention of students into specific programs, including developing strategies to enhance student completion and success
• Provide encouragement and support to students who are undecided about a major by providing information regarding specific majors
• Proactively meets with students to monitor their progress
• Tracks student involvement in on-campus support resources, including academic counseling and development of student educational plans, as well as support services relating to financial aid, scholarships, internships, transfer, including completion of transfer admission guarantees
• Develops an early alert system to identify students who are under-performing in specific coursework, and collaborates with instructional aides and tutors to intervene
• Assists in planning an academic support structure to include workshops, study groups, tutoring, program activities, accompanying students to off-campus events, and other support services to enhance student retention and success
• Works with faculty advisors and student leaders of clubs to develop programs that promote academic success
• Uses a variety of computer software to organize and maintain learning resources and related data, compose and prepare correspondence, reports, publicity, and other materials; sets up and maintains online and manual files; and enters, modifies, and retrieves a variety of statistical and other data for special and regular reports
• Trains and leads the work of student assistants, clerical and other staff as assigned
• Performs other related duties as assigned

• Working with diverse adult learning styles
• Multi-tasking and workload…