Academic Advisor

Department: Col of Engineering and Computing

Classification: Education Support Spec 3

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary starting mid $50k, commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The mission of the Cyber Security Engineering Department is to provide an outstanding education to our undergraduate and graduate students that emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior and integrity, and prepares them for successful careers and future academic work. Furthermore, the department fosters active, visible, and leading-edge research that advances the field of cyber security.

About the Position:

The primary purpose of this position is to perform academic advising for all current and prospective undergraduate and graduate students, and reply to general inquiries about undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the department. This position is responsive in facilitating students’ education, decision-making, and planning. The individual in this position represents the department in a professional manner and will act as a resource regarding the university and department’s rules and regulations while serving as a trouble-shooter and problem solver.

Responsibilities:

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Advising:

• Advises current undergraduate and graduate students in decision making and developing a plan of study consistent with students’ interests, desires, and abilities.
• Assists students regarding course selection, prerequisites, transfer courses, registration and overrides, career and/or educational goals, and general university rules and regulations.
• Coordinates processing of graduation applications.
• Ensures students meet departmental requirements toward degree progress.
• Acts and assists in trouble shooting and problem solving (failing, taking courses out of order, wanting advice on internships/jobs, etc.).
• Assists students in establishing or clarifying appropriate educational and vocational goals, assists with problems of social or personal nature, and assists in career decision making or making appropriate referrals.
• Communicates essential academic registration information.
• Acts as a liaison in communicating students concerns, problems, and issues to the higher management level.

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Affairs:

• Provides administrative support to students and faculty.
• Distributes information and assists in implementing and performing student support services tasks.
• Assists in coordination of efforts to organize departmental functions for students, including events such as orientation or faculty-student advising meetings.
• Participates in university wide programs and events related to undergraduate and graduate students such as admissions, orientation, advising, graduation, and other social and networking events.
• Assists and functions as a liaison between students, faculty, management, and administrative agents in understanding the programs, and university rules and regulations.
• Assists and performs the oversight of operations related to student records, graduation, and student recruitment functions.
• Generates correspondence in communicating with students, faculty, and other administrators in writing and via e-mail, or other communication means in response to students' and other constituent’s inquiries in fostering student success as needed.
• Assists in program function and operations.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Some experience in related activities (i.e. mentorship, advising, educational support).
• Teamwork: Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers and effectively handle conflict situations.
• Communication: Ability to create open channels of communication; to express ideas clearly and concisely; to keep others well informed in a timely manner; and to listen carefully to input and feedback.
• Customer Driven: Ability to provide outstanding customer service to both internal and external customers by considering how actions or plans will affect customers; and ability to follow through on responsibilities to customers.
• Initiative: Ability to identify and initiate actions to support the mission and objectives, and to resolve or avoid problems;
• Integrity: Ability to maintain responsible and honest behavior in all roles, tasks, and responsibilities.
• Safety and Computer Security: Ability to follow safety policies and procedures; identify and correct safety hazards; ability to follow general university policies and procedures that are related to data stewardship and information technology security; and ability to safeguard sensitive and confidential data, both in electronic and physical forms.

The following training/updates are mandatory and provided by Mason: (1) Title IX Overview and Sexual Harassment Prevention - annually; (2) Equal Opportunity: A Fair Shake - biennially; (3) Ethics - biennially; (4) FERPA.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field.
• Considerable experience in related activities (i.e. mentorship, advising, educational support).
• Teamwork: Required listed above, plus the skill in maintaining and communicating enthusiasm, commitment, and energy.
• Communication: Required listed above, plus the ability to establish good interpersonal relationships by helping people feel valued and included in discussions.
• Customer Driven: Required listed above, plus the ability to respond with appropriate urgency, flexibility, courtesy, and good judgment to meet customer needs and resolve problems.
• Initiative: Required listed above, plus the skill in maintaining high credibility to accomplish objectives.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Academic Advisor at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume.

Posting Open Date:  March 3, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  March 17, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes