Student Retention Specialist

Title: Student Retention Specialist

VP Area: Provost - UMW

Department: Academic Engagement & Student Success

Campus Location: Main Campus

Advertised Range: Commensurate with experience up to $56,650

Job Summary/Basic Functions 

We have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Student Retention Specialist. The Student Retention Specialist provides support services for students to promote retention and academic success. This position will engage students with a variety of student services activities to promote progression toward graduation through ongoing partnerships with multiple student success offices. Additionally, the Retention Specialist is responsible for providing retention support including coaching, mentoring, and academic and success skills to both an established caseload of students as well as the larger university community in order to promote student success and retention. The work of the Retention Specialist will be driven and measured by the university’s established retention goals and regular assessment will measure progress to goal completion.

This individual will collaborate closely with the Financial Aid Counselor to actively support the strategies and tactics outlined in the Pell initiative grant project to enroll, retain, and graduate low-income students and to demonstrate and document UMW’s progress toward meeting the measures defined by the Pell initiative.

Required KSAs/Competencies/Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the KSAs:

• Knowledge of best practices in student retention programs
  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction
  
• Ability to collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions

Required Experience:

• Experience developing, implementing, and assessing comprehensive academic support programs.
  
• Experience working in a higher education setting, preferably at a two-year or four-year institution.
  
• Experience supporting diverse student populations, including first-generation, geographically disadvantaged, and academically at-risk students.
  
• Experience collecting, analyzing, and applying data to inform student retention strategies and program improvement.

Additional Considerations:

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a student-centered environment
  
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills, particularly in working with faculty, staff, and administrators
  
• Familiarity with student success technologies (Maxient, EAB Navigate, Slate or similar platforms)
  
• Understanding of challenges facing geographically disadvantaged student populations

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position. To be considered for this position a state application must be received through the online employment system at https://jobs.umw.edu/.

Selected candidate(s) must successfully pass a criminal history background check. Employment verification will be conducted to include current/previous supervisory employment reference checks. Other financial, credit, driving, background checks or completion of Statement of Economic Interests may be required for certain positions. For more information, please visit http://ethics.dls.virginia.gov/.

The University of Mary Washington is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status. We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.