ACADEMIC ADVISER, COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state, and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. Our culture promotes diversity, fosters effective collaboration, stimulates the intellect, and provides inspiration for creativity. All of which have led UW to be nationally recognized as a “Great College to Work For” by the Chronicle of Higher Education for the past five years. In 2018, we were listed by Reuters as one of the top five “World’s Most Innovative Universities” and number one among public universities. Sponsored research at the UW totals over 1.35 billion dollars annually.

The mission of the College of Engineering at the University of Washington is to develop outstanding engineers and ideas that change the world. Nearly 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students in the 10 departments of the College of Engineering engage in a world-class education that challenges them to make meaningful contributions toward solving today’s interdisciplinary challenges. The College of Engineering is ranked 18th among all engineering schools with more than half of its departments ranked in the top 20 of their respective fields.

The College is committed to developing and supporting a diverse student body and faculty that reflect and elevate the populations we serve. Notably, over 25% of faculty in the college are women, compared to 17% nationally, and 30% of bachelor's degrees in 2018-2019 were awarded to women.

The Office of the Dean of the College of Engineering has an outstanding opportunity for a Senior Academic Adviser.  Undergraduate academic advising at the University of Washington is a core element of the university's focus on student learning. As educators, advisers partner with the campus community to cultivate our students' intellectual development. As guides and advocates, advisers collaborate with students to craft a transformative educational experience so that they may become informed, articulate, and thoughtful students of the university and citizens of the world.

The Engineering Advising & Student Engagement (EASE) Center provides student programming and advising for a population of roughly 1,000 first-year undergraduate Engineering Undeclared students. The mission of the EASE team is to create opportunities for engineering exploration, foster an intentional, inclusive community, and empower students to maximize their UW experience. We are committed to continuous learning and growth both for ourselves and our students and strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that is inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

The Academic Adviser position provides advising, programs, and services to support first and second-year Engineering Undeclared students who are still clarifying their academic interests and goals and preparing for entry into majors. Important aspects of the work include developmental, learning-centered advising, attention to detail, and frequent contact with the University's administrative systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Academic Advising:
• Provide one-on-one developmental advising for a caseload of around 400 Engineering Undeclared students. This includes helping students: make connections between their strengths, interests, and values and the university curriculum; develop a sense of purpose in their undergraduate education; seek out clubs, internships, undergraduate research opportunities, and personal development; overcome difficulties that hinder their academic performance; integrate their education and career plans; develop transferable, lifelong skills (i.e., critical thinking, communication, reflection); interpret departmental, College and University requirements; navigate the complexity of a large institution.
• Provide regular, high-volume Quick Question advising hours.
• Perform outreach and strengths-based advising to students on their advising caseload who are on warning, probation, or otherwise have not met continuation requirements.
• Collaborate with other campus units (Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, College of Engineering departmental advising, Undergraduate Academic Affairs Academic Advising, University Registrar, First Year Programs, Undergraduate Admissions, etc.) as necessary to provide holistic advising services to Engineering Undeclared students.

Programmatic and Administrative Responsibilities:
• Manage the College of Engineering’s student clubs & organizations, including planning and facilitating regular (e.g., quarterly) club meetings; supporting the club grant application review process; managing the club page on the CoE website and the club email address, and liaising with the Student Activities Office.
• Plan and execute the “Engineering Launch” signature event, which occurs annually on the evening before the first day of the fall quarter.
• Review and assess student Placement Request Forms to support the placement process of Engineering Undeclared students into engineering majors.
• Assist in the planning and delivery of the college's major programs such as Advising & Orientation, Engineering Exploration Night, etc.
• Support development and implementation of workshops around registration and placement preparation.
• Support Admitted Student Preview Day by assisting with presentations and working at the "Ask an Adviser" station.
• Serve as the liaison to a UW campus partner office outside of the College of Engineering to holistically support advisees. Communicate any program changes.

Support Engineering Advising & Student Engagement Team(s):
• Support the Engineering First-Year Interest Group (E-FIG) program as needed. Examples of support include assisting with the selection of Engineering Peer Educators (EPEs), meeting individually with a sub-group of EPEs for biannual check-ins, and/or observing their GEN ST 199 class sessions to provide meaningful feedback.
• Assist with supporting front desk employees on issues relating to triaging email, telephone, and walk-in inquiries. Provide backup support to the engradv email account.
• Communicate with College of Engineering IT and web development teams to make updates as needed to MyENGRUD and CoE websites.
• Contribute to the process of updating engineering major sample four-year plans annually.
• Participate regularly in professional development activities to support learning, growth, and best practices.
• Perform duties as assigned by the Assistant Director to support the broader goals of the Student Academic Services team.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
• Bachelor's degree in social science, science, engineering, or humanities discipline.
• Two years of student-facing work such as advising, student counseling, or teaching experience.

Additional requirements:
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including public speaking and ability to articulate ideas clearly.
• Ability to identify areas for improvement, set priorities, and initiate solutions as a strong independent contributor and collaborative team member.
• Demonstrated organizational skills including effectively managing various tasks in the context of a fast-paced environment while ensuring attention to detail, accuracy, and quality results.
• Ability to provide an emphatic, yet professional and efficient approach to working with students from diverse backgrounds and those with a spectrum of personal and academic challenges.
• Flexibility and ability to support occasional evening (at least once a quarter) and weekend (at least once or twice a year) program events and activities.

Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum requirements.

DESIRED REQUIREMENTS
• Familiarity with engineering/STEM.
• Experience planning events.
• Experience working with students from diverse backgrounds.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.