Online Student Advocate (A)

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Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement highly proactive outreach services, with particular attention to retention and online student success.
• Provide online students with holistic onboarding support by developing plans for student success including training and empowering online students to understand their own degree requirements.
• Monitor student progress and performance through first two semesters.  Analyze problem areas, determine solutions and conduct intervention activities and processes focused on online students.
• Identify and successfully resolve online student concerns through prompt problem resolution and coaching, designed to improve student retention and decrease student melt.
• Demonstrate advocacy and commitment to student success and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by online students.
• Engage with new, first-year online graduate students to provide support needed for successful completion of programs, including but not limited to: residency, funding resources, financial aid, orientation, new student requirements, advising and program requirements, registration/enrollment, payment processes, accessibility resources, and ongoing success/retention.
• Answer and resolve service inquiries with regard to Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Office of the University Registrar, Student Information Systems, and other University-wide programs.  These inquiries may come from multiple modalities including but not limited to phone, email and chat.  Appropriate resolutions will include:
  • Correctly answering questions regarding policies and procedures for respective offices, particularly when these policies or procedures require anticipatory questioning to determine the fundamental issue and/or related issues.
  • Researching question or concerns as necessary.
  • Escalation of the concerns to the appropriate person or office as needed, including transfers when appropriate.

• Coordinate and work collaboratively with the Financial Aid Office, Registrar’s Office, and Student Accounts to ensure an excellent student experience. 
• Advise new online students on academic support resources and creates electronic/web resources for students.
• Follow-up with new students via phone, email, online/social media/chat and direct mail to properly onboard each student in attempts to decrease student melt.
• Assist students with the onboarding process and remain point of contact through first term.
• Build rapport and provide guidance for students towards persisting in a degree. 
• Consistently review students’ records to ensure they are informed of any missing official documents, requirements, and deadlines. 
• Think creatively and work with students/prospective students to solve problems and provide ideal solutions to their needs.
• Project a positive, friendly, professional experience, particularly when the issue is not easily resolved or requires lengthy explanation.
• Communicate effectively, including articulating potentially complicated topics to the student/prospective student in terms easily understood by lay people and using verbal/written feedback to ensure understanding has been achieved.
• Communicate effectively with other University personnel, including following up with faculty, staff and other stakeholders as applicable.
• Facilitate coaching appointments with students and follow up on interventions.
• Counsel students on conflict resolution strategies to resolve difficulties that impede their educational progress.
• Conduct regularly scheduled beginning and mid-semester advising with current students to ensure positive retention rates
• Make contact with every enrolled student prior to start of classes; provide feedback to appropriate Admissions Representative to ensure positive retention rates.
• Make daily retention calls and set appointments with potential readmits to meet weekly goals.
• Establish contact with potential graduate student candidates, assists students in the selection of appropriate courses and concentrations in terms of students' stated preferences. Initiate and maintain individual student files as appropriate, updating and