Job description

The Director of First Year Experience and Retention provides leadership for curricular and co-curricular initiatives that help students successfully transition to Eugene Lang College through support, guidance, and community. The aim of first year programming at Lang is for students to gain the skills, knowledge of resources, and sense of community that will lead to academic success. The College’s First Year Program has two curricular components: a one-semester first-year seminar, which the director oversees, and a two-semester writing sequence, overseen by the Director of First Year Writing. The Director shapes, leads, and assesses the first year curricular and co-curricular components that help ensure students’ success and retention in the first year and beyond.

The successful candidate will be knowledgeable in best practices in first-year seminar instruction and provide vision for developing courses and programming that support the goals of the First Year Experience, including building community and increasing retention. To that end, the Director collaborates closely with the Director of First Year Writing, the Faculty Director of Sophomore and Transfer Advising, the Student Success Advising team, admissions, faculty, and staff across the college and university.

This is a 12 month full-time administrative appointment with annual teaching responsibilities. The Director will teach one First Year Seminar and one Teaching and Learning Seminar a year. The Director supervises the First Year Fellows, the program’s Senior Secretary, a FYE graduate student worker, and reports to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Planning.

The New School is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and particularly seeks applications from members of underrepresented groups, as well as candidates who share this commitment.

Specific Duties include, but are not limited to:

*
First Year Experience and Retention*

• Keep abreast of national trends in orientation, transitions, retention, and the First Year Experience
• Take the lead on and collaborate with the Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Civic Partnerships, Director of Student Programs and Special Projects, Office of Civic Engagement and Social Justice, and Student Success colleagues in planning and running Lang’s FY Orientation Week and developing other FY co-curricular activities
• Collaborate with the First-Year Writing Director and the Office of Institutional Research to assess the First Year Program, including FY curricular and co-curricular activities
• Collaborate with all First Year Experience stakeholders including Student Success, the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Justice, Director of First Year Writing, and the Director of Student Programs and Special Projects to ensure coordinated efforts
• Develop and run a Retention Working Group and create a retention plan for the college that coordinates with all Lang Departments and university-wide retention initiatives
• Assess retention initiatives in partnership with the Office of Institutional Research and provide related reports to the Dean, Vice Dean, PO, faculty, and other stakeholders

First Year Seminar (FYS)

• Lead all aspects of the college’s First Year Seminar (FYS) program, including the First Year Fellows program; compose, direct and initiate all communications about the program to the Senior Secretary for dissemination
• Develop workshops and sessions for FYS faculty to support discussions on learning outcomes, course design, assessment of student learning, advising best practices, and community building for FYS courses; mentor new FYS faculty and conduct class observations of PTF (and of FTF as needed)
• Mediate class concerns as warranted
• Collaborate with the First-Year Writing Director in recruiting PT faculty to teach FYS courses
• Direct annual recruitment process for and supervision of First Year Fellows
• Design, prepare, and conduct annual week-long orientation and training for First Year Fellows in collaboration with Director of Student Programs and Special Projects, Office of Civic Engagement and Social Justice, Student Success colleagues, and with assistance from Senior Secretary
• Maintain consistent and regular communication with Lang Dean’s Office colleagues, Senior Secretary, and Student Success colleagues at all stages of planning and executing the First Year Fellow program
• Teach two classes – First Year Seminar (once per year); Teaching and Learning Seminar every Fall (this course is taken by the FY Fellows)

Advising

• Serve as the Faculty Advising Liaison working closely with FY Faculty Advisors, Departmental Faculty Advisors, Student Success Advisors, and the Faculty Director of Sophomore and Transfer Advising on overall strategy and effectiveness of Lang’s advising structure
• Oversee and assess FY faculty advising; revise or develop new strategies as needed
• Manage and assess the Seminar Integrated Advising Program
• Maintain and disseminate advising tip sheets, and other resources for faculty advisors and students

Other Duties

• Work closely with student support staff within Lang and across The New School
• Standing member of the Lang College Chairs and Directors Council and serve on related committees such as Admissions; Assessment and Learning; or Civic Engagement etc.
• Pilot and assess new related initiatives, and duties, as assigned

Minimum Qualifications: Minimum Qualifications & Experience:

• Doctorate degree and 3+ years of experience teaching First Year level seminar college courses with a record of teaching excellence; or Masters degree with 5+ years of experience teaching First Year level seminar college courses with a record of teaching excellence
• Five years of related professional experience in higher education
• Two years of staff supervision experience
• Passion for working with and advising FY students and the faculty that serve them
• Deep knowledge of best practices in first year programs, advising, retention strategies, and building inclusive classrooms
• The ability to analyze and use data to implement changes and improvements to programs, curriculum, and retention strategies
• Experience designing and leading either educational program development, curriculum development, faculty development, and/or assessment initiatives
• Facility in working both collaboratively with a team and as a strategic leader who takes initiative
• Demonstrated commitment to integrating equity, diversity, inclusion and issues of social justice into the FY curriculum and program; and comfort working with diverse groups of students, faculty, and staff
• Flexibility, sense of humor, and ability to adapt easily to shifting priorities and deadlines; and to exercise diplomacy and sound judgment
• Ability to lead, manage, and prioritize multiple projects and tasks to completion
• Exceptionally strong skills in dialogue facilitation, organizational management, community building, and relationship management, deep listening, public speaking, and professional writing
• Proficiency in Microsoft, Google, and social media platforms
• Ability to adhere to University COVID-19 Policy and requirements
• Until further notice, this is a hybrid position, with specific days onsite and others remote; onsite work required for Fall orientation and the week prior as well as for teaching

Preferred Qualifications: Preferred Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in a liberal arts college setting teaching seminar style courses in a FYE program
• Experience with directing and developing a FYE program with exemplary leadership
• Experience leading and implementing FYE best practices, student retention and persistence initiatives
• Experience developing learning outcomes and assessment tools for curricular and co-curricular programs
• Experience with related professional organizations such as NACADA, NODA, NASPA, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, Center for First Generation Student Success

Job Type: Full-time

blackflymedia.com is the go-to platform for job seekers looking for the best job postings from around the web. With a focus on quality, the platform guarantees that all job postings are from reliable sources and are up-to-date. It also offers a variety of tools to help users find the perfect job for them, such as searching by location and filtering by industry. Furthermore, blackflymedia.com provides helpful resources like resume tips and career advice to give job seekers an edge in their search. With its commitment to quality and user-friendliness, blackflymedia.com is the ideal place to find your next job.