TBR | The College System of Tennessee

Title: Relational Advisor

Pay Rate: $43,570 - $53,760/per year. Pay will be determined based on related work experience above required. To be considered in determining pay, all related work experience must be listed on the application.

Number of Positions: 1

Position #: 101230

Classification: 3m on-campus mobile

Type of Appointment: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt

Required Documents Needed to Upload at Time of Application:

·    Resume

·    Unofficial Transcripts

·    Three Professional References (See below)

Reference check requirements:

​ Non-supervisory roles: three (3) current or former supervisors

 Personal references (friends, clergy, customers, relatives) are not considered acceptable references

Job Summary: This is a grant-funded position that will manage and implement the relational advising efforts at the Hardin Valley and Blount County campuses of Pellissippi State. The position will supervise peer mentors who will provide supplemental support to specific student groups such as probation students and STEM majors. The position will also provide advising support for a caseload of business and general degree students at Blount and Hardin Valley.

Essential Functions:

30% Maintain a caseload of students for advising purposes in Business and General majors

20% Serve as a resource person for faculty and staff as needed; clarify student issues and work with students, other advisors, administrators, faculty, academic deans, Financial Aid, Admissions, Records and the site campus deans to reduce barriers to student success and completion for the identified student groups.

15% Supervise and hire peer advisors to work with the student groups involved in the relational advising model.

10% Develop reports and maintain data associated with the required outcomes for the relational advising model.

10% Assist with training and updates on resources for advising all students.

10% Serve on college wide committees and taskforces as requested by the Director.

5% Contribute to the overall mission of the advising office by interacting with the student and academic affairs offices. Other duties as assigned.

Note: The College reserves the right to change or reassign job duties, or combine positions at any time.

Key Result Areas: Accurate and complete information provided to students on degree programs, course requirements, graduation and various other academic issues associated with completion and success of students with the goal of reasonable time to degree with the least amount of cumulative attempted hours; Providing academic advising support to faculty and various administrative staff in the form of training and information updates.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred.
• 3 years experience in higher education required. Experience in advising, counseling, or a related area is required. Supervisory experience preferred.
• Advisors are required to complete at least 25 hours of initial training as well as 15 hours of supervised or observation work with a full time advisor. Three years of experience in advising usually provides the acquired skills to be performing at a optimum job level.

Part-time work experience is calculated at 50% of full-time experience.

Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of college policy regarding academics, including learning support, testing and retesting, withdrawal processes, progression requirements, graduation and exception practices.

Knowledge of academic programs and requirements.

Proficiency in the use of electronic information systems.

Good public relations skills.

Good problem solving skills.

Good critical thinking skills.

Ability to work independently with minimal supervision to establish goals and objectives and set work priorities.

Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships.

Ability to maintain confidentiality.

Understanding of federal laws governing student privacy.

Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with students, faculty, and staff

Able to engage in the college’s mission and values.

Complexity & Creativity:

The main responsibility of this position is to assist students with their success in college.  One of the most important pieces to a successful college experience is an academic plan.  Because the community college student has a unique set of characteristics when it comes to life and school, advisors need to be able to think through problems with scheduling and time management while helping students create viable pathways to reaching their higher education goals. 

The person in this position will also need to be able to help students realize when the answer to a question may not be the answer the student wants. It is critically important that an advisor be willing and able to deliver unpleasant news in a diplomatic way.

As the enrollment for the college continues to grow the challenge of providing quality advising services with reduced funding will require all members of the college to think about new ways to empower the students and provide support for them on their educational journey. Measuring the effect of advising on completion and retention will be a critical component going forward. The question will be how and when to measure both outcomes, and how to utilize the data for future planning.

This position is also responsible for completing the mid-year and annual reports for the Grant. This includes being able to maintain data and explain the interventions and their outcomes.

Magnitude of Impact: The consequences that can occur if the person in this position does not have the knowledge to perform the job or does not use sound judgment will affect not only this department but other departments in the college and the students.  Because this position involves all aspects of a student’s collegiate career the person must know policies, the degree programs, advising, articulation, transfer and many other areas in order to give good information and advice to the student, and need to be willing to find the information if it is not readily available.  If this does not happen, then we have wasted the students’ time, money and energy.  We have also wasted faculty time, created more work for other offices and damaged our reputation with other institutions and the community.  Failure to use sound judgment in this position not only impacts the reputation of the individual, but also the college’s retention rate and student’s lives and futures; it diminishes confidence in the college’s programs and negatively impacts the integrity of the college’s academic offerings.

Responsibility for Accuracy: Typical errors include incorrect courses being recommended for a particular degree program; missing requirements that affect graduation; not understanding policies and procedures in academic affairs or admissions and records; errors may not be caught before the student has already delayed their completion or enrollment. This position requires knowledge and application of that knowledge at a level that does not have immediate validation. The responsibility for accuracy is directly on the employee. Shoddy performance can be detrimental to the reputation of the department as well as the college itself.

Financial Impact: Advisors do not work with material assets.

Judgement & Decisions: Advisor decisions are not reviewed by another approver. Advisors make and are responsible for decisions about student’s academic plans, registrations and graduation eligibility.

Nature of Contacts: To provide and receive information; to discuss issues, problems or questions; to provide and acquire understanding of various procedures and policies or implementation of them; to negotiate, persuade, and resolve conflicts with students and staff/faculty/admin.

Full-time Employment Benefits:

​• Insurance Options Health, dental, vision, life, short/long-term disability, FSA/HSA Wellness Incentive Program, if​​enrolled in health plan

​• Educational Assistance Fee Waiver Spouse/Dependent discounts Audit/Non-Credit Reimbursement Program

​• Employee Assistance Program

• Retirement options Tennessee traditional pension plan option (TCRS) 401k with $50 company match/457/403b

• Employee Discount program with over 900+companies

• 13 Paid Holidays/Year Includes paid days off the last week of December

• Sick Leave Bank

​• Longevity Pay

• Many opportunities for professional development

Special Instructions to Applicants: To be considered for a position at Pellissippi State, you must create an on-line application. Your skills, abilities, qualifications, and years of experience will be evaluated using only what is recorded on your application. Work experience that is not listed on the application will not be considered towards qualifying and/or compensation. Please note: attaching a resume does not substitute for completion of the application form. Part-time work experience is calculated at 50% of full-time experience. Please note: to scan, upload, or attach documents, a computer and scanner are available at the Hardin Valley Campus Educational Resources Center, if needed.

Pellissippi State Community College is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA employer

If you have any problems or questions please contact Human Resources at Pellissippi State Community College’s Human Resource Office at 865-694-6607 or by email at recruiting@pstcc.edu.

If you are interested in this position, click on the link to the left to apply.

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