Assistant Director Program Operations, Doctoral Programs

Position Title: Assistant Director Program Operations, Doctoral Programs (PhD & DNP)

Position Type: Staff

Location: Villanova, PA

Recruitment Type: Internal / External Applicants

Work Schedule: Full-time / 12-months

Department: 232-Nursing

Position Summary: The M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing is seeking applicants for the role of Assistant Director Program Operations, Doctoral Programs (AD). The AD works under the direction of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and the Program Directors to provide high level administrative and operational support for the post-masters Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Philosophy programs, including directing and overseeing operations, logistics, and adherence to academic policy for these Programs. The AD collaborates with various FCN and University stakeholders to develop, monitor, evaluate, and revise graduate policies, processes, and resources. The AD advances excellence of doctoral nursing education, the quality of the student experience, and business operations in accordance with the University and FCN mission and strategic plan.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Student Support: Serves as the primary point of contact for all programmatic questions and supports enrolled students by promptly responding to email, telephone, in-person, and voicemails directing them to resources within the college and on campus and proactively seek answers to inquiries.
• Works with the Program Directors to update plans of study for incoming cohorts of PhD and post-masters DNP students and works collaboratively with the Program directors to address student progress.
• Distributes and tracks requirements for graduating students.
• Maintains a schedule of events and deadlines for the Doctoral programs including graduation application deadlines, scholarship application deadlines, Preliminary and Comprehensive Examination, on-campus residencies, etc. Distributes this information to students, faculty and staff.
• Solicits and compiles students’ accomplishments and drafts bi-annual newsletters to be distributed to the College faculty, staff and students.
• Communicates and reinforces the policies and procedures of the Graduate Program Office.
• Maintains all student records.
• Continually adopts and introduces innovative strategies and approaches to assist remote learning students and support / fulfill the overall mission of the post-masters DNP (non-DNP-NA) and PhD doctoral programs.
• Onboards PhD Research Assistants (formerly Doctoral Research Nurse (DRNs)).
• Completes, submits and tracks stipend and tuition credits for Research Assistants.
• Tracks program specific scholarships and works closely with Financial Aid and Stewardship to ensure timely and accurate posting of scholarship awards.

Data Management Activities:

• The AD gathers and analyzes data to inform the strategic plan, as well as all activities and initiatives of the Doctoral Programs and provides reliable and current data for submission to appropriate entities and agencies.
• Maintains CRM database and tracks enrollment updates using University software systems.
• Compiles, manages, and reports enrollment and student data in support of various rankings, accreditation, and other industry reports as well as supply data for internal leadership.
• Completes enrollment reports requested by various agencies including AACN, U.S. News Graduate Report, Survey of Earned Doctorates, etc.
• Creates, updates, and distributes Qualtrics surveys for the Doctoral Programs to obtain data and feedback (Exit, Summer Intensive evaluations).
• Creates and maintains CRM database reports.
• Updates and maintains program files and databases on prospective, current, and past students. Tracks and maintains current and historical scholarships for the Doctoral Programs.
• Serves as the primary liaison to the Office of the Registrar to process course changes and coordinate activities related to graduation applications.
• Works closely with the Office of Financial Assistance, assists in the Nursing Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) reporting activities and maintains HRSA Electronic Handbook.
• Works closely with the Office of Recruitment, Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration, the Associate Dean for the Graduate Programs, and the Program Directors to perform market analyses related to tuition rates, and completes quarterly forecasting related to program enrollments, credits, operating expenses, and faculty costs to be shared with the Finance team in the College.

General Office Administrative Duties:

• The AD provides high level support to the Dean’s office in matters related to the post-masters DNP and PhD programs and collaborates in the development of strategies that support achievement of performance targets for admissions, retention, completion, scholarship, extramural funding and financial accountability; promotes diversity and inclusion within the graduate nursing student body; and increases opportunities for student personal and professional development.
• The AD supports scheduling, payroll, and operations of Research Assistants under the direction of The Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and the PhD Program Director.
• Assists Program Directors to maintain calendars and appointments, processes information requests and daily correspondence, edits and proofreads documents, and reserves and schedules rooms in support of on-campus residencies for the Doctoral Programs.
• Coordinates on site classes, events, and activities for DNP & PhD students in collaboration with the Program Directors.
• Collaborates with the office of Marketing to maintain accurate and high quality, effective web sites.
• Schedules doctoral dissertation proposal, final defenses, and scholarly projects, and maintains thorough documentation thereof.
• Updates essential program documents (plans of study, progression tracking, alumni lists, handbooks and documentation regarding completed dissertations and DNP scholarly projects).
• Maintains confidentiality in all aspects of student, faculty, staff and agency information.

Recruitment and Retention:

• Collaborates with the Recruitment and Enrollment teams to monitor and respond to prospective student inquiries via email, telephone, and the CRM system about the PhD and DNP Post Master’s doctoral programs.
• Participates in the graduate program open houses, information sessions, and various other internal and external recruitment events sponsored by the recruitment and enrollment teams.
• Serves as a subject matter expert for the Marketing and Communications team to prepare recruitment and marketing materials, to update the website for the events, and schedule rooms and speakers.
• Corresponds with agencies, students and individuals on the active inquiry list and update the CRM system to ensure attention and support is given to prospects.
• Provides faculty with necessary materials, for advisement and other academic-related issues and respond to students’ questions about online course registration, access to the location of online forms as well as other academic-related issues.
• Coordinates review of applications by Program Directors and faculty members. Maintains records of deliberations and scores to ensure transparent, equitable, and effective review process.
• Coordinates and facilitates new student orientation including compiling packets, reserving rooms, contacting new students, faculty and presenters and entering all required student information into the Banner system.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3+ years of relevant and applicable work experience in a professional environment.
• Must have direct experience in student support, academic advising and / or professional development at an institution of higher education, preferably at the graduate school level for both online and campus programs or comparable experience in an organization / corporation (preferably for remote and onsite employees).
• Must have experience coordinating and executing events onsite and virtually.
• Must have experience writing effective communications to students or employees for whom they are responsible for providing support and guidance on academic and / or professional development related plans.
• Must have a track record of providing excellent customer service and the ability to nurture relationships with various stakeholders.
• Excellent written, oral communication, presentation, facilitation, interpersonal and collaborative skills.
• Must convey a highly professional demeanor and be a team player.
• Strong organization skills, the ability to handle a fast-paced environment and manage multiple requests / projects / tasks with varied deadlines.
• Must be a results-oriented individual who can anticipate and identify problems and opportunities and take decisive action to proactively address them.
• Must be poised with strong customer-service skills and be able to work independently under general supervision.
• Ability to quickly learn and stay abreast of detailed curricular and program features in the degree portfolio.
• Must be proficient in all standard computer applications, including Microsoft Office products, particularly, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and knowledge of Banner is a plus.
• The individual must have a deep commitment to the well-being of Villanova University, a commitment to the University’s Catholic / Augustinian heritage, and the advancement of its mission, and to serving the needs of a diverse community.
• Must have knowledge of learning or working in a remote environment and understand the associated benefits and challenges.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred.

Physical Requirements and / or Unusual Work Hours:

Special Message to Applicants: Up to 2 days remote work permissible contingent on needs of the department, after 6 months of full-time employment.

Posting Date: Closing Date (11:59pm ET): Salary Posting Information: Commensurate with experience.

Salary Band: 13

Job Classification: exempt

References Needed: Minimum Number of References Needed: 3

Maximum Number of References Needed: 3