Undergraduate Student Academic Advisor

Department: Col of Humanities and Soc Science

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: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Works with Minors check:  Yes

About the Department:

George Mason University's Department of Communication has a diverse and collegial faculty committed to excellence, innovation, community, and public service, fostering a supportive and welcoming environment for all. All department faculty participate in the life of our campus community, including career fairs, faculty functions, recruiting sessions, and other events. Located just 15 miles from Washington, D.C., we offer a broad undergraduate program, five minor programs, a vibrant MA program including strategic, health, and science communication specialties, and a highly ranked PhD program emphasizing health, science/environment/risk, and strategic communication. The Department also offers a graduate certificate in science communication. We serve a diverse population of undergraduate and graduate students who bring a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds to our classrooms. Additionally, the Department supports several co-curricular activities, including debate, forensics, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and a comprehensive student media program. The research life of the department includes both undergraduate and graduate research, and is reflected in the activities and outreach of its faculty, including those of the Center for Climate Change Communication, Communication, Health, and Relational Media (CHARM) research lab, Center for Health and Risk Communication, Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP) research lab, and the Pop Culture Lab. Finally, the Department hosts the biennial DC Health Communication Conference, as well as the annual meeting of the 4C Medical Society Consortium.

About the Position:

The Academic Advisor leads and manages the Department of Communication's undergraduate academic advising program, serving approximately 500 Communication majors and minors. This full-time position plays a critical role in promoting student success through individualized academic advising, development of advising programs, and student engagement. This student-centered role is responsible for designing, implementing, assessing, and continuously improving a comprehensive advising structure tailored to meet the diverse needs of our students. The Advisor will also assist students and faculty in understanding George Mason's academic policies and procedures, while actively researching and integrating new applications or technologies that can enhance advising services. This position plays a critical role in supporting student recruitment and retention, promoting timely graduation, and enriching the overall academic experience for Communication students at George Mason.

Responsibilities:

Academic Advising and Student Support

• Guide students in understanding academic policies, procedures, and graduation requirements;
• Create an advising experience that meets students where they are with patience and compassion;
• Foster a welcoming, supportive advising environment that encourages student persistence and success;
• Monitor student progress, registration activity, and academic standing to proactively address academic challenges;
• Conduct in-depth, one-on-one advising appointments and provide detailed follow-up communication to support course selection, degree planning, transfer credit, study abroad, internships, and career or graduate school pathways while maintaining confidentiality according to all local, state, and federal laws and/or requirements;
• Work especially closely with under 2.0 students, students on suspension, returning students, and students on probation and/or dismissal;
• Refer students to campus resources for additional support in areas like financial aid, disability services, mental health counseling, academic skills building, and/or study abroad;
• Act as a liaison and advocate for special populations including student-athletes, out-of-state students, and international cohorts (e.g., Mason’s 2-1-2 China Program);
• Learn to and use MicroStrategy and pull reports to maintain accurate counts of current students/alumni;
• Complete Patriot Connect and Stellic training;
• Attend MAAN (Mason Academic Advising Network) training to keep current on all George Mason policies;
• Provide each advisee following appointments with a review of what was discussed along with a copy of their current degree audit information;
• Maintain accurate, secure, digitized records of all student interactions, degree audits, and paperwork to ensure efficient access by relevant academic personnel;
• Use Stellic to streamline advising documentation processes to improve information retrieval and communication flow; and
• Schedule and distribute necessary and important advising information via multiple department-controlled channels, including social media, email listservs, department website, and communication student advising listserv based off email calendar schedule.

Program Management and Strategy

• Manage and oversee all aspects of the undergraduate advising program;
• Design, implement, and assess undergraduate advising and scheduling systems to ensure responsiveness to individual student needs and alignment with departmental goals;
• Participate in the department’s Advisory Council and participate actively in monthly departmental undergraduate program meetings;
• Attend monthly college-level meetings with advisors from other departments to stay informed on university-wide policies, updates, and initiatives;
• Attend monthly department faculty meetings; and
• Collaborate closely with the Undergraduate Program Director, Program Coordinator, Associate Chair, and Department Chair to address student concerns, resolve complex academic matters, including petitions, appeals, disqualifications, and graduation issues, and ensure consistent, streamlined communication across the department.

Retention, Engagement, Collaboration and Career Development

• Develop, revise, and distribute student-facing communication and marketing materials for brochures, newsletters, social media, website updates, etc., to promote advising services and departmental programs;
• Organize and lead new and transfer student orientation sessions, ensuring students receive accurate and comprehensive information about departmental programs;
• Along with faculty colleagues, represent the department at university admissions events and other outreach programs that support departmental growth and visibility;
• Participate in after-hours or weekend events as needed (with the ability to flex hours);
• Create communications and maintain outreach to admitted and “intent to enroll” (IE) students to help direct them towards enrolling;
• Counsel students on co-curricular and resume-building opportunities such as the Comm Ambassadors, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), academic minors, internships, study abroad, and graduate programs at George Mason; and
• Serve as a proactive resource for students navigating academic and career decisions, and work with/refer students to career services and any other appropriate connection.

Special Projects

• Perform special projects as needed, mostly related to recruitment and retention.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree (any field), or an equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Generally, a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in academic advising, student affairs, or related field;
• Knowledge of academic advising best practices, university policies, and graduation requirements;
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, including active listening and the ability to effectively engage with students from a wide diversity of backgrounds;
• Strong writing skills;
• Strong organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to manage a large, diverse caseload of students independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment;
• Ability to maintain a positive, service-oriented attitude with professionalism, flexibility, and creative problem-solving; and
• Proficiency in office technology and digital systems for advising, record-keeping, and communication.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Communication, Public Relations, Media Studies, or related field;
• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Communication, or related field;
• Experience with digital/online advising tools, such as Stellic, degree audits, student information systems, Banner, or CRM platforms (Salesforce);
• Experience developing advising systems, advising materials, and student resources;
• Experience working in higher education;
• Knowledge of Communication or related academic fields (e.g., Public Relations, Media Studies);
• Skill in using academic advising technologies such as Stellic, Banner, or CRM systems; and
• Ability to design and deliver orientation, recruitment, and retention initiatives.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Undergraduate Student 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 for review.

Posting Open Date:  September 2, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  September 29, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes