Overview:

The Director of Student Academic Support Services and International Education is an integral part of the Division of Student Affairs.

The director provides strategic leadership and direction to the services in the student academic support services and international education. This includes the supervision of staff, operational budget management, strategic planning and assessment of services provided through academic support, tutoring and ELL support, online writing lab, accessibility services, international student support services and study abroad programming.

In addition, the Director is responsible for international student enrollment as well as study abroad programming. This includes facilitating the compliance of all US legal requirements relating to University sponsored F-1 student visas, as well as the development and implementation of safe and academically sound international study/service abroad opportunities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.

• Establish, review, and assess policy and procedures regarding academic success of students through the support services available, as well as programming to assist international students’ acclimation to US culture and University regulations.
• Serve as Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) for US government F-1 regulations, including the submission and maintenance of I-17 document to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to assure the University’s ability to admit international students.
• Supervise and evaluate performance of professional staff in the offices of student support and international education.
• Verify that international student information is properly entered into the US Department of Homeland Security Information System (SEVIS) database file.
• Authorize the issuance of I-20 and other necessary documents needed to assist international students obtain visas to study on campus.
• Monitor and provide updates to SEVIS regarding student records and personal information requested to ensure immigration compliance.
• In collaboration with the Director of Advising, the Dean of Students, and Academic Deans, develop success strategies to support student academic progress.
• Responsible for keeping appraised of changes in US government regulations governing F-1 admission policies and make sure the University remains in compliance.
• Facilitate collaboration with University admissions to train counselors regarding F-1 visa processes, review student files for F-1 compliance, process the transfer of SEVIS information for incoming international transfer students.
• Determine the technological and online support needed to assist with issues of accessibility services, tutoring, and ELL.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Professional staff and student employees

Education and/or Experience:

• Master’s degree in related field required or combination of bachelor’s degree in related field with 5 years work directly related work experience.
• Previous experience working with diverse international student populations.
• Familiarity with immigration and visa compliance.
• Budget management skills.

Language Skills:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret complex documents
• Ability to respond effectively to sensitive inquiries
• Ability to effectively interact in all situations with faculty, staff and other University stakeholders

Mathematical Skills:

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals
• Familiarity with statistical data analysis
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts
• Ability to use a calculator

Reasoning Ability:

• Skilled in independent decision-making and critical thinking
• Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems