• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $82,000 to $90,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Administration in the Biomedical Engineering Department (BME) within The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), the Senior Student Affairs Manager manages administrative and financial functions for the student population enrolled in the BME graduate and undergraduate programs.  

The incumbent is the key student-facing officer in the Department, facilitates and helps drive the Academic and Student Affairs Team, and is responsible for promoting an outstanding educational experience and building a strong sense of community within the BME programs.  This role includes primary responsibility for the orchestration and execution of a variety of academic- and career-themed student programming.  

The Senior Student Affairs Manager is responsible for management of the following functions: 1) Admissions. Oversees the graduate admissions, graduate and undergraduate registration, and other student affairs processes; liaises with graduate student applicants; and maintains graduate and undergraduate student database records and reporting; 2) Student Advising. The Manager advises the graduate and undergraduate student population and monitors academic progress, status, and preliminary graduation clearances; 3) Academic Planning. Oversees academic scheduling and curriculum planning; 4) Student Appointments and Graduate Financial Aid. Manages and ensures accurate and up-to-date student funding, appointment processes, and information; serves as key departmental resource on student financial aid and funding matters. 

The incumbent works closely with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Department, Chairs of the Undergraduate and Graduate Committees, faculty, advising center deans, and school administrators; interacts with various School and University units including the Registrar, Student Financial Services, Graduate Student Services, Career Services, Financial Aid, HR and Payroll.

Responsibilities

Admissions - 20%

• Assists in designing and implementing the admissions process to meet the School metrics, coordinating with faculty and review committees. 

• Manages the admission, registration, and other student affairs processes for the BME graduate programs (MS only, MS-PhD, and PhD, and other affiliated programs). 

• Manages and coordinates multiple screening processes such as in-person, telephone, and virtual interviews for selected students.

• Liaises with student applicants to address admissions and registration inquiries. Develops and issues related correspondence in a timely manner.

• Enters, updates, maintains, and provides reporting and analysis from the University?s systems on enrollment, registration, and course data.

• Plans, prepares, and oversees MS and PhD recruitment and interview events with faculty.

• Develops and manages enrolled student orientation.

• Maintain and update Departmental publications (i.e., brochures, newsletters, bulletins, etc.) and website as it relates to graduate admissions.

• Support yield activities to converge to the predetermined class size.

• Provide the periodic admissions reports and statistics to the admissions committee and leadership.

• Plans, arranges, and facilitates student-related events, coordinating with faculty, vendors, and purchasing.  Events include department events, new student orientation, graduation, student nominations and awards, town halls, and advising sessions.

Student Advising and Programming - 50%

• Support student onboarding activities, including admissions yield, orientation, and academic advising.

• Maintain a student database of advising notes, advisor assignments, and related documentation for all programs.

• Process OPT/CPT requests, assist students with maintaining visa status (F1 and J1).

• Address student inquiries in a timely manner.

• Advises and monitors academic progress for the BME student population. 

• Advises graduate and undergraduate issues on various aspects of their studies, including general degree requirements, academic planning, courses, and departmental policies of procedures, holding regular office hours and supporting open communication. 

• Meets with students individually, responds to their emails and phone inquiries.  

• Refers students to their respective faculty advisors to address electives, career-related questions, and other issues. 

• Monitors student progress, status changes, and performs preliminary graduation clearances. Coordinates thesis defense applications.  

• Tracks student progress through degree programs: core required courses, technical electives, Teaching Assistant requirements, Qualification examination, proposals, and defenses.  Coordinating the graduation clearances for the respective programs.

• Creates and utilizes student and alumni information databases. Maintains student records, information, and lists.  

• Compiles statistics for various government and university surveys. 

• Drafts and distributes communications to proactively inform students of Departmental schedules, policies, procedures, and other notices, and provides timely responses to inquiries and requests. Solicits student feedback and monitors class dynamics.  

• Serves as a liaison to other schools, offices, and department (GSA, GSAS, ISSO, Registrar, Health Services, Student Financial Services, and Housing) to process certain documents and to resolve any issues that arise with students.  

• Oversees development and execution of student related programs, events, and workshops, including networking student socials, recruiting socials, new student orientation sessions, and open house programs; oversees the BME Academic Financial Administrator in coordinating BME Student Groups.

• Acts as the department liaison to SEAS/CU Wellness Services and coordinates student accommodations with the student and faculty, as needed.

• Maintains student milestones in student schedules.

• Assist faculty directors with creating and monitoring course schedules with participating faculty.

• Interact efficiently and productively with the student populations. Identify, manage, and resolve course registration concerns, process advanced standing, and address other course/credit-related student concerns.

• Coordinate evaluating students, appointments, qualifying examinations, MPhil applications, fieldwork, defense preparation, dissertation defenses, and other degree milestones. Identify students who are in unsatisfactory degree progress and work with Departmental faculty to provide the students with support and resources. Provide oversight to doctoral awards, both internal and external; implement faculty decisions regarding changes in program administration.

Graduate Student Appointments and Financial Aid - 10%

• Collaborate with BME Department Student Finance Manager around student programs, incoming students, as well as student onboarding and graduation/terminations from programs.

• Participate in team meetings and projects.

Academic Planning - 10%

• Manages course TA allocations each semester.

• Oversees BME academic scheduling, course lists, and planning performed by the BME Academic Financial Administrator.

Perform other related duties as assigned/requested. 10%

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor?s degree required. MA/MS degree preferred. Minimum 3-4 years of related experience in academic advising in higher education required.
• Experience in a managerial capacity in higher education/student affairs / academic planning strongly preferred.
• Preferred experience or demonstrated understanding of financial aid, financial analysis, financial transactions, and human resources processes.
• Must have excellent organizational, managerial, and analytical skills and the ability to work with changing priorities and multiple projects in a high-volume environment. 
• Must be able to exercise good judgment, demonstrate solid problem-solving and decision-making skills, work under pressure and deadlines without supervision, and with full responsibility for given assignments. 
• Must be able to develop, analyze, and present comprehensive academic and financial reports.
• Must have strong organizational, interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, proven customer service focus, demonstrated ability to work as part of a team, and be able to effectively work with and support a diverse student population. 
• Must possess advanced office software abilities, including word processing (Word/Docs), spreadsheets (Excel/Sheets). 
• Experience with other workforce applications like survey design and collection (Qualtrics), admissions (Slate), and instructional (Blackboard), as well as relational databases, is a plus. 
• The ability to exercise discretion and judgment in sensitive and confidential matters is required.
• Must be able to work with a diverse student body, faculty, and administrators. 

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

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