Career Center

The following materials are required for consideration for this position:

• Cover letter addressing your interest in this position and outlining skills and experience that directly relate to this role
• Current resume or CV

To be considered, please complete an application and upload all materials as a single document (PDF format) through the UM Careers website. 
 

The Kessler Scholars Program, a cohort-based scholarship program operating within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) Division of Undergraduate Education, seeks a dynamic student affairs professional to support first-generation, limited-income students as the Kessler Scholars Program Specialist.

The Program Specialist will develop innovative programming and student engagement opportunities to provide distinct, wrap-around support to more than 150 students in the Kessler Scholars Program at the University of Michigan. Among other responsibilities, the Program Specialist will lead the design and execution of the program's monthly workshop series and support unique leadership opportunities for students through oversight of the Kessler Scholars peer mentor program and the Kessler Scholars Student Advisory Board.

About the Kessler Scholars Program
The mission of the Kessler Scholars Program at the University of Michigan, College of LSA, is to assure that limited-income, first-generation undergraduate students thrive as part of a connected, cohort-based community on campus. The Kessler Scholars Program combines scholarship awards with academic, professional, and personal support to help students navigate the University of Michigan with a clear sense of belonging and purpose across all four years of their undergraduate experience. With a focus on both student access and success for underrepresented students, the Kessler Scholars Program is helping to lead the College of LSA's commitment to building greater diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Michigan.

Students in the Kessler Scholars Program receive financial support through the Irene and Morris B. Kessler Presidential Scholarship Fund, established in 2007 and made possible by a gift to the College from the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation. This gift created LSA's largest scholarship cohort, with 40 entering students each academic year and up to 160 students across all four years. Beginning in 2020, the Kessler Scholars at U-M also is helping to lead the national Kessler Scholars Collaborative, connecting cohort-based programs supporting low-income and first-generation students at U-M and five other institutions: Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Queens College, St. Francis College, and Syracuse University.

You can learn more about the Kessler Scholars Program at this site:
https://lsa.umich.edu/scholarships/kessler-scholars-program.html

The Program Specialist will work collaboratively with the Kessler Scholars Director to provide unique opportunities for student growth and success and help refine the cohort model for student scholarship support. Key areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following:

Programming Design and Implementation (35%)

• Plan and execute monthly workshop series within the academic year to provide unique engagement opportunities to connect students to core campus resources and build academic and social capital.
• Develop social and community service opportunities for students in the Kessler Scholars to increase student sense of belonging at U-M and within the scholarship program.
• Coordinate program structures and activities to align with shared goals of the national Kessler Scholars Collaborative project.  
• Develop and collect student evaluation of program activities to guide ongoing program development.
• Track student participation in all program-led activities and student standing across all scholarship program requirements.

Student Leadership Development (25%)

• Oversee the Kessler Scholars Peer Mentor Program, recruiting and connecting older students in the scholarship community with incoming first-year students to include mentor training, mentor/mentee discussion guides, and regular tracking and support for mentor connections.
• Provide leadership and staff support for Kessler Scholars Student Advisory Board, a 16-member student leadership panel provides program guidance and organizes social and community service activities through weekly meetings during the academic year. 
• Recruit and connect older students in the Kessler Scholars Program to serve as Kessler Ambassadors supporting students selected to join the Kessler Scholars Program during the summer ahead of their first year at U-M.

Student Coaching and Guidance (20%)

• Meet with students one-on-one to provide guidance on academic, professional, and personal matters across their time at U-M. All students in the Kessler Scholars Program are required to meet with program staff at least once per semester.
• Host weekly open office hours for students to drop by with school or personal questions and to support informal connections between Kessler Scholars program staff and other students.
• Connect students with campus and external resources and opportunities that can support their individual academic and career goals and personal development.

Recruitment, Outreach, and Engagement (20%)

• Support annual recruitment and onboarding of new first-year students ahead of each academic year, including enrollment tracking and recruitment outreach, execution of summer welcome activities and fall orientation workshop.
• Manage all aspects of Kessler Scholars alumni tracking, outreach, and engagement with current program activities and students. Maintenance and execution of alumni record keeping and files structure.
• Develop and distribute student- and public-facing communications about Kessler Scholars students and activities through program website, social media channels, and in coordination with college marketing and communications. 
• Build partnerships with key LSA and U-M programs to further establish the Kessler Scholars as a leading site of first-generation student support on campus.  

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field
• Minimum of two years experience in academic or student program administration
• Direct experience developing innovative student programming and engagement activities in a higher education setting
• Experience developing and/or using program tracking tools for program assessment and student outcome evaluation
• Experience working with and participating in programs supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education
• Demonstrated success operating in a team environment 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and close attention to detail in work product.
• Passion for promoting success among limited-income, first-generation, and under-represented undergraduate student populations

• Master's degree in higher education or related social science field
• Understanding of federal and institutional student financial aid and scholarship procedures and regulations
• Working knowledge of U-M and LSA organizational structures, curricula, programs, policies, and campus resources that provide assistance to undergraduate students
• Prior experience with higher education philanthropy, donor relations, and/or stewardship 

Some evening and occasional weekend work is required for this role.

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the diverse people of Michigan, fulfill the college's Guiding Principles, and sustain the excellence of LSA. 

As one of the world's great liberal arts colleges, LSA pushes the boundaries of what is understood about the human experience and the natural world, and we foster the next generation of rigorous and empathetic thinkers, creators, and contributors to the state of Michigan, the nation, and the world.

To learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion in LSA, please visit lsa.umich.edu/lsa/dei. 

To learn more about LSA's Mission, Vision and Values, please visit lsa.umich.edu/strategicvision.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

About University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

A great university is made so by its faculty and staff, and Michigan is recognized as one of the best universities to work for in the country. The Michigan culture is known for engaging faculty and staff in all facets of the university to create a workplace that is vibrant and stimulating.For two consecutive years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has placed U-M in its "Great Colleges to Work For" survey. In particular, the university earns high marks for strong relations between faculty and administrators, a collaborative system of governance, strong pay and benefits, and a healthy work/life balance.

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