What are the responsibilities and job description for the Academic Advisor position at leesmcrae?
Title: Academic AdvisorDepartment: Academic Affairs Reports To: Dean of the Burton Center for Student Success and Vice President for Academic Affairs Classification: ExemptTerm: Full-time Staff Position, 12-monthsAbout Lees-McRae CollegeLees-McRae College is a private, four-year college located in the mountains of Banner Elk, North Carolina. The college is known for its strong commitment to student success, experiential learning, and a close-knit academic community. With small class sizes and a collaborative campus culture, Lees-McRae provides students with personalized support and meaningful opportunities for academic and personal growth.BenefitsLees-McRae College offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield medical plans with wellness incentives, Aetna dental coverage with orthodontia for children, and a voluntary vision plan for all employees. Life and long-term disability insurance are employer-paid, with optional voluntary life coverage available. Employees can take advantage of flexible spending accounts, a retirement plan with up to 5% employer match after one year, and generous paid time off including vacation, sick, personal, holiday, and college-closed days. Tuition waiver benefits are available for employees and dependents, along with access to a national tuition exchange program. Additional perks include free monthly dining, discounted meal plans, and required direct deposit for payroll.Summary/ObjectiveLees-McRae College invites applications for the staff position of Academic Advisor. The Academic Advisor provides holistic, student-centered advising that supports academic student success, persistence, and timely degree completion. This position comes with teaching responsibilities and is consistent with the NACADA Academic Advising Core Competencies Model, the Advisor integrates conceptual knowledge of student development, informational expertise in institutional policies and degree requirements, and relational skills to build meaningful advising relationships.The Academic Advisor serves as a key partner within Lees-McRae’s student success ecosystem, collaborating with the Burton Center for Student Success (BCSS), faculty advisors, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Business Affairs, and Financial Aid to ensure coordinated, proactive support for students. The Advisor helps students navigate academic requirements, develop educational plans, and connect with campus and community resources.This role supports a coordinated student success model and emphasizes proactive outreach, developmental advising, participating in early alert and intervention systems, promoting student engagement, and collaborative student support.Key ResponsibilitiesAdvising Program Leadership and StrategyContribute to the development and implementation of a comprehensive academic advising program aligned with Lees-McRae’s student success model and NACADA best practices.Contribute to advising policies, procedures, and initiatives that improve student retention, progression, and degree completion.Help ensure consistent, high-quality advising experiences across undergraduate programs.Student Advising and Academic PlanningMaintain an advising caseload of approximately 100–150 undergraduate students, including first-year, transfer, exploratory, and at-risk students.Provide holistic, developmental advising that supports academic planning, goal setting, degree completion, and awareness of financial and academic policies.Assist students in developing and maintaining four-year academic plans aligned with academic, career and graduate education goals.Coordinate initial course scheduling for incoming students and support registration processes in collaboration with faculty.Help students understand general education, major requirements, and graduation criteria.Monitor academic progress and engagement, conduct proactive outreach to students experiencing difficulty, and maintain accurate advising documentation in institutional systems.Interpret and communicate institutional policies, degree requirements, and academic procedures.Coordinate with appropriate campus offices to ensure transfer credits are evaluated and recorded accurately to support effective advising.Student Success Support and RetentionParticipate in institutional retention initiatives, including early alert and academic intervention processes.Provide outreach and advising support to students on academic warning, probation, or identified as at-risk.Connect students with appropriate campus resources such as tutoring, accessibility services, counseling, financial aid, payment planning, and career services.Collaboration and Campus PartnershipsWork closely with BCSS staff and faculty advisors to coordinate student support services and ensure continuity of advising as students transition into academic majors.Serve as a liaison between students and key campus offices including Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Financial Aid, and Business Affairs.Assist with advising support during key academic milestones such as orientation, course registration, and major declaration.Student Development and TeachingTeach 3–6 credit hours annually, typically in First Year Seminar and/ or courses supporting new or transfer students.Apply student development theory and NACADA advising principles to foster student responsibility, decision-making, and academic ownership.Support diverse student populations through inclusive advising practices and contribute to advising assessment and continuous improvement.Additional Eligibility QualificationsPlease note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. For questions regarding this position, please reach out to Deborah Lowery at loweryd@lmc.edu.