Wellness Educator

SALARY:

POSITION TITLE:

DEPARTMENT:

JOB DESCRIPTION:

EMPLOYMENT TERMS: Full-time, ten-month

PRIMARY DUTY:

Wellness Educator is responsible for the coordination of university wellness programs through Wellness Services under the direction of the Director of Health Promotion and Prevention. This position works to mobilize, create, and sustain campus-wide health promotion practices to create an environment that promotes student success and personal development.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Student Engagement and Health Education

• Lead assigned health promotion and prevention programs, presentations, trainings, outreach, and student engagement initiatives.
• Develop and sustain an effective Peer Education program, including recruitment, training, supervision, and ongoing development of student participants.
• Serve as a departmental resource for assigned health promotion and prevention areas and apply evidence-informed practices to meet student and community needs.
• Collaborate with campus and community partners to promote health education, wellness, and student engagement.
• Lead communication, marketing, and social media efforts for assigned Health Promotion and Prevention initiatives.

BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) Program

• Provide BASICS training and individual intervention sessions for identified students using evidence-informed practices and motivational interviewing strategies.
• Coordinate BASICS program operations, documentation, follow-up, and assessment to support effective student services.

Prevention Coalitions and Program Coordination

• Serve as the day-to-day coordinator and facilitator for Maryville Partners in Prevention (MVPIP) and participate in Missouri Partners in Prevention (PIP).
• Coordinate coalition activities, communication, reporting, and implementation of assigned prevention priorities.
• Coordinate administration of the Missouri Assessment of College Health Behaviors (MACHB) and utilize findings to inform prevention programming.
• Develop and implement assigned prevention initiatives aligned with university priorities, student needs, and evidence-informed practices.

Program Operations, Assessment, and Continuous Improvement

• Lead the planning, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of assigned health promotion and prevention programs, initiatives, and events.
• Independently manage assigned projects from development through implementation and evaluation, including coordination of logistics, partnerships, communication, and resources.
• Collect and utilize program data, participant feedback, and assessment findings to evaluate effectiveness and inform program improvements.
• Identify emerging needs and opportunities and provide recommendations to the Director regarding assigned programs and initiatives.

Professional and Departmental Responsibilities

• Independently manage assigned programs and projects, exercising appropriate judgment and decision-making within established departmental priorities and policies.
• Maintain effective relationships with campus and community partners and collaborate with Wellness Services staff to support departmental initiatives.
• Provide regular updates and recommendations to the Director regarding assigned programs, emerging needs, and opportunities for improvement.
• Participate in departmental planning, professional development, and collaborative initiatives as assigned.

Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, Public Health, Recreation, Psychology, Health Education or related field

Skills:  Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to lead, supervise and motivate others, ease in public speaking and commitment to excellence in all areas of education and provision of services, ability to build and sustain effective collaboration with university and community partners.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work will take place in multiple campus and community sites with varying temperatures and accommodations; working some evenings/weekends are required; some travel is required.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position will potentially supervise graduate assistants, student employees, and student peer educators.

TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Lifting of boxes and materials of up to 50 pounds

COMMUNITY:

Northwest Missouri State University located in Maryville, Missouri, a community of 12,000 with a diverse economy and a strong industrial base. Maryville is located 45 miles north of St. Joseph, Missouri, 90 miles north of Kansas City, Missouri, and 110 miles southeast of Omaha, Nebraska. For more information visit the city’s website at www.maryville.org.

UNIVERSITY:

With an enrollment of more than 8,500 students, Northwest is a coeducational, primarily residential four-year university that offers a broad range of undergraduate and selected graduate programs on its Maryville campus and through Northwest Online.

Founded in 1905, Northwest boasts a high retention rate and a graduation rate in the 95th percentile among its peers. Additionally, results of the Ruffalo Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory show Northwest students are more satisfied than students at national peers, and 78 percent of Northwest students report they would repeat their university experience, compared to 75 percent of students surveyed nationally at their respective institutions.

Furthermore, the University is a national model for student success and career placement with 93 percent of bachelor’s degree earners and 98 percent of master’s degree earners securing employment or continuing their education within six months of completing a degree at Northwest, according to the most recent data. 

Northwest places a high emphasis on profession-based learning to help graduates get a jumpstart on their careers while maintaining competitive tuition rates and generous financial assistance to help minimize the financial barriers students may face when pursuing a college degree.

Students have opportunities to build their résumés with experiences on campus in nearly every area of study, including the Horace Mann Laboratory School, National Public Radio affiliate KXCV, the R.T. Wright Farm, Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area,  a partnership with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency or Knacktive, a student-driven integrated digital marketing communications agency. In conjunction with its emergency and disaster management program, Northwest organizes and hosts Missouri Hope, an annual mass casualty training exercise that attracts first responders and emergency workers from throughout the nation and provides hands-on training in preparation for a natural disaster.

The University’s vibrant and diverse learning community also offers more than 150 student organizations, and textbooks and a laptop are included in tuition, saving students an estimated $6,900 over four years. Northwest offers 1,200 student employment positions, allowing students to build professional skills through its internationally benchmarked student employment program. 

For more information about Northwest and its performance, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/aboutus/facts/.