What are the responsibilities and job description for the Admissions Counselor position at Saint Martin's University?
The Admissions Counselor assists with first-year recruitment in a team centered environment. The Admissions Counselor is responsible for the outreach and recruitment of prospective students; review of applications for admission; communicating with and counseling students, family members, high school guidance counselors, and others regarding all aspects of Saint Martin’s University, including the admissions process, financial aid, and students’ credentials; managing recruitment territories; and assisting members of the admissions staff with a variety of recruitment and yield events. The position is strongly focused on providing excellent follow-through, customer service and communicating the educational and co-curricular opportunities available at Saint Martin’s University. The position is strongly focused on meeting the University’s undergraduate recruitment goals. The admission counselor is also responsible for meeting individual recruitment goals and for contributing to the overall recruiting goals of the Admissions Office.
Established in 1895, Saint Martin’s University is the educational mission of Saint Martin’s Abbey, a Catholic Benedictine monastery, whose members pray, work, and live together on the University campus. The physical beauty of Saint Martin’s 300-acre campus reflects the rich intellectual and spiritual nature of its presence in the Pacific Northwest.
Essential features of University life are animated by its Benedictine identity and its participation in the centuries-old traditions of Catholic intellectual thought and the search for truth.
Thus, the University honors students and guides them towards achieving academic excellence. Superior teaching is the expected norm. Rooted in the long tradition of the liberal arts, the University curriculum cultivates creativity and the ability to communicate and pursue ideas; critical thinking and independent inquiry; academic proficiency; the formation of sound ethical judgments; and service to humanity.
Reflecting the Benedictine virtue of hospitality, the University welcomes and, really, seeks students and employees not only from the Pacific Northwest, but also from other parts of the nation and the world at its main and extension campuses. Saint Martin’s treasures persons of all ages, religions, and nationalities as it encourages cognizance of diverse viewpoints and an appreciation of all cultures.
Ranked by Niche as the second (#2) most diverse private college in Washington State in 2020. Saint Martin’s is extremely proud of our student diversity. Our university treasures persons of all abilities, ages, ethnicities, genders, nationalities, orientations, races, and religions. In particular, we know that students educated in an ethnically diverse setting perform better academically and reap greater professional success than their peers from more homogeneous learning environments. We proudly celebrate that our student population is 51% undergraduate and 32% graduate students of color. We are committed to pursuing an employee community that reflects a similar, if not the same percentage.
Therefore, we intentionally encourage and request that members of historically underrepresented groups apply to join this community. All of us, from all backgrounds, are making a commitment to do and be better for our students, faculty, and staff.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential Functions & Responsibilities - Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include any of the following representative duties, knowledge, and skills. This list is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and duties performed by incumbents of this position. Employees are required to be in attendance and prepared to begin work at their assigned work location on the specified days and hours. Factors such as regular attendance at the job are not routinely listed in job descriptions, but are an essential function. Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following .
- Travel to designated territories and, through college fairs, high school visits, and other forums, develop an inquiry and applicant pool of first-year students from which the University can enroll an academically prepared and diverse class of first-year students; meet individual undergraduate recruitment goals and contribute, with other admissions counselors, towards meeting the University’s overall undergraduate recruitment and diversity goals.
- Present the University’s academic and support programs, admission requirements, and financial aid offerings to and maintain proactive communication with prospective students, families, high school counselors, and other community partners
- Perform comprehensive file review of student applications for admission to Saint Martin’s University and admit students.
- Serve in professional associations to increase visibility for the University and develop professional competencies.
- Assist with visits, virtual presentations/fairs, recruitment and yield events involving prospective students, families, guidance counselors, school groups, and community partners.
- Assist the Director/Dean in developing and implementing admissions activities directed at increasing first-year student enrollment as it relates to the effectiveness of first-year student recruitment activities.
- Assist the Director/Dean in developing and utilizing publication materials, marketing activities, and advertising media for the advancement of the college and its recruitment efforts; coordinate efforts with the Office of Marketing and Communications.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
COMPETENCIES
- A strong commitment to ethical and sophisticated higher education institution admission practices.
- Communicates effectively with department employees, prospective students and their families, and the public in one-to-one and group settings (gives instructions, information and responds to questions).
- Demonstrates strong organizational skills for coordination and overall management of programs and projects.
- Strong writing, communication, and interpersonal skills – including the ability to produce written documents with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation and grammar.
- Effective public speaking skills for group presentations.
- Building relationships through timely and effective email and phone correspondence.
- Commitment to utilizing social media.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Working knowledge of computer functions including word processing applications, e-mail, PowerPoint, web/internet, spreadsheets, virtual platforms and how to navigate student information databases such as Technolutions Slate CRM.
- Read about, listen to, and observe specific situations and articulate appropriate responses, including directives affecting staff activities, budget expenditures, and the organization of materials and communications.
- Must be capable of working in a stressful, deadline-specific work environment.
- Must be self-motivated, energetic, flexible and creative.
- Demonstrate strong multicultural knowledge, awareness, and skills needed to perform the tasks of promoting diversity and social justice.
- Must be supportive of a Catholic, Benedictine philosophy of education and be able to articulate and support the University’s mission statement.
REQUIREMENTS AND/OR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
- Relevant experience with public speaking, writing, and content/data analysis.
- Strong leadership, organizational, interpersonal and public speaking skills.
- Working knowledge of computer and online software applications.
- Must successfully pass a criminal background check.
- Current valid driver’s license and ownership of a vehicle is required ( mileage reimbursed for university activities).
- Flexibility to work evenings, weekends.
- This position requires extensive travel (a minimum six to eight weeks per year) including high school and/or community college visits, college nights and weekend college and virtual fairs
- Territories as assigned.
- Must possess a standard driver’s license and be prepared to operate a motor vehicle
- Experience with event planning specifically related to recruitment strategies.
- Experience working with diverse populations.
Desired
- Social media skills, including experience with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok
- Bilingual
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Work is performed in a standard office environment. Physical demands include:
- Ability to be mobile campus wide for appropriate business needs
- Moves heavy objects (50 pounds or more) long distances (more than 20 feet)
- Operates a variety of standard office equipment requiring continuous or repetitive arm-hand movements
- Reading, writing, speaking, hearing, standing, bending, sitting
- Learning and comprehending
- Requires visual concentration on detail
- Manual dexterity and precision required for keyboarding
- Must be able to sit for long periods at a time at a computer
- Must be able to concentrate on details and process complex information while experiencing frequent interruptions
- Must be able to communicate effectively with people at all levels under stressful conditions
