Job Description

Reading Area Community College

Location: Reading, Pennsylvania
Category: Academic Advising – Recruitment and Retention


Job Description

Reading Area Community College (RACC) is an accredited, comprehensive, open-enrollment education institution that provides the following: Associate degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs; career-focused training; transitional coursework; skills training for business and industry; personal enrichment programs and public service activities. Sponsored by Berks County, the College provides affordable access to meet identified community educational needs.

Students from every age, race, religion and many different countries throughout the world choose to study here. Those who are seeking degrees at the college are attracted to programs like nursing, respiratory care, criminal justice and business. Other people pursue individual courses to brush up on a skill or interest, or pursue certification in a variety of subjects. The Community Education/Workforce Development division offers programs like dental assisting, home health aide and GED preparation.

The College plays an important part in the business community as well. The Schmidt Training and Technology Center provides training in senior leadership, manufacturing technology, information technology, workplace readiness and workplace literacy. RACC also partners with other community organizations to enhance the economic vitality of the city and county.

The College is proud to meet the federally defined threshold to be designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). In support of its student success goals, RACC uses an integrated approach to advising and tutoring services.

 

Job Posting Title: Connection Coach (Bilingual: English/Spanish)

 

Job Description Summary:

The goal of Reading Area Community Colleges Title V Nuestro Próximo Paso is to catalytically transform the institution by Reframing Enrollment and Advising through the implementation of coaching, proactive advising, and early interventions while simultaneously Reframing Curriculum and Instruction through the implementation of guided pathways, improved gateway course instruction, and development of a Learning Commons.


The Title V Connection Coach as part of the Title V team plays a key role in successfully onboarding new students from the point of application and promoting a positive learning experience through their first year, in an effort to meet student retention, success and completion goals of the college. The Connection Coach provides registration assistance, support, advisement and connections to college resources, aimed at motivating and engaging new students in order for them to be successful. The Connection Coach seamlessly hands-off students to academic and/or career coaches after the first year.

 

Job Description:

Description of Duties and Tasks

• Register and Onboard cohort of students and coach them through the process of being a first-time student
• Provide advising to students, including non-advisees, through walk-in times in office and at targeted special events such as New Student Orientation, Accepted Student Days and Welcome Week Activities
• Assist students with identifying, planning for, and overcoming potential obstacles in the placement testing, registration, financial aid, and technology processes and procedures
• Assist students with setting goals and defining steps in education and career planning for the first year
• Maintain advising log or case management files to track contact hours, issues and outcomes with appropriate documentation
• Monitor student progress toward goals and assist students and instructors to problem solve issues that arise related to progress towards academic goals, persistence,attendance, and completion
• Explain the processes for interpreting transfer credits, prior learning assessment, satisfactory academic progress (SAP) and other credit and financial issues for students
• Review and stay current on curriculum requirements and policies impacting students, including meta majors and guided pathways
• Provide targeted outreach and hold meetings (including remote/online) with students flagged from the Early Alert program, with a focus on identified at-risk populations and LatinX populations
• Create and conduct workshops and information sessions and develop / distribute materials as needed to support student success
• Develop printed and on-line resources such as first-year guidelines and financial literacy information to help students and their families better understand
• Participate in New Student Orientations
• Provide and/or procure bilingual service to monolingual and limited English- speaking program participants and/or their family members as needed to achieve the grant objectives
• Provide advising/coaching in both English and Spanish language when needed for an advisee and their family
• Work both collectively as a team and also independently with the ability to make well informed decisions in the best interest of each advisee
• Identify support that students need with a focus on goal setting, GPA recovery, study skills, test anxiety and stress management skills, time management, and connecting students to helpful resources
• Conduct workshops and hands-on training how to navigate through institutional technology and campus resources. Assess workshops and training sessions
• Meet enrollment and retention goals
• Provide monthly report on activities and initiatives
• Monitor student progress proactively, and conduct outreach to connect students to services
• Coordinate student referrals to departments or services to help them overcome social and economic barriers
• For online learners, counsel and advise students by phone, email, text and other available online technologies
• Attend staff meetings and trainings as required.
• Meet regularly with the Title V Activities Director and Task Force to inform of grant achievements, challenges, or needed support
• Other related duties as required.
  
  

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

Required:

• Bachelors degree required;
• 2-3 years experience in instruction and or student service and/or related field;
• preference may be given to those with experience as an academic advisor/counselor/recruiter or faculty member in a higher education setting
• Knowledge of and commitment to serving bilingual/bicultural student populations and others traditionally underrepresented in higher education
• Bilingual English/Spanish

 

Preferred:

• Bachelors degree in education, counseling, psychology or related field: preference may be given to individuals who possess a Masters degree
• Community College experience
• Experience working at a Hispanic Serving Institution (college or university serving 25% or more Hispanic students) preferred
  

 

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent communication and public speaking skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work well with people
• Excellent written communication skills especially in the areas of report writing and business correspondence
  

 

Technology Skills:

To perform this job successfully, an individual should be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Internet skills. Knowledge of Ellucian Colleague or other administrative software a plus.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, to sit and to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Annual Salary: $42,107 per year

Number of Openings: 2

Clery Act

As required by the US Department of Education, employees are required to report violations under Title IX and, under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), select individuals are required to report crimes. If this position is identified as a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified, trained, and provided resources for reporting.

Disclaimer

The above description is an overview of the job. It is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities of the job, nor is it an all-inclusive list of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Duties and responsibilities may change with business needs. RACC reserves the right to add, change, amend, or delete portions of this job description at any time, with or without notice. Employees may be required to perform other duties as requested, directed, or assigned. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made by RACC at its discretion to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job.


To Apply: Please email your cover letter and resume to
resumes@racc.edu for immediate consideration.

*Please mention you saw this ad on HSIJobs*

For more information, please visit our career opportunities page:
https://www.racc.edu/about-racc/career-opportunities/id-4398

*Please mention you saw this ad on CommunityCollegeJobs.*

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