Director of Rural Student Success

The Director of Rural Student Success provides leadership for Highland Community College's Rural Student Success Center and coordinates comprehensive strategies designed to improve student persistence, retention, completion, and re-engagement. The Director serves as a central point of coordination for students who may face academic, financial, transportation, technology, or other barriers to completing their educational goals.

Working collaboratively with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Financial Aid, faculty, advisors, and other College departments, the Director develops and implements proactive student-success strategies with particular attention to rural, first-generation, adult, returning, and other students who may benefit from additional support. The position plays a key role in Highland Community College's Title III Strengthening Institutions Program and the College's broader commitment to improving educational access and student success throughout its rural service area.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and day-to-day oversight of the Rural Student Success Center and its programs, services, and initiatives.
• Develop and coordinate proactive strategies to improve student persistence, retention, credential completion, and overall student success.
• Coordinate individualized student-success planning and ensure students are connected with appropriate academic, financial, personal, and institutional resources.
• Lead efforts to identify and engage students who may be at risk of stopping out or who have previously stopped out before completing a credential.
• Coordinate outreach and support for students eligible to participate in the College's Scottie Gold initiative and other completion-focused programs.
• Collaborate with faculty, advisors, and student services personnel to strengthen early-alert, referral, case-management, and intervention processes.
• Develop strategies addressing barriers commonly experienced by rural students, including transportation, food insecurity, broadband and technology access, financial literacy, and access to mental-health and other support services.
• Coordinate workshops, outreach activities, and educational programming related to student success, financial literacy, digital literacy, college navigation, and available support resources.
• Work collaboratively with Academic Affairs and Student Affairs to strengthen advising, degree planning, and pathways to credential completion.
• Utilize institutional data and student-success technology to identify trends, prioritize interventions, monitor student progress, and evaluate program effectiveness.
• Maintain accurate records and prepare reports documenting student participation, services provided, outcomes, and progress toward Title III performance objectives.
• Assist with the implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of Title III activities related to rural student success and perform other duties consistent with the goals of the grant and College.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required; master's degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, education, social work, or a related field preferred.
• Three years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, student affairs, advising, student success, enrollment management, or a related area preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working with students from diverse educational, socioeconomic, and personal backgrounds.
• Experience developing or coordinating student retention, persistence, completion, advising, or support initiatives preferred.
• Experience working in a rural educational environment or with rural, first-generation, adult, or underserved student populations preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to use data and technology to support decision-making and student-success interventions.
• Excellent written, oral, organizational, interpersonal, and collaborative skills required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate must demonstrate a strong commitment to student success and an understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with serving students in rural communities. The position requires the ability to build effective relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community partners; manage multiple initiatives simultaneously; exercise sound professional judgment; maintain confidentiality; and communicate effectively with a wide range of constituencies.

The Director must be able to analyze student-success information, identify patterns and barriers, develop appropriate interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of programs and services. The individual should demonstrate initiative, creativity, integrity, adaptability, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

Time and Effort

This is a full-time, 12-month position. During the Title III grant period, the Director will devote the percentage of time and effort assigned in the approved grant budget to activities supporting the Title III Strengthening Institutions Program. Time and effort documentation will be maintained in accordance with federal grant requirements and Highland Community College policies and procedures.

Grant-Funded Position

This position is supported in whole or in part through funding from the U.S. Department of Education Title III Strengthening Institutions Program. Continued employment in this position may be contingent upon the availability of grant or institutional funding. The Director is responsible for carrying out applicable activities in accordance with the approved Title III project, federal regulations, College policies, and established performance measures.

Institutional Expectations

The Director of Rural Student Success is expected to support the mission, values, and strategic priorities of Highland Community College and contribute to the implementation of One Highland: One Mission, Endless Impact. The Director will work collaboratively across traditional departmental boundaries to create a coordinated, student-centered approach to serving learners throughout Highland Community College's rural service area.

Other

Highland Community College employees are expected to demonstrate professionalism, integrity, respect, accountability, and commitment to teamwork. Employees must maintain appropriate confidentiality, comply with College policies and applicable laws and regulations, and perform other duties as assigned.

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 talk or hear; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

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.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but may be loud on occasion.