About This Job
The Academic Advisor works as a member of the LSUS Student Success Center, performing a range of tasks enhancing and supporting our academic advising team and students.
The Academic Advisor serves as a generalist advisor, serving all undergraduate majors using a personalized, holistic advising model. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in advancing student success and retention by removing barriers, fostering engagement, supporting academic achievement, career readiness, and ensuring a smooth and supportive start to their college career.
Reports to the Assistant Director of Academic Advising, College Advising Coordinator, and is a full-time, unclassified position. This summary is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive description of duties and responsibilities.
About Us: The Student Success Center at LSU Shreveport champions student-centered excellence, offering comprehensive resources, services, and programs – including Academic Advising, Academic Success, Career Services, First-Year Experience, and more – to promote a smooth transition, build academic and life skills, foster persistence and resilience, and empower goal-oriented success.
Minimum Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited university.
- (LSUS values skills, experience, and expertise. Candidates who have relevant experience in key job responsibilities are encouraged to apply – a degree is not required if the candidate meets the required years of experience specified in the job description.)
- 3 years of related experience, such as education, counseling, or other student support roles.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree in student personnel services, higher education administration, psychology, counseling, or a related field.
- Prior experience in academic advising in higher education.
Job Specification
Knowledge, Skills And Abilities
- Ability to assess student needs with empathy, active listening, and critical thinking, while considering their background and developmental stage.
- Strong understanding of student development theories and best practices.
- Knowledge of academic advising and admissions processes in higher education.
- Effective time management and caseload management skills to prioritize and support wide-ranging student needs.
- Attention to detail with strong administrative skills and a commitment to accuracy in data entry, especially related to academic records and student support services.
- Sound understanding of how advising activities influence student progress, outcomes, and timely degree completion, with a focus on precise decision-making and task completion.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with other university offices.
- Proven ability to work effectively under pressure while maintaining professionalism, collegiality, and excellent customer service in a diverse environment.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team environment.
- Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Dedication to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment that benefits all students, particularly those from diverse backgrounds.
Job Duties And Other Information
Position Duties & Responsibilities:
Academic Advising & Student Support
- Serve as a university-wide undergraduate academic advisor, guiding students in course selection, degree planning, and academic progress across diverse majors and programs.
- Conduct individual advising sessions to assist students in understanding academic requirements, course equivalencies, and academic planning, considering the impact of academic readiness and personal adjustment.
- Administer and interpret assessment tools (e.g., College Student Inventory, Appreciative Advising Inventory) to better understand student needs and tailor interventions.
- Develop personalized success plans based on students' academic backgrounds, interests, and goals, addressing common transition challenges and academic skill gaps.
- Provide guidance on academic policies and procedures as they relate to student success, including but not limited to course registration, degree progression, academic standing, withdrawal procedures, and university policies related to student academic life.
Student Success Programs & Outreach
- Collaborate on group outreach/educational events, such as new student orientation, student success workshops and events, and campus resource information sessions.
- Monitor academic progress of students in caseload; track and act upon early alerts/interventions.
- Assess student needs and challenges and connect to relevant resources.
- Collaborate with key campus departments to streamline processes, enhance support services, and ensure a smooth transition for students.
Career Development Integration
- Incorporate career readiness activities into academic advising, encouraging experiential learning, internships, and networking opportunities, with specific guidance on career exploration and foundational career planning.
- Support students in aligning coursework, co-curricular activities, and experiences with their career goals and post-graduation plans.
- Partner with Career Services to track career milestone achievements and ensure seamless support for long-term success.
Data & Continuous Improvement
- Maintain accurate, confidential student records and document advising interactions, including notes on academic support and interventions.
- Collaborate within teams and departments to analyze data and refine approaches to improve student outcomes and retention.
Professional Development
- Stay informed about university policies, degree requirements, and emerging practices in student advising, particularly those relevant to undergraduate students.
- Pursue ongoing training related to advising, student development, career readiness, and culturally responsive practices.
- Engage in professional conferences, workshops, and certification opportunities in student success and advising to enhance advising skills.
Core Competencies
- Communication: Ability to adjust communication style to suit the audience/customer/situation.
- Collaboration: Ability to work effectively in group settings.
- Service to Customer and LSU: Ability to focuses on providing positive experiences for stakeholders.
- Delivering Results: Ability to focus on achieving outcomes.
- Problem-Solving: Ability to overcome barriers to success.
- Leading Others: Ability to inspire, guide, and support individuals and teams towards achieving common goals.
Physical and Environmental Demands
Light Work – Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly (Constantly: activity or condition exists 2/3 or more of the time) to move objects. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for Sedentary Work. Even though the weight lifted may be only a negligible amount, a job should be rated Light Work: (1) when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree; or (2) when it requires sitting most of the time but entails pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls; and/or (3) when the job requires working at a production rate pace entailing the constant pushing and/or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is negligible.
The above statements describe the general nature and level of work only. They are not an exhaustive list of all required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time. Remains knowledgeable on current federal, state and local laws, accreditation standards or regulatory agency requirements that apply to the assigned area of responsibility and ensures compliance with all such laws, regulations and standards.
Application Requirements
The following documents must be included with application:
- CV or resume
- Three professional references
- Cover letter outlining why you would be a good fit for this position
No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.
To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.
- Resumes WILL NOT be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.*
For Additional Information Concerning This Job Posting Contact
Jennifer Isaac
LSUS Department of Human Resource Management
Room 108 Administration Building, LSUS
(318) 797-5279
LSUS is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women and minorities. For more information about LSU Shreveport go to www.lsus.edu
LSUS is a State As a Model (SAME) employer that promotes affirmative strategies and goals for employment of individuals with disabilities.
Benefits for unclassified employees are determined by the individual hiring authority.
