Titan Success Center Student Retention Specialist; Student Support Specialist

Overview

The Titan Success Center at Indiana University South Bend is a student-centered support hub focused on promoting retention, persistence, and academic success for all students, with a particular emphasis on first-year and first‑generation populations. The Center provides holistic support through coaching, resource navigation, and targeted interventions designed to remove barriers to student success.

The office collaborates closely with academic units, Financial Aid, Bursar, and campus partners to ensure students receive coordinated support throughout their academic journey. Key initiatives include first‑year student coaching, support for 21st Century Scholars, and emerging first‑generation student programming. The Titan Success Center plays a critical role in advancing institutional goals related to student success and completion.

• Serves as a primary coach for first‑year students, providing proactive outreach, academic guidance, and success planning.
• Acts as a liaison between students and campus offices, including the Bursar and Financial Aid, to support financial literacy and resolve account‑related concerns.
• Supports targeted student populations, including 21st Century Scholars and first‑generation students, through individualized and group interventions.
• Monitors student progress, identifies at‑risk students, and implements timely interventions to improve retention and persistence outcomes.
• Develops and facilitates workshops, programming, and outreach initiatives focused on student success, transition, and engagement.
• Collaborates with academic advisors, faculty, and student services to coordinate comprehensive support strategies.
• Tracks and reports student engagement, outcomes, and program effectiveness to inform continuous improvement efforts.
• Maintains accurate and confidential student records in compliance with university policies and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines.

• Develops and implements programs and initiatives that provide support to students in crisis, facing adversity, or belonging to underrepresented or minority populations.
• Interfaces directly with students by attending student programming events, advising student organization leaders, meeting one‑on‑one to discuss support needs, and gathering satisfaction feedback to implement into future student services initiatives and objectives.
• Collaborates with staff in own department and other departments, as well as academic and campus leaders, on shared student support goals, often coordinating funding to sponsor student programs and initiatives.
• Measures and evaluates the effectiveness of student support initiatives against projected outcomes; regularly prepares reports on the impact on students and the budget, and may present to stakeholders on effectiveness and to secure funding for initiatives moving forward.
• Serves on committees and performs student support research across the field of higher education and at peer institutions to identify and recommend best practices.
• Plans and coordinates communications for student support initiatives to ensure student participation, inclusion, and engagement.
• May provide guidance to other student support staff; makes process recommendations to the manager for improved delivery of service.

• Bachelor's degree in education, public affairs, public health, counseling, social work, business, or related field.

• Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Social Work, or a related field.

• 2 years in student services, higher education, social work, counseling, law, or a related field.

• Experience working with first‑year, first‑generation, or specific student populations.
• Experience in student success coaching, retention initiatives, or case management models.
• Familiarity with financial aid, bursar processes, or student account navigation.
• Experience developing and delivering student success programming or workshops.
• Experience working in a higher education setting, particularly within student affairs or advising.

• Train…