Director of First-Generation Programs

Title: Director of First-Generation Programs

Position Purpose:

The Director of First-Generation Programs is responsible for developing, leading, and coordinating a comprehensive and holistic set of programs and services for first-generation to college students. The director will join a team of professionals at the Student Center for Belonging and Community, where they will direct all aspects of the Bobcat First (BFirst) and Kessler Scholars programs, dedicated to helping first-generation students thrive as part of a high-touch, cohort-based, asset-focused model. The director will develop, implement, and assess programming that addresses first-generation student needs, interests, and concerns, with close attention to intersectional identities. Focused on high-impact practices, this position is accountable for the responsible stewardship, management, and administration of the Kessler Scholars grant. This position will work closely with first-generation students through one-to-one advising to build relationships that foster a sense of belonging and facilitate their academic, personal, and post-graduate success.

The director will take a hands-on and evidence-based approach to program design, implementation, and assessment, ensuring alignment of resources where there are the greatest programmatic and service-delivery needs. The director will take a relational approach to supporting student success. To do so, the director will collaborate closely with colleagues in the Student Center for Belonging and Community, as well as colleagues in Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and the Office of Equity and Inclusion to create a student-centered environment that cultivates community and belonging, provides resources for students' personal, academic, and professional success, and connects students to opportunities for campus and community engagement.

The director will represent the Bates College Kessler Scholars program within the national Kessler Scholars Collaborative and work with professional staff peers at partner institutions to build networks and connection opportunities for students. They will participate in planning and data collection/analysis activities with the national Kessler Scholars Collaborative partner institutions. The director may have the opportunity to collaborate in teaching a course specifically designed for first-generation students, using inclusive pedagogy.

Job Duties:

1. Develop, implement, and assess comprehensive and holistic programming to foster a sense of community and belonging, facilitate student success, and assist in personal, academic, and professional development of first-generation students.
2. Supervise grant implementation and timeline to make adjustments as indicated by internal and external assessment data.
3. Ensure data collection and assessment of High-Impact Practices that aligns with the Kessler Scholars Program Goals.
4. Ensure grant reporting requirements are met in a timely and efficient manner.
5. Actively encourage and recruit students to come to Bobcat First and Kessler Scholars programs and events.
6. Provide logistical support for the Bobcat First and Kessler Scholars program working with first-generation students and their families.
7. Monitor and maintain a budget for the Bobcat First and Kessler Scholars programs.
8. Oversight of the Bobcat First and Kessler Scholars website. Ensure that equity, inclusion, and access are central to the work and the delivery of services to students, faculty, and staff.
9. Design and direct all aspects of the Bobcat First (BFirst) and Kessler Scholars programs, including the pre-orientation program.
10. Build partnerships with Admissions and Student Financial Services to smoothly transition first-generation students from admission to campus life.
11. Design and facilitate training for campus partners to bolster inclusive advising practices, particularly with first-generation students.
12. Build and nurture partnerships with faculty, academic departments, academic support services, Institutional Research, Analysis and Planning, and the Dean of Faculty's Office to provide effective and coordinated programs to support academic, personal, and professional success and development of first-generation students.
13. Strategic planning about future programming and implementation with a focus on the post-grant period.
14. Ability to present on the Kessler Scholars and Bobcat First Programs to both internal and external partners.
15. Cultivate trusting relationships with students while also establishing professional boundaries, ensuring that students can thrive independently and in community with others.
16. Supervise and mentor a full-time Assistant Director who together share responsibility for the student ambassadors' program.
17. Be a visible and accessible presence in the SCBS, including on nights and weekends as necessary.
18. Serve as a Student Support Advisor for first-generation to college students supporting a cohort of students through their academic career - perform supplemental academic advising and connect students to institutional supports.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education

Bachelor's degree required, Master's degree preferred.

Experience

1. Minimum of three years of professional Student Affairs experience in student support and leading program design and implementation.
2. Minimum of two years of professional experience working in student-facing equity, inclusion, and access work.
3. Experience and demonstrated success with program design and implementation, supporting, coaching, and advising students with a variety of identities and lived experiences.
4. Experience working with historically excluded student populations, particularly first-generation and producing intersectional programming for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other students of color.

Skills and Knowledge

1. Commitment to equity and inclusion, and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
2. Commitment to working with students of color, first-generation students, and LGBTQ+ students, their families, and campus support structures to facilitate their academic, co-curricular, and personal success.
3. Ability to maintain confidentiality and student privacy as appropriate.
4. Effective interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills and the ability to coordinate resources and staff within the college community.
5. Solid understanding of the academic and social challenges experienced by first-generation students in a college environment.
6. Ability to work in a highly collaborative environment.
7. Proficiency in basic data management systems, computer applications, and social media platforms.
8. Adept at facilitating difficult discussions, shepherding change, creating, and strengthening partnerships across campus.
9. Ability to exercise a high level of independence and autonomy and exercise a high degree of initiative, influence, and judgment in decisions impacting Bates College and its students.
10. Ability to address issues and solve problems that require immediate attention and may be or become crisis situations.

Benefits:

Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, sick leave, 24 days of vacation, 2 personal days, 13 paid holidays, dependent care subsidy, free parking, access to library and athletic facilities & more), and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug and smoke-free workplace.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.

Inquiries concerning the college's policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at

About Bates:

Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world. Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin. Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces - intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology - that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate. Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff. The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine's second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.