Director of College Counseling

Summary

Wayland is an independent, coed college preparatory school for boarding and day students (grades 9-post-graduate), founded in 1855. The school’s rich, rigorous academic program features exceptionally small classes, capstone projects at every grade, active STEAM, media studies, environmental science, and student success programs, and an array of AP offerings. The diverse and welcoming school community brings together students from across the United States and more than 25 other countries in an intimate learning environment, with a student-faculty ratio of 6:1. Wayland’s historic campus is located in the heart of the Midwest in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin—just 40 miles from Madison and 60 miles from Milwaukee.

Essential Functions

Wayland Academy Director of College Counseling is responsible for administering all aspects of the college search and admissions process. Essential duties and responsibilities, and expectations include:

• (1) Educate students and parents about colleges, the college admissions process, trends, procedures, and testing; (2) advise and support seniors and families as they go through the process; and (3) help students and families aspire realistically and choose wisely.
• Meet with juniors and seniors, individually and in groups, to talk about process and individual college choices.
• Advise 9^th and 10^th grade students on curricular choices with mentors.
• Work with international students to understand U.S. college admissions, especially aspects unique to them.
• Compile an annual Profile of the School, and grade distributions in junior and senior courses offered at Wayland.
• Gather information from parents, teachers, school records, and students and write an official school recommendation for each senior.
• Complete all School Report and mid-year report forms requested by colleges, including evaluations of students.
• Ensure a Wayland staff member is available to meet with all college admissions representatives who visit Wayland’s campus and facilitate meeting between college representatives and Wayland students.
• Serve as the liaison with College admissions offices throughout the year.
• Maintain records on seniors, including GPA’s and transcripts.
• Administer the College Counseling Office budget.
• Share information with students and parents on colleges, college guides, scholarships, financial aid, and paying for college.
• Update an annual College Counseling Handbook, and extensive assembly of information about the college search process.
• Keep parents informed through email and school publications about test dates, local college events, financial aid, and make presentations to parents and Parents Council.
• Monitor admission decisions, statistics, and report to the Board of Trustees through the DCII.
• Be aware of issues and trends in college admission, higher educations, testing, as well as keeping up to date about specific colleges.
• Maintain and utilize Scoir as Wayland’s primary application platform. Educate students and families on how to use Scoir.
• Maintain and disseminate information about standardized tests such as SAT, ACT, and TOEFL, and administer weekend SAT exams as a registered test center.
• Serve as a member of the Department Chairs.
• Coaching: Academic staff are assigned two extra-curricular sports or activities to coach per school year. The coaching responsibilities for the Director of College Counseling will be reassigned to other duties at the discretion of the Head of School.
• Mentoring: Faculty are assigned a group of students to provide academic and social-emotional support to in addition to fostering home-school connections. Mentors are expected to monitor grades, course enrollments and other benchmarks of academic advancement and achievement for their mentees. They are to provide counsel and guidance as necessary and appropriate to support their mentees’ social and emotional well-being. Mentors also serve as a primary connection between Wayland Academy and the mentees’ guardians via regular communication about the student’s academic, extracurricular and social emotional progress and well-being. Mentors adhere to the expectations as set forth by the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Innovation and Dean of Students.
• Dorm Supervisor: Faculty supervise residential dorms at least one night a week, one weekend a month, and several All-Play weekends during the academic year. While supervising, the faculty will follow the policies and procedures set forth by the Dean of Students, the employee handbook, and the student handbook.

Wayland Academy expects all members of the academic staff to be fully engaged in the school's life and mission, in and out of the classroom. To that end, the Director of College Counseling is expected to take meals in the dining hall, participate in Wayland Academy community events and to, in general, be a positive role model for students.

Competencies

• Ability to engage students in and outside the classroom, helping all students achieve their fullest academic and leadership potential.
• Enthusiasm and dedication to contributing to our healthy learning community, energetically supporting colleagues, sharing ideas and resources, and being there for others.
• Accepting and supportive attitude that encourages diverse perspectives and productive risk-taking to challenge students to think and explore opportunities that allow them to become their best.
• Compassion for students and colleagues, with a high level of cultural competency.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The Director of College Counseling routinely supervises students in the classroom, dormitories, extracurricular activities, dining hall and other campus community related activities.

Work Environment

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Unless otherwise explicitly agreed upon by the Head of School, the Director of College Counseling is to reside on campus in faculty housing to provide a safe and community-like residential experience for boarding students. Housing policies and expectations are clearly defined in the employee handbook.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, stand, sit, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Regular and timely physical attendance at all scheduled teaching, coaching, mentoring, and supervising events or duties is a necessity for this job.

Travel Required

• Traveling with and for students for academic, extracurricular and residential life functions is a regular duty of the Director of College Counseling.
• Occasional overnight and out-of-state travel for school-related business may be assigned.
• Unless otherwise explicitly agreed upon by the Head of School, Director of College Counseling must have a valid driver’s license, three years of US driving experience upon hire, and maintain the motor vehicle records standards as set forth by the employee handbook.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree
• Demonstrated educational or work experience in the college application or acceptance process

Preferred Education and Experience

• Master's Degree or other advanced degree
• 2 years of teaching/administrative experience in a boarding school

Work Authorization

• Employee must be authorized to work in the United States of America.
• Employee must provide identification documentation, provide a list of all states/countries of residence over the past seven years, and pass a comprehensive consumer background check (criminal, department of motor vehicle, credit, and others as needed) prior to employment.

Affirmative Action/EEO statement

Wayland Academy is committed to a workplace free of discrimination. Wayland Academy cannot and will not tolerate discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sex stereotyping, gender identity, gender expression or transgender status), national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, age protected genetic information, status as a parent, marital status, political affiliation, or retaliation. In addition, Wayland Academy will not tolerate any type of harassment, either sexual or nonsexual, of any employee or applicant for employment.

Other Duties

Director of College Counseling may have reasonable duties and responsibilities assigned to him/her by the Head of School that the Head of School deems in his/her sole discretion to be desirable to the smooth functioning of the Wayland Academy programs.