Distance Education Advisor

The Company

At Unity, sustainability isn’t a buzzword. It’s the foundation of our entire approach and has been for more than 50 years.

We apply sustainability principles to everything we do, from our properties around the State of Maine, to our online degrees offered to students everywhere, to our enrichment experiences and entrepreneurial endeavors at locations from northern Maine to Arizona to Brazil.

Engage with Unity College and you’ll start to ask tough questions, challenge the status quo, and envision new possibilities. If taking the lead in creating a more sustainable future sounds like the future you want, we can make it happen.

The Position 

The Distance Education Advisor will oversee retention, registration, academic planning, and advising for students in the Distance Education Strategic Educational Business Unit (DE SEBU). Their primary responsibility is to provide academic advising while meeting retention goals and functions as the primary contact for a set of students.

The Advisor provides student support through academic planning, communication, and outreach to students, as well as providing resources and tools for success. The Distance Education Advisor maintains accurate records and must also have knowledge of financial aid and billing processes as well as attend regular trainings. Advisors will also support the Concierge recruitment efforts as needed.

• Review student files to make sure that students are on track for success.
• Ensure satisfactory academic progress through graduation.
• Oversee the advising processes and register assigned students.
• Ensure positive student experience and academic success.
• Serve as the primary contact for the day-to-day relationships around retention and advising.
• Commitment to helping students achieve their academic and career goals through connecting them to appropriate campus resources as needed.
• Carry a portfolio of a minimum of 150 registered students at any one time.
• Cross-train to provide support and backfill for Distance Education Concierges during high demand periods.
• Register students for upcoming terms to ensure they stay on track for graduation.
• Reach out to students regularly through phone calls, emails, and effective technologies as part of the student support process.
• Work with Unity College student support resources on behalf of students as necessary.
• Work with Distance Education staff and leaders to develop strategies for effective advising and retention efforts.
• Ensure students are successful in their courses by providing them with resources and tools to succeed.
• Create and maintain academic plans for students through graduation.
• Collaborate with the program faculty, Vice President of Distance Education and other Distance Education Academic staff on student learning issues and scheduling needs.
• Meet or exceed retention goals, which are set annually.

Please see the attached job description for a full list of roles and responsibilities.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess a bachelor’s degree in a related field or comparable work experience and have

• Experience in college student advising; ideally experience in advising online programs.
• Valid Maine Driver’s License with a good driving record.
• Excellent initiative and organizational skills with ability to work both autonomously and in a team.
• Great time management skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability and willingness to work with students from diverse political/socioeconomic backgrounds and a wide range of physical and academic abilities.
• Good skills in word processing, spreadsheets and computerized database systems.
• Personal commitment to the environmental focus and mission of the college.
• Ability to function effectively within a matrix organizational structure, maintaining open lines of communication while being discreet, courteous and well poised.

The Location 

As our distance education team rapidly grows, we have also acquired space at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine where our enterprise and distance education teams will be located. This position will be located at 49 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester, Maine.

Benefits

Unity College offers a generous benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, PTO, and a company match on our 403b retirement plan. Waiting periods will apply.

To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should click on the “Apply Now” button and submit a resume and cover letter.

At Unity College, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our students, and our community. Unity College is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.