Director of American Indian Student Services

April 4, 2022

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The property

Nature of Work

American Indian Student Services (AISS) is one of four offices within CU Denver’s Center for Identity & Inclusion (CII) that provide support and resources to enhance each student's experience and nurture a sense of belonging and empowerment, and to promote a diverse and inclusive campus. This position assists students with their transition to CU Denver and provides support and encouragement for their academic success, cultural awareness and personal development. In addition to these broad goals, the AISS Program Director is particularly responsible for enhancing the academic, cultural, social, and professional development of Native American students through an intersectional lens.

The Program Director will be instrumental in the university’s successful efforts to attain Hispanic Service Institution (HSI) and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) designation, in addition to advising on the creation of a culturally enhancing campus environment where a deep sense of belonging can flourish.

Examples of Work Performed

Promote cultural responsiveness to foster an inclusive environment on campus.
Design and conduct program evaluations to assess the effectiveness of current and future programs, while developing policies that encompass research-based intersectional and inclusive retention practices.
Advise and make recommendations to the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and other campus leaders regarding practices, policies and procedures as they directly relate to the success of the Native American student population as well as other traditionally underrepresented groups.
Use data analytics to develop and implement programs, events, seminars and activities designed to retain Native American students and to enhance the understanding of cultural diversity on and off campus.
Collaborate with colleagues to educate the campus about Native American issues and ethnic diversity within surrounding communities.
Provide advisement to student organizations reflecting academic, cultural, professional, service, and social diversity.
Plan and implement comprehensive programs and services to enhance the academic and social success of students, with a focus on activities related to retention.
Initiate, implement, and assess cultural events and activities to enhance students’ cross-cultural, intersectional understanding and cultural identity.
Serve as a consultant to key offices such as admissions, financial aid, registration, outreach, and advocacy on matters related to student academic success.
Intensely collaborate with other CII Program Directors to develop and implement programming and services for all diverse students.
Gather and utilize assessment data to improve diversity initiatives and program impact.
Create and promote a diverse, inclusive, and intersectional learning community.
Represent the office by attending cultural activities, on and off-campus.
Liaison with constituencies internal and external to the campus on matters specifically related to student success with the assistance of key offices.
Work with campus leadership to develop and/or strengthen ties to external communities on a variety of issues, including pipeline programs.
Research and apply for grants relevant to meeting the needs of students.
Prepare and monitor departmental budgets.
Develop informational literature and web information for marketing the office.
Serve on university committees.

Minimum Requirements

- Education:
  - A bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies, education, communication, social science, women and gender studies, psychology, health sciences, public administration, higher education, counseling, human services, student affairs or a directly related field from an accredited institution.

Experience:
- The position requires 4 years extensive, diverse, and progressively responsible experience, including direct responsibility of professional experience implementing cultural events, promoting community relations and outreach and/or developing policies and procedures.
- Experience designing and implementing student service programs.
- Experience developing and implementing cultural programs and events.
- Experience with academic retention and culturally enhancing programs.

*Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

A Master’s Degree in a related field from an accredited university
Experience working in a highly diverse higher education setting
Experience with grant writing
Experience with project management
4 years in progressively responsible experience in challenging roles serving retention and graduation efforts for Native American, first generation, and historically underserved students of color in higher education
Experience with student information systems and or student portals.
Demonstrated experience with using data to drive student success
Experience that demonstrates a proficiency with Indigenous languages, cultures, histories, and traditions.
Experience with creating and managing databases and spreadsheets.
Experience with student information systems and/or student portals.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Proven record as an advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Demonstrated ability to communicate and maintain positive interpersonal relationships between and among diverse groups.
The ability to provide advising and student advocacy.
The ability to form collaborative relationships with other university offices, the campus community and American Indian community members and groups.
Knowledge of issues affecting Native students, as well as other underrepresented populations.
Ability to effectively communicate with students in a large group setting and on an individual basis
The ability to collect, analyze, and/or interpret qualitative and quantitative data.
The ability to manage a budget.

Please visit the job description for more details.