Job Description

Title: Student Success Coach

Position Type: Staff Full-Time

Days Per Week: Monday - Friday

Hours Per Week: 40

VP Area: Student Life

Department: Student Success and Retention

Location: Elon Main Campus

Student Success Coaches play a pivotal role in achieving Elon’s student retention, persistence, and graduation goals. By fostering strong interpersonal relationships and implementing data-informed interventions, Success Coaches encourage each student’s retention and persistence to graduation while enhancing each student’s holistic academic, social, and personal success. Success Coaches report directly to the Assistant Dean for Student Success and Retention while providing secondary support (and reporting) to the Executive Director of Elon’s Koenigsberger Learning Center.

Benefits of Working at Elon

As an Elon University employee, you’ll join an internationally acclaimed university with a commitment to fostering a thriving community. Ranked among the most innovative, creative and best-run universities in the nation, Elon’s personal approach to education extends to employees, whose growth, professional development and success is a hallmark of our training and advancement opportunities.

Elon University’s home is the charming town of Elon, North Carolina, a small, friendly community located a short distance from the beach and the mountains, and among the vibrant cities of Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham. In addition to the beautiful canopy of historic oak trees iconic to our campus, you’ll find boundless opportunities for family-friendly recreation, cultural events and outdoor activities. Hiking, water sports, fine dining and entertainment are just a few of the many happenings in the Elon area, making the region one of the nation’s premier travel destinations.

Employees at Elon enjoy a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes:

28 annual days off, including holidays and vacation.

Immediate tuition remission for undergraduate courses

Tuition remission for approved graduate-level courses after 12 months of employment.

Retirement plan with an 8 percent contribution from the university.

Immediate eligibility for health, dental and vision insurance, along with free acute care and lab services at our onsite Health & Wellness Clinic.

Free use of campus fitness facilities.

Free admission to musical and theater performances, guest speakers, religious and ethnic observances, recitals, art exhibitions, entertainment and our Division I Phoenix athletics.

Eligibility for tuition remission at Elon for spouses, qualifying domestic partners and dependents begins at two years of service. After two years of employment, eligibility begins for participation in the Tuition Exchange, a national scholarship exchange program that enables dependents to enroll in nationally recognized partner colleges and universities.

Elon values and celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and perspectives of our community members. As an equal opportunity employer, Elon’s principles of diversity extend to race and gender identity, age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of one’s identity. At Elon, our employees respect human differences, passion for lifelong learning, emphasis on personal integrity and an ethic of service.

Minimum Required Education and Experience

Master's Degree in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, or related field;

Previous experience in student retention management, advising, coaching, or a related role in a higher education setting;

Previous experience using student information systems and other technology tools.

Preferred Education and Experience

Coaching certification in academic success coaching, higher education coaching, college career coaching, or other related field.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of best practices in student support and academic pedagogy that supports students learning, retention, and holistic success;

Experience with basic data analytics and data visualization tools that allow for synthesis of complex data structures and reporting.

Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build strong rapport with students from diverse backgrounds;

Demonstrated organizational and time management skills;

Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Job Duties

• Retention and Graduation Focused Success Coaching Maintain a highly interpersonal and interactive caseload of students identified based on evidence-based factors linked to their personal retention, graduation, and overall student success at Elon. Provide initial outreach and on-going active support to identified students, including monitoring each student’s academic, social and personal progress while providing timely interventions to address barriers to their holistic success, retention, persistence and graduation. Collaborate closely with each student’s faculty, academic support advisors, student life advisors, and others that form the student’s Success Team. Maintain detailed records of student interactions and progress in the university's student information system. Coordinate with the Koenigsberger Learning Center to provide additional administrative support during periods of high need. Examples might include exam proctoring within the Office of Academic Accommodations & Accessibility, academic coaching support, facilitating Elon 1010 academic skills workshops, and other needs that may arise.
• Teaching, Advising and Campus Engagement Instruct one section of ELN 1010, a one-credit hour, first-year seminar course designed on a foundation of holistic academic advising and designed to assist as student’s transition into Elon. Success Coaches also serve as pre-major academic advisors to each of the 16-18 enrolled students until they formally declare their major. Instruct an additional one-credit hour course each year focused on student success. This may include an additional section of Elon 1010 with advising responsibilities or a separate course, to be identified by the Assistant Dean for Student Success and Retention. Collaborate with faculty, staff, and university departments in the creation and management of campus-wide programs and initiatives that support students based on retention and graduation related factors. Collaborate with faculty, staff, and other university departments to encourage practices that support holistic student development as well as student retention, persistence and graduation. Coordinate with the Koenigsberger Learning Center to assist with first-year registration services and support. Develop and deliver workshops, seminars, and programs aimed at enhancing student success and retention.
• Data Analysis and Technology: Collect and analyze data on student performance and success metrics. Utilize this data to identify trends, develop interventions, and improve retention strategies. Assist in preparing reports on student outcomes and program effectiveness for review by university administration. Establish expertise in the use of Slate for Student Success, including the ability to create reports, run analytics, and define queries for key partners on campus.
• Inclusive Community Building Community is foundational to Elon and a shared responsibility within our residential campus. All who work at Elon should demonstrate an understanding of and engagement with Elon’s foundational commitment to relationships, mentoring and collaboration in a close-knit residential community. We embrace the shared responsibility to foster inclusive excellence within a strong residential community. Accordingly, employees are expected to join together and build connections in activities that foster an active and engaged campus environment and engage in professional development to support the shared responsibility of enriching diversity, equity, and inclusion through meaningful relationships and mentoring at Elon. Employees are encouraged to, for example, attend or participate in campus activities such as College Coffee, Numen Lumen, campus cultural events, athletic events, continuing education, professional development opportunities and trainings, employee resource groups and other university-sponsored activities to demonstrate an active commitment to the Elon community.

Special Instructions to Applicants: Resume and cover letter is required to apply for this position. References are option at the application stage but would be required prior to an on-campus interview experience.