Director of the Office of Academic Services and Institutional Support (OASIS)

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,sonography, and radiologic technology. Nestled on 44 acres of the former Mare Island Naval Military Base and a proud member of the Touro University System (TUS), TUC is passionate in pursuing its mission of educating caring professionals to serve, to lead, and to teach within their community.

Under the supervision of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, this individual is responsible for the day to day operations of the OASIS office.  This individual will design, deliver, and coordinate learning strategies and solutions for adult learners 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.  The Director will market available services within the OASIS office as well as document the use and assess the effectiveness of these services.

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 design 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 OASIS program with attention to the academic support and retention of highly motivated graduate and undergraduate students pursuing professional degrees.
• Supervise and direct all professional OASIS 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 OASIS 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 OASIS 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 TUC 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 supportive 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 presentations 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 OASIS.

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 OASIS 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 OASIS personnel as the department grows
• Supervision Student Peer Tutor Coordinators
• Acts as Alternate Supervisor for Peer Tutors and for Study Hall Monitors

QUALIFICATION(S): is the Education, Training and/or related experience needed by the person to perform the job.

• 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
• 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 the profession
• Ability to provide analysis and reports on program outcomes
• Ability to lead, develop, and support office personnel
• Ability to collaborate with others and promote a positive working environment within the office, division, and the greater university
• 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)