Position Summary
This position is part of the College of Arts & Letters Academic Operations Functional Team that provides undergraduate and graduate academic support for multiple departments, units, and degree programs in the College while supporting the student success mission, including course scheduling, student enrollment services, graduate degree guidance, and program management; interacts with administrators, students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders in order to represent the departments, centers, and programs in a professional and confidential manner; participates in building relationships with students, faculty, and colleagues to grow the connection with the College and MSU; problem solves and acts proactively, handling diverse and multiple tasks and effectively prioritizing work individually and as a team. Duties include but are not limited to:
General support
•Engages with department/unit stakeholders to support needs and inquiries
•Supports the student success mission for graduate education and research
•Communicates directly with the other functional teams on behalf of the unit and stakeholders
•Supports and enforces unit academic practices to align with CAL and MSU policies and procedures
Graduate Student Affairs
Admissions Support
•Engages with prospective students regarding admissions, related academic programs &services, and acting as first or second primary contact for the program(s) at large
•Point of contact for the online admissions database (Slate); provides guidance to the Associate Chair and/or Director(s) of Graduate Studies.
•Compiles admissions data and provides reports for multiple graduate programs
•Coordinates graduate application process through Slate, including creating and maintaining unit specific application workflow process (bin structure), facilitates review of an applicant's sufficient candidacy, gathers appropriate data and documents for committee review including (official) transcripts, communicates with applicants throughout the admissions process, and guides accepted applicant through the matriculation process.
•Liaise with the Graduate School and the Admissions Office to develop effective admissions practices (Plan specific: MA, MFA, PhD, and Certificates) through Slate that work best for the academic department, but also maintaining graduate program autonomy in the process.
•Liaise with the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) regarding international applicant’s visa eligibility, work eligibility, visa status, documents and resources.
•Coordinates graduate recruitment with the Graduate Program Director regarding: campus visits, fellowship funding, recruitment funding and assistantship opportunities, university-wide fellowship programs, and other recruit incentive opportunities.
Degree Plan Guidance
• Performs graduate program degree audits, including course directives (appropriate course plan and requirement association), confirming curriculum alignment and requirements, making subplan changes, specializations, dual graduate degrees, degree milestones, etc., and working with graduate advisors, graduate program directors, and students to get students ready for degree conferral.
• Partners with graduate students, advisors, and graduate program directors to identify, track, and record other co-curricular requirements of the Graduate School, including Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and GradPlan expectations.
• Monitors graduate student progress in GradPlan and Academic Progress, making sure students have completed or audited aspects of their degree requirements, and working with students to complete their process responsibilities that route to graduate director/committee for approval.
• Coordinates with the graduate program director on departmental degree clearance process and confers unit level completion; processes graduation semester changes.
Graduate Program Support
• Supports enrollment management and academic plan alignment (doctoral credits, master’s thesis or research credits, credit alignment with comprehensive exams, and credit application within plan status) for graduate students in conjunction with the program(s) mission and vision for student success
• Triaging student affairs and personal needs’ issues that arise, providing resources and avenues for redress to help students succeed in their academic programs, as well as assist programs maintain academic standards and retention efforts.
• Primary manager of student academic records including assistantship, funding, academic plan, course, milestone, and examination data
• Expert resource for graduate student needs including programmatic and funding situations, college graduate education opportunities, and University policies and procedures
• Creates and provides guidance over the graduate assistantship process, including writing offer letters, assessing assistantship level of support, compliance with GEU specifications including stipend calculations, and ensuring equitability in alignment with college guidelines and procedures.
• Creates and maintains Graduate Handbooks and procedural documents pertaining to graduate students education with the Graduate Program Director
• Creates and maintains graduate education data and reports that support the tracking, funding, status, and placement of graduate students and related programmatic information
• Coordinates with Associate Chairs and Program Directors of Graduate Studies by providing information and ensuring completion for graduate students regarding paperwork and policies; such as Administrative Action forms, Independent Studies, Waivers, Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities (GSRR), Academic Programs for Graduate Education, GEU requirements and updates, Readmissions, and Transfer Credits.
• Supports cross-functional team communication and assignment of graduate student office assignments, needs, technology, access, etc.
• Supports the scheduling of graduate comprehensive exams, dissertational proposals, and dissertation defenses
• Serves as the continuity and institutional knowledge resource of the unit, providing contextual and historical perspectives of how graduate programs have operated over time in a reality of revolving graduate program director leadership.
Program Support
• Provides academic administrative support for the Associate Chair(s) and/or Director(s) Graduate of Undergraduate Education and Graduate Studies
• Serves as primary academic resource for unit(s), students, & programmatic info and needs
• Collects, interprets, and disseminates information related to undergraduate and graduate programs and departmental policies; advises the Associate Chairs, Directors of Undergraduate Education and Graduate Studies, and the students.
• Processes [major] plan changes for programs and students and verifies curricular and academic requirement alignment
• Responds and pulls standardized student & program-centered data requests for the unit, administrators, & faculty; such as enrollment counts, major & minor numbers, course data, etc.
• Maintains student and programmatic data from university systems and independently creates reports for unit administrators, faculty, and stakeholders
• Provides navigational support for multi-system student needs within Campus Solutions, Registrar’s Office, D2L, Central Human Resources, Slate, etc. that affect their funding, academic records, appointments, course enrollment, etc.
Funding Support
• Directs information to graduate students and Graduate Program Directors regarding funding and awards availability from the college, Graduate School, and University.
• Coordinates with the Office of Financial Aid, Student Accounts, and Central HR on aid eligibility, cost of attendance increases, award status, late fees, proper plan coding, tuition waivers, health insurance, residency status, and other issues as they arise.
• Collaborates with cross-functional finance & human resources teams to track & ensure accuracy of graduate assistantship lines, including semester variability, summer specifics, etc.
• Processes fellowships and unique awards for tuition, travel, emergency funding, summer funding, department and college specific awards, research, and recruitment funds.
• Tracks Graduate Office Funds (GOF) for assigned departments, units, and programs.
• Tracks and ensures accuracy of additional GOF funds for the MFA Tuition Pool program for the extra required programmatic course credit
Scheduling/Enrollment Support
• Supports the course scheduling processes; assists in facilitating the upcoming AY scheduling process, audits schedule, cross-references scheduling data and information, provides guidance and feedback, inputs schedule data into Campus Solutions, tracks changes, triaging class request changes, and maintains schedule documents and associated data
• Assists with enrollment management; processes drops and adds including block enrollment, overrides, permissions, clarifying student eligibility and records, grants graduate level permissions, credit changes, and special program enrollment needs
• Assists and schedules Study Away/Education Abroad/Internship programs & Experiential Learning Opportunities
• Performs linking of instructors to courses in Campus Solutions and navigates multi-system hiring/appointment timelines
• Collaborates and communicates with unit administrators, advisors, and stakeholders on scheduling and enrollment needs and practices
• Processes (previously owned Registrar’s Office (SIS) functions) in Campus Solutions such as: new student orientation seat reserves in conjunction with advisors, honor sections input and coding, class associations (combining classes/cross-listing classes), enforces academic governance process (curricular vs schedule changes requests), and classroom support
Minimum Requirements
Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired through the first two or three years of college, such as an Associate's degree in business, education, higher education, psychology, business or a related field which corresponds to the area of employment; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in university/college/academic admissions or related administrative position; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Desired Qualifications
Experience in graduate affairs; familiarity with MSU processes and procedures; experience or knowledge of MSU payroll systems, course scheduling, Campus Solutions, reporting tools and EBS SAP system, Microsoft Office Suite; experience supporting administrators, triaging questions, working in an academic environment; ability to multi-task; understanding of what it means to work in a digital environment with collaborative tools; a self-starter who demonstrates a work ethic that includes proactive problem solving, ability to establish priorities, and meet deadlines; ability to work under pressure and adaptability to change; able to take initiative and work as part of a team; possess confidential, organizational, and communication tools; work orientation that includes problem-solving, teamwork and adaptability to change, focused on compassionate support and continuous learning.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.
Required Application Materials
Cover letter
Resume
Work Hours
STANDARD 8-5
Website
https://cal.msu.edu
Bidding eligibility ends September 17, 11:55 PM
