Associate Director, First Year Exploratory Studies (FYES)

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director of Advising and Student Success, the Associate Director for the First-Year Exploratory Students (FYES) Program plays a pivotal role in guiding undecided students through their academic and career exploration. This position oversees the administration, coordination, and execution of programming designed to foster student discovery, including the development and instruction of complementary courses. Additionally, the Associate Director will plan and facilitate workshops, oversee student onboarding, manage student block scheduling while advocating for course seat allocation, and provide academic advising to a limited caseload of FYES students as needed. As a key member of the College of Arts and Sciences (CoAS) Advising leadership team and a University-wide program liaison, this role requires strategic collaboration across departments to enhance student success.

The ideal candidate will be intellectually curious, deeply engaged with the breadth of the liberal arts, and eager to learn about unfamiliar disciplines. They will thrive in a dynamic environment that requires both big-picture strategic thinking and meticulous attention to administrative details. Strong relationship-building skills, creative problem-solving abilities, and a proactive approach to cross-campus collaboration will be essential for success in this role.

Essential Functions

Program Administration and Coordination

• Collaborate with Advising Director and other senior College staff to manage and grow FYES program as part of the College’s ongoing strategic plan.
• Oversee day-to-day operations of the FYES program, ensuring smooth implementation of initiatives and activities.
• Stay abreast of curricular changes in other schools and colleges that would impact FYES students.
• Initiate, develop and sustain strong positive relations with department leads and university stakeholders to ensure achievement of the mission and goals of the program and college.
• Build annual schedule and manage operations timelines, ensuring efficient course planning and execution of events and workshops.
• Develop freshman schedule blocks and manage the academic course scheduling process.
• Communicate with other departments/Colleges across the University to identify and advocate for class availability for exploring students.
• Proactively identify and resolve scheduling challenges.
• Manage FYES peer mentorship program.
• Review, monitor, and make recommendations to improve student retention and satisfaction using data collected from various resources such as student satisfaction surveys, new student orientation surveys, etc.
• Serve on standing and ad hoc committees, as assigned.

Teaching

• In partnership with College leadership and University stakeholders, design and teach FYES courses to facilitate structured academic discovery and self-reflection as well as introduce students to career planning and work environments outside the classroom.
• Teach Univ101, The Drexel Experience, a one-credit course that provides new students with resources and strategies for a successful transition to college life.

Workshop and Event Planning

• In consultation with Director of Academic Advising and other college stakeholders, develop and implement workshops focused on major exploration, academic planning, and student success.
• Collaborate with campus partners as needed.
• Coordinate workshop logistics and promotional strategy.
• Assess the effectiveness of workshops and events, making data-informed improvements.

Recruitment and Outreach

• Represent the Exploratory Student Program at on-campus recruitment events, such as open houses, admitted student days, and welcome week activities.
• Collaborate with Admissions, CoAs Recruitment, and other campus partners to promote the program to prospective students and families.
• Engage in anti-melt initiatives for incoming students; design and deploy academic interest surveys.

Advising

• Advise a small caseload of students, as needed.
• Help students navigate their options and make informed decisions about their academic paths.
• Connect students with campus resources to support their academic and personal development.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of Master's Degree in a related field or the equivalent combination of education and work experience. 
  • Please review the Equivalency Chart for additional information.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working in student-facing role within higher education.
• Strong organizational skills.