Director of Academic Support Services

Touro University California (TUC) is a private, professional, and graduate-degree awarding institution located in the greater San Francisco Bay Area city of Vallejo, California.  Established in 1997, TUC offers its 1,500 students an innovative education in one of several disciplines including osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, nursing, public health, and education. Nestled on 44 acres of the former Mare Island Naval Military Base and a proud member of the Touro College and University System (TCUS), TUC is passionate in pursuing its mission of educating caring professionals to serve, to lead, and to teach within a foundation of social justice.

Under the supervision of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, this individual is responsible for the day to day operations of the Student Success office.  This individual will design, deliver, and coordinate learning strategies and solutions for adult learners, collaborate in the implementation of student diversity and inclusion programs and resources, and oversee the process of providing accommodations to students with disabilities.

This person will work collaboratively with academic faculty and administrators to identify students who are experiencing academic challenges, evaluate their learning needs, and will develop student study strategies and learning plans. The Director will provide programming to all students who wish to enhance their study skills (i.e. study skills, time management, test taking, and other related topics) and will serve as a resource for faculty, staff, administrators and students to determine how best to provide support for a student(s) who is(are) academically struggling.  She or he will market available services within the Student Success office as well as document the use and assesses the effectiveness of these services.

Additionally, the Director will coordinate with the University Equity Officer to provide and implement student diversity and inclusion programs, initiatives, and services for TUC students.  This positon will assist in creating evaluation metrics to assess and demonstrate program success.

Finally, this position oversees the process of providing accommodations to students with disabilities.  As part of this responsibility, the individual will evaluate students for learning style preferences, study habits, techniques and skills, and potential learning disabilities and designs student specific strategies for improving study effectiveness and test taking skills.  When appropriate, recommendations will be made to the Associate Dean of Student Affairs for additional follow up testing or evaluation needs.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES: are those work assignments which are predominant, regular and recurring.

      Supervision and Management

• Development, management, and assessment of a comprehensive student success program with attention to the academic support and retention of highly motivated graduate students pursuing professional degrees.
• Supervise and direct all professional Student Success staff.
• Provide primary supervision of Tutor Coordinators in each college, act as the Alternate Supervisor for all Peer Tutors and Study Hall Monitors, and work with programmatic faculty to identify appropriate peer tutors, provide/supervise the training and direction of peer tutors.
• Design, implement, and incorporate findings of periodic assessments of Student Success services and conduct an annual evaluation of the Department’s contribution to the university’s Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs) and Strategic Plans.
• Maintain knowledgeable and up to date information on student trends as it relates to academic interventions designed to improve performance.
• Enhance awareness and marketing of student success services among students, faculty, and staff.
• Enhance partnerships with, and development of, community resources and referrals.
• Serve as a designated Campus Security Authority and Responsible Employee under the Clery Act and Title IX regulations respectively.
• Assist in coordinating university-wide and student affairs events including new student orientations, commencement ceremonies, and various programs as designated by the Associate Dean of Students. Additionally, support the management of the food pantry and other grant-related initiatives.

Learning Assistance for Students

• Identify the academic support and developmental needs of students and serve as an advocate for an inclusive learning environments.
• Develop and implement “early alert” systems and programs to identify and assess students who are academically at risk.
• Design individualized student study strategies and learning plans to help students to academically succeed. Monitor and follow up on individual student’s academic improvement plan progress.
• Design and provide various programs and class-based presentation on increasing academic performance including such topics as learning styles, time management, study skills, learning effectiveness, etc.
• Serve as Course Coordinator for the “Pathways to Success” and “Transitions” courses taught through Student Academic Success, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Student Diversity and Inclusion

• Coordinate with the University Equity Officer in identifying the academic, developmental, and equity needs of TUC underrepresented student populations, including but not limited to, students of color, first generation students, and LGBTQIA+ students.  Collaborate with the Officer to develop and implement programs and services to address these needs in order to help ensure student success.

Services for Faculty

• Consult with individual faculty who want advice on working with students who experience academic difficulties.
• Collaborate with academic program representatives on programmatic student academic success needs.
• Enhance awareness of Student Academic Success, Diversity, and Inclusion services among students, faculty, and staff as well as enhance partnerships with and referrals to community resources.
• Lead and coordinate learning assessment for the Division of Student Affairs.

Other duties may be assigned, including but not limited to serving on committees, work groups, etc.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES (if applicable): should reflect who the employee is supervising and what the expectations are.

• Supervision and training of Learning Specialist(s)
• Direct supervision of other Student Success personnel as the department grows
• Supervision Student Peer Tutor Coordinators
• Acts as Alternate Supervisor for Peer Tutors and for Study Hall Monitors

• Minimum of Master’s Degree, Doctoral Degree preferred, in Education or, a field of study consistent with the education of adult learners.
• 5 years’ experience in adult learning and assessment of learning disabilities
• Demonstrated experience in diversity and inclusion program development
• A record of success with assisting adult learners to improve their study effectiveness, time management skills, and test performance.

CORE COMPETENCIES: identify the behavior an employee is expected to demonstrate.

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Highly self-motivated with a positive attitude
• Ability to implement best practices within profession
• Ability to provide analysis and reports on program outcomes
• Attention to detail
• Microsoft Office Suite of programs
• Excellent customer service demeanor
• Ability to work cooperatively and productively with a diverse array of individuals and groups

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

LIFTING REQUIREMENTS:

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

VISION REQUIREMENTS:  Sufficient to read text in files, on monitors, etc.

TYPICAL NOISE LEVEL:  Office environment (mild/moderate)