Assoc Dir for PES/MLK Advising

College of Liberal Arts Student Success

Associate Director of CLA PES and MLK Advising
Student Services Manager 2 - 9362AA

Salary Range: $83,000-$88,000

This role includes limited hybrid work options but requires a regular on-campus presence.

About the Job:

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Student Success unit at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is seeking an Associate Director of Advising for the President's Emerging Scholars (CLA PES) and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) programs. This role provides leadership for advising and student support within two signature programs in the college that advance equity and student success.

The Associate Director supervises professional academic advisors, advises students in the CLA PES and MLK programs, and works closely with the Director to plan, coordinate, and deliver high-impact advising and support services. As a key leader within CLA Student Success, the Associate Director plays an integral role in shaping the culture and practice of advising in the college, collaborating closely with fellow Associate Directors and campus partners to advance retention, timely degree completion, and holistic student success.

Successful candidates will be compassionate, confident, and solution-oriented leaders who bring a positive attitude, strong collaborative skills, and a demonstrated commitment to undergraduate education. The Associate Director is collectively responsible for ensuring exceptional student service and for advancing unit, collegiate, and university-wide goals related to student persistence and degree progress.

The CLA PES and MLK programs provide high-impact, community-centered educational experiences designed to nurture student leaders grounded in intersectional identity development, diversity education, equity, racial justice, and social justice. The Associate Director collaborates with campus partners to address the needs of historically underrepresented and underserved students, particularly first-generation and low-income students, and fosters an environment that promotes belonging, well-being, inclusion, and social responsibility.

Key Responsibilities:

• Campus Partnerships and Planning (40%)
  • Identify systematic barriers to equitable practices and collaborate with campus partners to create solutions that impact individual students and student services systems across the university.
  • Anticipate campus wide issues, research information needed to address concerns in CLA PES and MLK advising, and highlight opportunities to the relevant campus partners to ensure changes are made to provide consistent university-wide advising practices, enhance advisor credibility and prevent issues with student degree progress and retention.
  • Serve as a senior leader representing CLA PES and MLK advising on University wide committees and initiatives to ensure the retention of undergraduate students across the campus.
  • Expand the unit's presence and voice in university wide initiatives and decisions to ensure a wide range of perspectives are heard.
  • Collaborate with Student Success and Academic Support Resources to resolve student degree process issues to ensure that policies surrounding Liberal Education, residency, credit total, etc. are meeting the needs of the student.
  • Maintain knowledge of CLA and University Advising policies and procedures to advocate for and guide university and unit-wide decisions.
  • Identify the changing needs of all our student populations, anticipate the needs of future high school and transfer students, and proactively develop advising strategies and workflows to support those needs to provide successful transitions to campus.
  • Create, maintain and deepen relationships with campus partners to identify, address and resolve challenges for continuous improvement of student services.
  • Collaborate with University partners through AAN and the Advising Task Force to create university-wide professional development and training opportunities for advising staff in the unit.
    
• Strategic Administration and Operations (40%)
  • Deliver leadership, vision, and strategic thinking, alongside the Director, for CLA PES and MLK advising efforts.
  • Foster a workplace climate that is encouraging of respectful employees who celebrate differences, as well as to cultivate a learning environment for students that encourages personal development, self-reflection, and academic success.
  • Supervise and coach a team of advisors, support staff, and undergraduate peer advisors supporting staff with ongoing training through individual check-ins and team meetings.
  • Lead the development of unit goals and contribute to the overall strategic planning process..
  • Assist in strategic budget decisions and manage the budget for CLA PES and MLK advising.
  • Serve on the Assistant Dean's Leadership Team, contributing to strategic thinking about all aspects of student services, including advising, career services, scholarships, recruiting, curricular innovations, student affairs, information and data systems, communication, and outreach.
  • Work collaboratively with other Associate Directors of advising in CLA to ensure alignment with CLA advising best practices and processes.
  • Collaborate with the Office of Admissions and CLA's recruitment team to increase the admission of students of color through recruitment initiatives, pipeline partnership strategies with transfer students, and other outreach methods.
  • Manage a small academic advising caseload of CLA PES/MLK students, tracking their progress toward program completion.
  • Support advising staff during peak advising periods to ensure a high-quality, consistent, and accurate advising culture that is aligned with the university's mission to promote student success.
  • Develop and assess the procedures, mechanisms, and strategies for high-quality academic advising.
  • Provides consistent advising information to students through APLUS as well as across departments to ensure that all disseminated information is current and accurate.
  • Analyze and maintain student data, identifying retention and persistence patterns and other relevant information to help the unit make data-informed decisions regarding academic advising, its processes, and its outcomes.
  • Direct and implement policies and procedures within a fast-paced, multi-layered academic student success environment.
  • Coordinate probation review and degree clearance processes, ongoing advisor professional growth and development, staff hiring, training, performance review, and promotion processes.
  • Conduct analytic reviews of student records to certify students' academic standing in relation to academic probation, suspension, and degree completion.
  • Engage in University/Collegiate committees to develop relationships with other units and to further student development and university initiatives around equity, diversity and inclusion efforts
    
• Curricular and Programming (20%)
  • Assist in the development of comprehensive programs and services to enhance the academic and social success of underrepresented students with a focus on activities related to student and family engagement, retention, and graduation that align with CLA PES and MLK's strategic goals.
  • Collaborate with the director, CLA PES team and CLA Career Services in creating and delivering high impact practices that meet the criteria for students to receive their scholarship in their Senior year.
  • Develop, implement, and assess curriculum for CLA PES and MLK students, including first-year experience courses and immersion experience courses.
  • Co-lead instructor meetings for CLA 1005 & 2005 and MLK 1001 & 1002 on a weekly basis to stay abreast of concerns regarding the first-year experience.
  • Assist CLA Campus Life group for Multicultural and First Generation College Students seeking to develop a greater sense of belonging and professional development initiatives
  • Support the CLA PES and MLK Living Learning Communities that integrate academic, co-curricular, and residential experiences to enhance student engagement and success.
  • Work closely with the CLA PES Project Specialist in planning, scheduling and evaluating programs, events, and services.
  • Collaborate with the OUE CLA PES Central team and other units, departments, faculty and staff representing CLA PES in the broad-based promotion of events, programs, services and initiatives that impact first-generation, underrepresented and underserved students with intersectional identities.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree with at least eight years of relevant experience, or master's degree with at least six years of relevant experience.
• Three years of progressively responsible supervisory experience in higher education.
• Depth of knowledge in academic advising, student services, and student development.
• Significant experience working directly with underserved undergraduate student populations.
• Strong commitment to student and staff diversity, and experience cultivating inclusive working and learning environments.
• Experience in managing and resolving conflict, confronting challenges, and building consensus and successful collaborative teams.
• Tolerance for ambiguity, enthusiasm for innovation, and capacity to implement change.

Preferred:

• Master's degree or higher in higher education, counseling, or other field directly related to the position and at least six years of progressively responsible administrative experience in higher education, including supervisory or oversight responsibilities, that was collaborative, flexible, responsive, transparent, and accountable.
• Superior interpersonal and communication skills, and a proven ability to develop and maintain positive professional relationships with a diverse community of faculty, staff, and students.
• Proven ability to successfully manage substantial workload that includes multiple commitments, diverse constituencies, and competing priorities.
• Knowledge of student services at the University of Minnesota and experience with related advising structures and technologies.
• Experience with curriculum development and/or teaching.
• Experience with program evaluation, assessment, data analytics, and budget-driven decision-making.

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) at the University of Minnesota is part of a premier land-grant research university committed to excellence, and CLA's Student Success unit oversees academic advising, student support services, career services, student recruitment, and scholarships. The college spans the arts, humanities, and social sciences and prepares students to be independent and original thinkers, to be innovators in their chosen fields, to create meaning in their life's work, and to become productive citizens and leaders in their communities and the world. CLA is the largest college in the University of Minnesota, with approximately 13,000 undergraduate students across 31 academic units.

Pay Range: $83,000 - $88,000; depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment

Position Type: P&A Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

While our salary ranges provide a framework, it is important to note that most of the time, the initial pay may not reach the maximum of the range. This approach ensures that compensation reflects the value and unique contributions of each candidate while maintaining equity within our organization. As part of our commitment to fair and equitable compensation, please be aware that the salary offered to incoming candidates will be based on their individual credentials and experience.

Please submit your diversity and leadership philosophies along with your resume and cover letter to apply for this position.

Priority Application Deadline: 03/02/2026.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America's Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).