Advising Coordinator, Early Childhood Education

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service. We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What We Offer:

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, Paid Time Off and Educational Benefits.

What You Will Do:

The Early Childhood Education Advising Coordinator provides holistic support and services to guide undergraduate Chicago Early Learning Workforce (CELW) and Competency Based Education (CBE) students in achieving success at NLU by creating an academic plan to lead the student to graduation by resolving barriers to retention and providing proactive support. This position also assists with the project management of the CELW group by creating meeting agendas, tracking the students and collaborating with Enrollment, UGC and CELW. This position also assists with the tracking and proactive support for the CBE group of students. The UG ECE Advising Coordinator will also contribute to the department by assuming responsibility for additional administrative tasks such as course splits and cancellations, monitoring the Advising inbox, assisting with onboarding and training new staff members and initiating new project ideas to support student retention. The UG ECE Advising Coordinator will also assist with creating meeting agendas, leading staff meetings and taking an active role in working with other departments and Colleges. The position is under the supervision of the Associate Director of Academic Advising and is a member of the Provost division, working closely with faculty and with staff from other student service units as Student Finance, Admissions and Registrar, serving as the student's primary point of contact for questions and assistance.

Provide single point of contact advising service to an assigned group of ECE students from admission through graduation to retain students. Advisors should ensure students are eligible to continue their degree and register for courses on their degree plan on a quarterly basis. In addition, students should be supported to access wraparound supports available as needed and through academic and personal challenge areas.
• Effectively communicate the curriculum and graduation requirements for program, college and university academic policies and procedures. Provide student with general information on the university that students need to be successful and collaborate with other student service areas to support students.
• Serves as overall project coordinator by convening and running meetings with stakeholders to ensure communication systems are running smoothly. Build collaborative relationships with academic program faculty, Department Chairs and internal and external staff to ensure a cohesive student experience. Assist with planning and leading staff meetings and initiating new project ideas to support persistence.
• Maintain accurate and timely student records in Banner and use data tools and retention systems, including EAB Navigate, to work with at risk students proactively and assist students on SAP/SAR. Serve as resource to other Advising colleagues on all technical aspects of technology platforms, policies and procedures.
• Manage additional administrative tasks such as course splits and cancellations, monitoring the Advising inbox, managing student workers, processing professional development registrations, assisting with onboarding and training new staff members and other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• Fluency in Spanish (speaking and writing), strongly preferred.
• Experience working with students in higher education, preferably in Academic Advising.
• Customer Focus: Personally demonstrates that external (or internal) customers are a high priority. Identifies customer needs and expectations and responds to them in a timely and effective manner. Anticipates and prevents delays or other things that can adversely affect the customer. Keeps customers informed about the status of pending actions and inquires about customer satisfaction with products or services.
• Interpersonal Communication: Communicates effectively and appropriately. Uses good judgment as to what to communicate to whom as well as the best way to get that accomplished. Speaks in a clear and credible manner, selecting the right tone for the situation and audience. Listens to others and allows them to make their point.
• Team Orientation: Establishes an environment that creates incentives for, and eliminates barriers to, a team environment. For example, articulates common goals, communicates how individual roles contribute to team success, provides both clear direction and sufficient resources while removing or reducing obstacles to team success.

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.