Academic Advisor

About Drexel University

Located in the heart of Philadelphia, Drexel University is a world‐class, comprehensive, R1 research institution and a global leader in experiential education. For more than 100 years, our renowned Cooperative Education (co-op) program has enabled students to gain professional work experience before they graduate, setting them apart from their peers.

Committed to becoming the nation’s most civically engaged university, Drexel supports engagement along three dimensions: research and academic programs that directly benefit communities, business practices that support equitable local and regional economic development, and public service by students, faculty, and staff. Our engagement is long‐term, multigenerational, and fundamental to the University’s mission, heritage, and future.

At Drexel, we are devoted to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment that promotes healthy lifestyles and is based on integrity, trust, and respect. We center equity, inclusion and belonging, and incorporate an anti‐racism approach to our strategic plan, organizational systems, policies and structures.

Drexel offers its highly engaged faculty and professional staff a comprehensive and world‐class benefits package that includes generous vacation and paid time off as applicable (including civic engagement days), up to an 11% 403(b) Retirement Plan match with immediate vesting, and remote and flexible work options for many roles. Our exceptional medical plans include domestic partner and fertility assistance and our award‐winning A Healthier U wellness program. In addition, faculty and professional staff at Drexel enjoy free tuition for themselves and their dependents for Drexel degree programs, certification, and non‐certification programs. And as part of the tuition offering to employees, Drexel participates in a tuition exchange program for dependents with other higher education institutions. These are just a sample of our extensive benefit offerings. Please see this Benefits Brochure for more information.

Job Summary

The Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design is seeking qualified Academic Advisors to assist in the advising of our undergraduate and graduate student body of over 2000. Academic advising is a professional relationship marked by a series of purposeful interactions, rooted in theory and pedagogy, and driven by a set of learning outcomes. Westphal College welcomes qualified applicants to apply to join our existing team of six advisors. The applicant will hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) in a related field such as psychology, counseling, or education with 2-3 years of demonstrated experience in student services.

The Westphal College is comprised of seven departments: Digital Media; Design; Cinema & Television; Architecture, Design & Urbanism; Performing Arts; Arts & Entertainment Enterprise; and Art & Art History. The College has more than two thousand students and is one of the largest of Drexel’s fourteen schools and colleges. Drexel is located in the heart of Philadelphia, a vibrant city that nurtures the arts and is the fourth largest television market in the country. The Westphal College offers seventeen award-winning and accredited undergraduate and seven graduate degree programs. The Westphal College’s innovative approach to teaching challenging creative fields emphasizes learning in small studio settings under the tutelage of one hundred and thirty full-time faculty who are noted artists, scholars and industry professionals. The college embraces interdisciplinary research, the use of cutting-edge technologies, and Study Abroad opportunities.

Essential Functions

• Assist students in their academic progress by helping them to understand the curriculum of their program, take courses on their plan of study, and how to explore interests through free electives.
• Assist students with course registration issues, current issues, and future planning.
• Support students’ efforts to meet their graduation requirements in a timely manner.
• Establish a collaborative and trusting relationship with all stakeholders: students, faculty, staff, and families.
• Connect students to academic support, including those connected through Drexel’s Learning Alliance, and managing learning differences or medical circumstances through accommodations.
• Time-sensitive communications with students through various modes including walk-in hours, appointment and email interactions.
• Support students through developmental advising, which includes critical/ethical reasoning, goal setting, identifying /working through obstacles, making referrals where appropriate.
• Establish a proactive approach to help identify and support students at risk.
• Maintain a database of student advisement, status, and progress.
• Participate in Welcome Week, Commencement, and other special projects as they relate to student support (orientation and graduation).
• Participate in a collaborate environment within the office, college, and university in support of student development and retention to degree.
• Serve on college and university committees as assigned.
• Additional assignments that support the college and university.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in academic counseling/advising.
• Higher education or another academic setting experience.
• Experience and some knowledge of Banner or other databases.

Location

• Hybrid: Remote/University City, Philadelphia PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt with a salary grade of

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

Review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.