Career Center

Hiring Salary Range: $49,000-$52,000

Graduate Student Services & Progress (GSSP) operates within One Stop Student Services and serves as one of the primary contact points for graduate students after admission and initial registration. The GSSP Coordinator is responsible for counseling and advising graduate students, faculty, and staff on complex issues and problems regarding student academic degree progress and policy. The GSSP Coordinator provides leadership  for various committees and communicates regularly with campus networks to promote collaboration and improve services to graduate students. 

Through vast knowledge of the University populations, the GSSP Coordinator frequently develops and implements enhancements, such as strategic efficiency enhancements, electronic workflow enhancements, campus and system-wide communications, and staff training. The GSSP Coordinator serves as a back-up supervisor to the GSSP Customer Relations Representatives (student employees) and is closely involved in hiring, recruiting, training, evaluating, and integrating GSSP Customer Relations Representatives into their roles within the unit and within One Stop Student Services.

The GSSP Coordinator reports directly to the Assistant Director of One Stop Student Services.

This position is currently working under a hybrid environment model. Some in-person work is required. On-campus work requirements will be evaluated by management on an ongoing basis based on service needs.

Academic Support Resources supports hybrid and flexible working arrangements. Work arrangements are determined in coordination with supervisors depending on the nature of the unit and position. The arrangement for this position will be determined upon hire between employee and supervisor.

Counseling  & Advising (35%)

• Counsel, advise, investigate, problem-solve, and resolve issues from prospective, current, and former graduate students, faculty, staff, and collegiate units.
• Advise graduate students, faculty, and staff on in-depth University and graduate policy questions to assure graduate degree adherence to these policies. This position will also consult with graduate students, faculty, Directors of Graduate Studies, and program/college staff system-wide to address graduate policy and procedure inquiries with respect to the unique differences and similarities between system campuses.
• Ensure that graduate students remain in compliance with graduate policy while completing their graduate degrees. Intervene as necessary and communicate with graduate students, faculty, Directors of Graduate Studies, and other graduate staff to advise these individuals and facilitate addressing any graduate degree progress and compliance concerns.
• Interpret University, state, and federal policies and procedures; exercise professional judgment and authority to implement procedural changes and make exceptions to policies without supervisory approval.
• Counsel graduate students, faculty, and staff regarding graduate student full-time equivalency registration options and prerequisite requirements for course eligibility.

Coaching, Leadership, and Strategic Planning of GSSP Customer Relations Representatives (30%)

• Serve as a back-up manager of GSSP Customer Relations Representatives. 
• Participate in recruitment, hiring, and training of GSSP Customer Relations Representatives.
• Serve as an accessible and knowledgeable coach, mentor, and leader for GSSP Customer Relations Representatives to assist with examining unusually complex situations.
• Strategically plan for current and future issues facing GSSP Customer Relations Representatives.
• Analyze trends in student contact to make schedule alterations for GSSP Customer Relations Representatives and professional staff.
• Provide counsel to the management team, interpreting business issues and providing leadership for change initiatives related to the staffing and operational processes.
• Lead service expectation meetings and refresher training with GSSP Customer Relations Representatives.

Curricular and Program Development, Committees, and Community Outreach (25%)

• High level University-wide initiatives: Provide leadership on various projects and initiatives that have GSSP, One Stop, and Academic Support Resources involvement. Provide input on decisions made during the creation and development of these specific projects to ensure the outcomes meet the needs of all of the stakeholders.
• Community Outreach: Deliver high quality, professional public engagements and presentations that target critical graduate student outcomes. Represent the University’s goals, programs, and policies in its recruiting, student success, retention and graduation efforts through outreach to students, staff, faculty, and other University community members. This includes new graduate student orientation, as well as participating in various graduate college orientations
• Curriculum development leadership: Support the GSSP Coordinator/Student Worker Supervisor in the development of training curriculum for new staff and refresher training. This training includes technical and operational instruction, student counseling methodologies and strategies, and developing customer service standards that are needed to be experts working with the University’s diverse populations. Work collaboratively to ensure that appropriate learning outcomes are achieved.
• Strategic planning committee: Actively contribute to the strategic planning efforts forGSSP, including determining short and long terms goals aimed at better serving the graduate student population.

Appeals, Waivers, Policy Interpretation, & Exceptions (10%)

Through comprehensive analysis of individual appeal cases and exercising independent discretion and professional judgment to make decisions, this position manages many appeals, waivers and petitions that directly impact student retention and success. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Graduate Degree Backdate & Deadline Exceptions Committee: Serve as a member of this cross-functional committee that reviews and makes decisions on graduate student requests for exceptions and the backdating of degrees. Analyze student needs, justifications, and circumstances supported by documentation to determine the validity of a request. Exercise professional judgment to override University policy and procedures when appropriate and valid.
• Tuition Refund Appeals: Serve as a consultative member of the committee, providing context and degree progress information for graduate student appeals.  

For each of the above mentioned appeals, as well as the many other types of graduate policy exceptions and University petitions, the GSSP Coordinator must:

• Exercise a high level of professionalism and independent discretion to override university policies. 
• Accurately counsel students on the impact to their degree progress matters based on the type of appeal or petition submitted. 
• Collaborate cross-functionally when relevant information or supporting documentation is needed for proper appeal analysis.
• Evaluate and act on appeals, meeting deadlines established for each appeal.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• BA/BS degree plus at least 4 years of full-time work experience, or a Master's degree with at least 2 years of full-time work experience.
• At least one or more years of experience in a customer service related field with the ability to react to customers quickly, accurately, and professionally.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, and effective presentation skills to a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrated sensitivity to cultural diversity and ability to communicate and interact effectively with people of all ages and identities. 
• Proven ability to work effectively as a team member. 
• Experience analyzing and interpreting data to make independent decisions.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Master’s degree
• One year of experience working in One Stop Student Services and/or experience working with graduate students, graduate academic records, or graduate programs.
• Knowledge of and experience with the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus, including institutional and unit policies, procedures and processes. 
• Demonstrated project management skills. 
• Ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Technical experience with Microsoft Office, Google, student information systems, and CRM platforms.

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

Connections working at University of Minnesota Twin Cities