55K Student Success Coordinator
Position Description
Job Summary
55,000 Degrees seeks a Student Success Coordinator who will play a pivotal role in ensuring more Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) graduates pursue their dream of a college education. 55K is a partner of the Louisville Promise, a commitment that every child in Louisville is prepared for college, career, and a successful, productive life.
The Success Coordinator will work to promote successful high school to college transitions for JCPS graduates. With an emphasis on African American, Hispanic, and low income students from Zones of Hope neighborhoods, the coordinator will build relationships with students as well as high school and college support personnel to build trust and ease the transition between high school and college. The coordinator will work with students beginning in their senior year of high school to build “college knowledge” and to avoid predictable barriers to a successful transition to college. The coordinator will engage in holistic and proactive coaching in high schools with a high rate of “summer melt” and will target services toward students planning to attend Jefferson Community and Technical College, Simmons College of Kentucky, or University of Louisville with the ultimate goals of increasing the college-going rate of the targeted population.
Duties and Responsibilities will include but are not be limited to:
- Establish a presence in selected JCPS high schools
- Develop a knowledge base of college resources in conjunction with JCPS counselors/staff
- Establish relationships with and strengthen connections between key high school and college student personnel
- Proactively build a caseload from select JCPS high schools working with those from targeted student populations who are planning to attend local postsecondary institutions.
- Provide proactive guidance for students in areas focused on, but not limited to:
- Academic integration into postsecondary education
- Social integration into postsecondary education
- Financial literacy and preparedness for independence
- Development of individual student plans through postsecondary degree/certificate completion.
- Partner with postsecondary institutions and staff to ensure a seamless and productive transition for students
- Build a network of campus-based student support personnel to promote student success
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
The Student Success Coordinator will have at minimum a BA or BS degree, and at least two years of work experience, in social work, counseling or other education fields. In addition, candidates must have:
- Experience related to the provision of holistic student support services at the high school or 2- or 4- year postsecondary levels.
- Commitment to inclusive excellence and the ability to develop mentoring relationships with a diverse student population.
- Knowledge of postsecondary systems of support
- Adaptability, flexibility, and an ability to learn quickly in order to serve the needs of students
- Strong interpersonal skills, organizational skills and attention to detail
- Ability to build relationship and connections between individuals and systems that can help support students in need
- Microsoft Office Suite skills
- Bilingual candidates preferred (preference for English/Spanish speakers)
Compensation:
The Community Foundation of Louisville serves as the fiscal sponsor of 55,000 Degrees. The position is a professional, full-time, exempt staff assignment and will be eligible to participate in the Community Foundation of Louisville’s Employee Health and Benefits Plan as set forth in the Foundation’s personnel policies. Compensation will be commensurate with skill level and experience.
This is a grant-funded position, with an anticipated end date of December 31, 2020. Although the grant is expected to end on that date, we will seek to identify sustainable funding so that this position’s tenure might be extended.
About 55,000 Degrees:
55K, a cross-sector partnership committed to increasing education attainment in Greater Louisville, is a partner of the Louisville Promise. Louisville Promise is a community effort to remove persistent barriers to student success and college attainment. This work will take two forms.
- A scholarship available to every JCPS graduate that makes at least a two-year college degree affordable and achievable.
- An unprecedented coalition of community, government and education organizations who will work together in new and innovative ways to ensure every student gets the supports and opportunities they need to succeed, cradle to career.
Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter to info@55000degrees.org. Initial screenings will begin August 17 and interested applicants are encouraged to submit their resume by that date.
