Associate Director of Undergraduate Student Support

Pacific University achieves excellence and distinction by investing in exceptional people to think, care, create, and pursue justice in our world. We embrace discovery in a close nurturing environment that leads to genuine transformation. Our community is diverse, sustainable, and dedicated to discovery and excellence in teaching, scholarship and practice.

At Pacific University we thrive in an extraordinary environment, surrounded by the beauty of the great Pacific Northwest, with campus locations in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, and Eugene. We humbly acknowledge and thank the original caretakers of the lands on which we live, work, teach, acquire and share knowledge.

General Description Of Position

• The Associate Director for Undergraduate Student Support, within the Office of Student Support (OSS), will provide direct intervention, case-management, and oversight of interventions for students facing significant barriers and challenges that impact their safety, holistic wellbeing, and/or success at the University.
• Will co-lead the university’s Care Referral System, our early alert intervention system, and Care Liaison Network. They will lead the Undergraduate Care Team, our multidisciplinary behavioral intervention team at Pacific and will serve as a core member of the Graduate Care Team and Threat Assessment Team.
• Fosters relationships and trust through prevention programming, outreach, and innovative support interventions to enhance academic success to specific undergraduate student groups (e.g., athletes, transfer, commuter, residential).
• Prioritizes marginalized college students’ needs through systemic and individual interventions, addressing the impacts of oppression, marginalization, social inequities, and trauma on their lives.
• The Associate Director for Undergraduate Student Support reports to the Dean of Student Wellbeing and collaborates closely with the OSS team, which includes the Associate Director for Graduate Student Support and Case Manager, to develop systems to support overall student retention and success.
  
  

Essential Functions/Major Responsibilities

• Engages in one-on-one meetings with students, case-management, and oversight of interventions to encourage personal development for students facing significant barriers and challenges that impact their safety, holistic wellbeing, and/or persistence and success at the University.
• Conducts individual risk and resilience assessments to assess resource needs, identify access barriers, collaborate with on- and off-campus partners to facilitate access to relevant resources, and monitor to ensure needs are met.
• Serves as a first-responder during crisis situations, including providing non-clinical assessment of students’ potential risk to self or others, formulating and implementing timely intervention plans to reduce risks, enhance protective factors, access resources, and maintain safety of the University community.
• Provides ongoing monitoring of at-risk students to track progress in area (s) of concern, and address ongoing and emerging concerns as they arise.
• Provides accurate and timely documentation of student meetings, communications, interventions, and consultations through the university’s approved software database (i.e., Maxient), in order to allow for continuity of care, to ensure compliance with legal and professional requirements, and to share information to fellow Care Team and Threat Assessment Team members on a need to know basis.
• Works closely with academic deans, directors, and faculty to collaboratively address student concerns and behaviors which affect the classroom environment.
• Represent the OSS and Care Teams by engaging in educational outreach, information sharing, and training to families, faculty, staff, and students based on campus requests and assessment needs data.
• Collaborates with campus stakeholders and works within institutional systems to identify, and address trends and gaps in needs, to inform policy revision and development to maximize student success outcomes, resilience, and retention.
• Maintains a referral database of on-campus resources, local social service agencies, and external resources to connect students to the appropriate level of support and to ensure basic needs are met (i.e., addressing food and housing insecurity, financial support, insurance and medical needs, legal aid).
• Collaborate with the OSS team in the procurement of assessment data that informs the development and review of the office’s policies and procedures and new programs, services, and communication strategies to respond to students in need.
  
  

Secondary Functions

• This position may work with students on an on-going basis, providing support, guidance, training on life and personal skills, academic tools, and other proactive interventions, but will not provide confidential clinical, counseling, or therapeutic care. All confidential counseling services at the University are provided by the Student Counseling Center.
• Although this position is primarily responsible for undergraduate student support initiatives, they are still expected to serve and advocate for graduate student success, as needed.
• Serve on the Student Affairs On-call System with other professional staff members. This requires availability to respond after hours and on weekends to critical campus situations.
• Serve on University, Divisional, or departmental committees, task forces, and hiring committees, as needed.
• Contribute to strategic planning, goal setting, evaluation and assessment, and data-driven decision making.
• Occasional weekday evenings or weekend hours required for outreach programming.
• Support university events, including, but not limited to: Convocations, Commencement, Family Weekend, and events related to New Student Orientation.
• Participate in ongoing continuing education opportunities to stay current on best practices, trends, and research to contribute to the growth and development of the Office of Student Support. Annual professional development stipend provided when budget permits.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Job Scope

• Scope falls within Essential Functions described above
• No budget authority
• Performs position duties autonomously and under direct supervision of the Dean of Student Wellbeing. Decisions of significant consequence are made in consultation with their supervisor.
• Decisions are made within specific OSS policies and procedures, University policy guidelines, and in compliance with applicable laws, rules, and ethical standards.
• This is an in-person position with limited remote work that is only permitted with prior approval by the Dean of Student Wellbeing. The primary office for this position is located on the Forest Grove campus, but at times may have scheduled or as-needed office hours on the Hillsboro campus. This position will virtually serve all students regardless of location.
  
  

Supervisor Responsibility

Job has no employee/administrative supervisory responsibility

Required Education And/Or Experience

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Student Affairs, Higher Education, Occupational Therapy, or closely related field completed prior to start date.
• Minimum of three-years working in case management, a Student Affairs position in higher education, or closely related activity (i.e., such as mental health counseling).
• Demonstrated commitment and experiences effectively working with marginalized communities, with cultural humility and dedication to anti-oppression and social justice.
  
  

Preferred Criteria

• 3-5 years of experience in higher education managing student crises; including providing direct services to students in distress, case management, mobilizing basic needs, and making referrals to on- and off-campus resources.
• 1-3 years of experience leading innovative efforts to improve systems aimed at enhancing the student experience and improving retention and graduation rates.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a first-responder during crisis situations and/or training in conflict-resolution and de-escalation techniques.
• Experience in non-clinical suicide risk assessment, violence risk to others and/or threat assessment, risk management and violence prevention strategies in a university setting.
• Knowledge of higher education law (including Title IX, Clery Act, Campus SaVE and VAWA), federal regulations impacting students and student records (including FERPA, HIPAA, and Section 504), and current legal issues in higher education.
• Knowledge of mental health and well-being needs, student development theory and common presenting concerns typically encountered by college students.
• Experience using case management software and performing administrative tasks in databases.
• Ability to provide bilingual services to the campus community.
  
  

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Behaviors

• Demonstrates adherence to FERPA privacy standards and other pertinent legal and ethical mandates pertaining to all students, faculty, and staff.
• Proven experience and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; including continuous development of multicultural awareness through self-reflection on how their own culture, identity, biases, power, and privilege may impact their work.
• Proven ability to quickly build rapport and trust, work in a team, and establish collaborative relationships with diverse colleagues and students.
• Uses effective intercultural communication skills to listen, paraphrase, and ask questions while considering the individual’s age, developmental level, and body language with stakeholders from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to write in a clear and concise manner with few spelling and grammatical errors.
• Applies basic learning across situations, demonstrates critical thinking with an equity lens, and takes responsibility to resolve challenges when they arise.
• Demonstrates humility by asking questions, acknowledging mistakes, and seeking assistance and support from others.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, keen attention to detail, respond promptly, and work independently or collaboratively, upholding high integrity and ethics to support the University’s strategic vision and goals.
• Ability to support assessment initiatives, including needs assessments, outcome evaluations, and data analysis to inform strategic planning and quality improvements.
• Maintains appearance and personal conduct relevant to the employee’s particular job.
  
  

Working Conditions

• Typical office environment
• Occasional evening and weekend hours required.
• Ability to travel between our Forest Grove and Hillsboro campuses, as necessary
• Staff member is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (i.e., typical office environment)
  
  

Physical Activities

__Climbing __Balancing __Stooping __Kneeling __Crouching __Crawling __Reaching __Standing

__Walking __Pushing __Pulling __Lifting __Fingering __Grasping __Feeling _X_Talking _X_Hearing __Repetitive motion

Physical Requirements

_X_Sedentary work __Light work __Medium work __Heavy work __Very Heavy work __Visual acuity

APPLICATION: Please submit application materials electronically through Paycom, our Human Resources Information System. Your application should include a cover letter that addresses your relevant experiences, commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, curriculum vitae, and names and contact information for three (3) professional references.

TIMELINE: The Hiring committee will begin reviewing applications on Friday July 5th, 2024 and will continue to review applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Position start date as soon as possible.

If additional questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact the Dean of Student Wellbeing, Dr. Laura Stallings, at laurastallings@pacificu.edu.

At Pacific University we are dedicated to providing experiences that are authentic, holistic, equity minded, and responsive. We continue to develop our equity practices with a particular focus on racial equity.

For qualifying employees, our benefits include generous paid time off for vacation, holidays (including winter break) and sick leave. We offer medical coverage with alternative care (in-network services covered at 100% after payroll deduction), comprehensive dental, vision plans, 9% contribution to retirement after one year of service with no match required, free mental health appointments, and tuition remission for employees and their dependents. We cover employer paid life, short term disability, and long term disability insurance. On campus benefits include free access to our sports facility and library, with discounts on campus food, bookstore purchases, clinic services, and gear rentals through our outdoor program (kayaks, snow shoes, bikes and more).

Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Studies have shown that candidates that are female and/or BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet all of the qualifications they find in the job description. We are seeking the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be a person who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every minimum qualification described or are unsure if your experience could be considered related experience.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY

It is the policy of Pacific University not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion or religious creed, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military, veteran or Vietnam Era status, or any other protected classification recognized by applicable law, in admission, access to, or treatment in employment, educational programs or activities as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or any other applicable state or federal law, or city ordinance. Questions or complaints may be directed to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, 2043 College Way, Forest Grove, OR 97116, provost@pacificu.edu.

Application materials will be screened and interview candidates will be selected and notified by telephone. The hiring process normally consists of several interviews and can last several weeks depending on the position. All applicants will be notified once the position is filled. Employment is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.