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Director of Academic Success

The Director of Academic Success will be part of the energetic team that makes up the Division of Student Success. This incumbent will provide strategic leadership and planning for academic support and preparation for students at Rhode Island College. The Director will be responsible for providing leadership in programs, services, and initiatives that support and enhance academic excellence and success for all students, and the director will lead, develop, assess and supervise all services and staff of the Academic Success Center, including peer subject tutoring services, the Writing Lab, and the Math Learning Lab. The Director will also have an opportunity to work closely with a variety of campus partners, including the Office of Academic Advising, Center for Disability Access, faculty and academic programs, and Academic Affairs.

Primary Purpose

The Director of Academic Success is responsible for providing leadership in programs, services, and initiatives that support and enhance academic excellence and success for all students. The Director will be responsible for leading, developing, assessing and supervising all services and staff of the Academic Success Center, including peer subject tutoring services, the Writing Lab, and the Math Learning Lab. The Director will collaborate with campus partners to ensure the offering of a multitude of learning and tutoring services, programs and activities that support student learning, academic coaching and development. The Director will work with faculty and staff to ensure academic support services are grounded in relevant student development learning theory and to provide students with high quality support services. The Director is responsible for the integration, facilitation, coordination, synthesizing, enabling, and fostering of outcomes driven efforts in academic support that encourages student success (e.g., retention, persistence, and graduation). The Director will work with the Associate Vice President for Student Services to implement ongoing systems of collaborations with Academic Advising, Disability Access, Faculty and other areas of student support, including but not limited to Learning for Life, the AVP/ Dean of Students, and Academic Affairs.

Essential Duties

Direct and lead the Academic Success Center that provides comprehensive learning support for all students including tutoring, academic coaching, structured learning assistance, workshops, and testing services.
Develop, lead, assess and supervise all services and staff of the Academic Success Center, including tutoring services, the Writing Lab, the Math Learning Lab and COL 125.
Lead the development of paraprofessional and student learning outcomes; conduct assessment of program effectiveness and make recommended changes to enhance the Academic Success Center.
Supervise, train and evaluate a team of professionals coordinating math placement preparation and facilitation, math and STEM tutoring, writing tutoring, and more.
In consultation with program faculty, oversee and facilitate subject tutoring services, including the recruitment, selection and training of peer tutors.
Develop, implement and assess tutor training certification, ensuring tutoring services are meeting standards and are tied to student learning outcomes.
Develop, deliver and evaluate proactive academic programming and academic skills and learning strategies workshops for students to best support their academic success.
Serve as point of contact for academic success and learning assistance matters (i.e., academic performance, learning strategies, individualized academic support, etc.), and work one-on-one with students to help identify potential areas for improvement and/or address needs.
Collaborate with various departments, including Academic Advising, academic departments, Disability Access, and the Center for Scholar Development to ensure access and use of learning strategies workshops and structured learning assistance.
Work closely with the Director of Academic Advising to ensure services and support are readily and intentionally available to all students, including students placed on academic standing and students of concerns identified through Starfish or retention tool in use.
Design, conduct and assess plan to support students placed on Academic Standing; consult with the Director of Academic Advising as needed relative to academic standing.
Oversee on-line tutorial service or tutorial technology system and educate faculty, staff and students about availability of subject tutoring; implement tutoring and academic success services in Starfish or retention tool in use.
Select and train instructors for all sections of College Course 125.
Hire, train and supervise graduate assistants providing academic development services to undergraduates.
Provide consistent and accurate reports to the Associate Vice President for Student Services; these include but are not limited to reports on academic success activities, academic achievement high DFWs, etc.
Maintain knowledge of best practices, new developments and innovative academic support strategies in higher education.
Provide support and feedback to encourage a culture of excellent, student-focused programs that serve a diverse campus community.
Coordinate assessment and conduct research related to student learning and academic assistance.
Ensure staffing at College events, including but not limited to New Student Orientation and admissions events.
Serve on College Committees and tasks groups as needed.

Occasional Duties

Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Associate VP for Student Services.
Work evening and weekend hours as required.

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

Demonstrated experience of successfully working collaboratively with faculty and staff to meet needs to students.
Strong demonstration of experience in academic support services, including academic advising, academic development, academic coaching, case management, learning strategies, and tutoring services.
Strong evidence of experience with leading a team, managing personnel responsibilities, strategic planning, data management and program development.
Strong demonstration and knowledge of student development learning theory and academic coaching and development strategies.
Ability to analyze problem situations, identify feasible solutions, and present recommendations in a concise, logical and systematic manner-anticipating issues and the consequences of the decisions and actions.
Strong evidence of experience with budgetary, management and personnel responsibilities, strategic planning, data management and program development.
Strong demonstration of experience with case management, academic advising, tutoring services and academic coaching with diverse college learners, including students “at risk.
Strong experience in developing, facilitating and assessing impactful academic learning and support programs and initiatives that meet needs of diverse learners.
Demonstrated skill in leadership qualities, including motivation, supervision, delegation, planning, and assessment, strong skills in change management and strategic planning.
Ability to develop and implement a comprehensive assessment plan for academic support to include analysis and interpretation of student retention and graduation data.
Ability to train, mentor and effectively communicate with staff, faculty, and students at all levels.
Demonstrated ability to work well with college students.
Evidence of commitment to professional growth and development in academic support.
Demonstrated ability to work with computer-based systems and software.

Required Qualifications

Education: Master’s Degree.

Experience: Minimum of five years of experience in higher education in academic learning and support, specifically with years of experience as a learning specialist focusing on college learning skills and development.

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of Peoplesoft.
Bi-lingual (Spanish preferred).

Does this position have Direct Reports? Yes Environmental Conditions

The employee is not exposed to known adverse environmental conditions.

Position Details

FLSA

Exempt

Salary Grade

15NC

Full Time / Part Time

Full-time

Proposed Starting Salary Range

$85,000-$95,000

Work Schedule

35 Hours, Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm
Some days will include adjusted hours to accommodate early evening hours in the center

Benefits

Full-time employees enjoy an array of benefits including:

Health and Wellness – Medical, Dental & Vision
Wellness Incentives and Rewards
Paid time Off – Vacation, Sick & Holiday
Retirement Benefits
Disability and Insurance Benefits
Education Benefits – Tuition waivers for RIC, CCRI & URI

For a complete listing, visit Employee Benefits.

Reports To (Title)

Associate Vice President for Student Services

Academic or Calendar Year

Calendar

Position Status

Continuing

End of Temporary or Limited Position

Collective Bargaining Unit

PSA

Posting Information

Number of Positions Available

Application Open Date

03/19/2026

Application Close Date

Special Instructions

AA / ADA Statement

As an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution that values and is committed to inclusion and to expanding the diversity of its faculty and staff, the College invites members of protected classes, including minorities and persons with disabilities, to identify themselves as such at the time of application.

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