Student Support Services Advisor

Position Title

Student Support Services Advisor

Academic Affairs

Upper $40,000's

Washburn University

Review of applications will begin the week of January 5, 2026

The Student Support Services (SSS) Advisor provides comprehensive programming and individualized support to participants in Washburn's new federally-funded TRIO SSS program. The SSS program supports 140 eligible students evidencing academic need who are first-generation, low-income, or have documented disabilities. This role is responsible for advancing participants' academic success and personal growth and promoting a sense of community that leads to positive educational outcomes.

This grant‑funded position plays a critical role in achieving Washburn's institutional goals of increasing retention, academic performance, and on‑time graduation rates for participants and sustaining the success of the TRIO SSS program. This position is funded in full by a grant award.

Washburn University is a teaching‑focused, student‑centered, public institution located on the metropolitan setting of Topeka that has earned national recognition for its high‑impact programs for first‑generation students. Washburn has a student body of over 5,500 undergraduate, graduate, and law students, a significant and growing number of whom are first‑generation and Pell‑Grant eligible. The University has created educational pathways for all students to be successful and achieve their educational goals.

Washburn is dedicated to recruiting and retaining a dynamic faculty, staff, and student body, cultivating a robust learning and working environment, and offering competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, and a supportive culture.

• Advise a caseload of participants to place them in a position to thrive and to persist through graduation.
• Meet with participants to provide academic advising relative to their academic program or pathway, information on wraparound services that support student development, course scheduling, and other areas of educational counseling.
• Maintain familiarity with Washburn University regulations, policies, and degree requirements.
• Assist with outreach and recruitment efforts to SSS‑eligible students (confirmed incoming and continuing), attending campus events to share SSS resources and/or give presentations about TRIO SSS. Examples of SSS recruitment events could include resource fairs, admissions events, orientation events, etc.
• Assist with application review and processing while adhering to required participant guidelines.
• Assist with orienting participants to campus and provide referrals and resources.
• Conduct intake assessments and exit interviews with participants.
• Help participants create individual success plans and adhere to those plans.
• Monitor academic status, progress, and performance of assigned students, providing proactive, timely, and appropriate interventions and resource referrals.
• Follow up with students on academic progress, academic alerts, registration holds, under‑enrollment, credit completion, and other concerns.
• Develop, coordinate, and/or execute workshops and events for SSS participants on academic, career, financial, leadership, study skills, and wellness topics, etc.
• Identify, coordinate, plan and evaluate leadership, graduate/professional/law school and career development, and financial literacy opportunities for SSS students. May include participant day trips and overnights for events/workshops.
• Pursue professional development opportunities focused on improving academic advising to enhance knowledge and expand effectiveness as an advisor and on those opportunities focused upon TRIO SSS program regulations and services.
• Effectively use Navigate
  360 as well as Blumen to manage a caseload of students, maintain student records and detailed documentation of student contacts, perform data collection, and assist with data tracking and reporting to contribute to federal grant reporting requirements.
• Communicate/collaborate with faculty, staff, success coaches, and academic advisors to provide wraparound care for participants.
• Attend and…