Academic Advisor

This competition is open to all applicants however internal candidates and applicants who were former employees of the University of Alberta in the past 18 months will be given priority consideration before external candidates. Please indicate your internal status using the "Advertisement" drop-down menu when applying.

This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at: Faculty & Staff Benefits .

Location - This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person. On-site work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton. 

Working for the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross-section of people—from our students and stakeholders, to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.

Working for the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation

The Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation (KSR) is dedicated to delivering superior education and research with an emphasis on the relationship between health and physical activity; enhancing the understanding of human movement through recreation; and exploring the science behind sport and exercise. KSR is home to approximately 1.400 undergraduate students and has over 130 graduate students. In addition to four undergraduate degree programs, KSR also offers Masters degrees, a suite of graduate certificates and a world-class PhD program.

The KSR Student Service Office works hard to build a sense of community and support for all undergraduate students by providing exceptional student service through our commitment to our core values that include: student·centered focus; equity, diversity & inclusivity; integrity & accountability; transparency; sustainability; collaboration and teamwork. Our Academic Advisors are a key contributors to the culture of the Student Service Office, acting as communicators, policy navigators, student champions and program advocates.

Position Summary

The KSR Student Service Office is looking for an enthusiastic, detail-oriented individual to work within small, collaborative, and effective team entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring a positive, holistic undergraduate student experience.

Reporting to the Team Lead Undergraduate, the Academic Advisor is responsible for KSR degree program advising and program administration from admission through to academic standing, program progression, and graduation. The position is responsible for the accurate delivery of academic program requirements, deadlines, and university/faculty policies and procedures. The Academic Advisor advises students on non-routine queries with respect to academic programs and makes recommendations on complex issues/concerns to senior staff. They may be called on to assess student life issues and refer students to other resources specific to their needs.

The incumbent must have the ability to anticipate needs and daily fluctuations in workload to meet variable demands and independently prioritize workload to meet expectations and timelines.

Duties

• Advises KSR students through individual one-to-one and group advising sessions about university and Faculty policies and procedures to provide accurate information to assist students in making academic program decisions.
• Advising is conducted in-person, virtual, and through email.
• Proactively communicates with students and disseminates information in order to promote student satisfaction, success, and retention.
• Responsible for assessing both degree progression (academic standing) and degree requirements (convocation auditing) for all students, ensuring that all students have met the requirements to continue and to graduate with their degree at the end of their program, and approving and denying applications for degrees as applicable.
• Proactively identifies and advises students who are at risk academically or personally, advising and coaching them through larger life issues, making referrals to appropriate services as necessary, following up as needed.
• Resolves student academic issues using interpretive judgment of University and faculty regulations in standard and non-standard situations; the incumbent must not only be knowledgeable about regulations but must also enforce them with forethought and prudence to ensure students are treated in a fair and equitable manner.
• Admits or refuses applications for admission to the undergraduate programs within the Faculty, working closely with the Admissions Unit.
• Assesses and assigns transfer credit to programs for courses completed at other institutions(domestic and international).
• Evaluates and approves/denies requests for course withdrawals, course exceptions, program exceptions, letters of permission, etc (in consultation with the Team Lead, Manager of Academic Program, and Associate Dean as required); updating student program requirements in the academic Advisement (AA) reports as applicable.
• Regularly reviews programming in AA for accuracy and completeness, assisting with maintenance as needed.
• Works closely with the Faculty of Education to ensure the needs of the students in the combined BKin/BEd program are met.
• Works collaboratively with other teams and units across the University, including the Office of the Registrar, Dean of Students Office, University of Alberta International, Student Recruitment Center of Expertise and College of Health Sciences.
• Actively participates in engagement and promotional activities for KSR students including Open House, Orientation, Convocation, and similar events.
• Supports the Team Lead, Undergraduate and Manager, Academic Programs as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor degree required; (Kinesiology, Recreation or related area is preferred; equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered)
• Minimum 2 years of related advising or student services experience in a postsecondary institution
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills, including culturally-inclusive active listening skills and the ability to establish and maintain good rapport with all students
• Ability to work well in a multicultural, multilingual environment with students and faculty from many countries, cultures, linguistic groups, religions, sexualities and genders
• Ability to multi-task and perform duties with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail, and learn and adapt to continuous procedural changes while maintaining consistency
• Computer proficiency in a Windows environment, using both MS Office applications and Google Experience working with the University's student administration systems (ideally PeopleSoft), Google Applications, MS Office Suite.
• Show a strong desire to work in a team-based environment to meet team goals and to maintain a collaborative, efficient team dynamic, contributing to a positive team culture.
• Ability to work independently
• Strong commitment to service excellence

Preferred Qualifications

• Training in responding to students at risk, including Mental Health First Aid, QPR, ASJST, Working Mind or similar, is considered an asset
• Familiarity with situational leadership principles is considered an asset
• Working knowledge of University academic policies and procedures (Code of Applicant Behaviour, Student Code of Conduct, Duty to Accommodate) strongly preferred.

At the University of Alberta, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates. If you require accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let us know at the time of booking your interview and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

Note: Online applications are accepted until midnight Mountain Standard Time of the closing date.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.