Student Success Specialist

The College of Nursing seeks a Student Support Specialist to empower students to thrive academically and personally through high-impact coaching, success programming, and collaborative partnerships. This position designs and delivers evidence-based learning experiences, develops individualized success plans, and connects students with key campus resources to promote achievement, persistence, and retention. The specialist serves as a liaison with faculty and campus partners and leads peer mentoring and workshop initiatives that strengthen the student experience across programs.

While based in Tucson, the position requires regular travel to the Gilbert, AZ campus to support a large student population. This position supports 2,000+ students - including first-year, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral - across three campuses. The position will primarily work in Tucson but will also be required to travel regularly to the Gilbert, Arizona campus to support a large population of students.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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Academic Coaching:

• Meets one-on-one with students to apply learning science principles and develop individualized academic strategies.
• Provides drop-in support, workshops, and group sessions focused on key academic success topics and skill development.
• Independently designs, delivers, and manages a comprehensive academic coaching program grounded in student success best practices.
• Guides students to appropriate university resources, policies, and professional support services that align with their academic and personal goals.
• Assesses learning needs, such as attention management or different abilities, and communicates effectively to connect students with the right campus resources.

Success Programs:

• Creates and implements peer mentoring initiatives that promote academic achievement and meaningful social integration.
• Presents evidence-based content during course visits and in extracurricular workshop settings to enhance student preparation and engagement.
• Creates individualized success plans that integrate learning strategies, resource use, and academic behaviors to support student progress.
• Conducts proactive outreach to atrisk or disengaged students to encourage timely support, facilitate connection with resources, and promote persistence.

Development:

• Maintains clear, accessible, and uptodate student success resources in an easily accessible, virtual platform to support learning and engagement.
• Creates highquality presentations, handouts, digital content, and other materials that reinforce evidencebased academic success strategies.
• Stays current with emerging trends, research, and best practices in student success and learning science to ensure programs remain relevant and effective.
• Continuously refines and enhances program materials and tools based on student feedback, assessment data, and evolving institutional priorities.

Development:

• Maintains clear, accessible, and uptodate student success resources in an easily accessible, virtual platform to support learning and engagement.
• Creates highquality presentations, handouts, digital content, and other materials that reinforce evidencebased academic success strategies.
• Stays current with emerging trends, research, and best practices in student success and learning science to ensure programs remain relevant and effective.
• Continuously refines and enhances program materials and tools based on student feedback, assessment data, and evolving institutional priorities.

Collaboration:

• Partners with Health Sciences colleagues to support student success initiatives and coordinate services that enhance academic and professional preparation.
• Builds strong working relationships with departments across campus to streamline referrals, share student progress insights, and strengthen support networks.
• Collaborates with industry associations to align programs with emerging workforce expectations and provide students with relevant career-related insights.
• Engages regularly with campus and community partners to enhance programming, expand resources, and support institution-wide student success goals.
• Provide training and consultation to academic advisors and faculty on emerging trends, best practices, and strategies that support student success and early intervention.

Assessment:

• Tracks student engagement, service utilization, and academic progress to support datainformed decisionmaking.
• Uses assessment tools and departmental systems to document student interactions, outcomes, and trends.
• Analyzes data to identify patterns, emerging needs, and opportunities for improvement in programs and services.
• Generates reports and share insights with campus partners to support continuous improvement and strategic planning.
• Incorporate student feedback and assessment results to refine coaching approaches, workshops, and success initiatives.
• Maintains accurate and timely student records in Trellis (or other UA systems) to support reporting, assessment, and data-informed decision-making.
• Proficiently uses university systems and tools for documentation, data collection, and tracking student progress.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of student success strategies, learning science, academic study skills, and student development theory.
• Knowledge of university policies, academic processes, and available campus resources that support student success.
• Knowledge of assessment methods and datatracking systems used to evaluate student needs and program effectiveness.
• Knowledge of nursing curriculum and professional expectations as they relate to student success.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to build rapport with students and collaborate with faculty, advisors, and campus partners.
• Skilled in academic coaching, workshop facilitation, and developing studentfacing learning materials and resources.
• Proficient in using university administrative systems (e.g., Trellis) and standard software tools for documentation and data collection.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and projectmanagement skills with the ability to work independently and manage multiple responsibilities.
• Ability to support students with varied backgrounds and learning needs using evidencebased approaches.
• Ability to identify student challenges early, conduct proactive outreach, and implement effective interventions.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with external partners to advance student success initiatives.
• Ability to adapt programs and coaching approaches based on data, assessment findings, and student feedback.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience is required.

• RN License and 1-year nursing experience.
• Master's degree in a related field.
• Experience with learning skill development and prescriptive advising.
• Experience using UA systems (e.g., UAccess Student and Analytics, Trellis).
• Experience working with varied and underrepresented student populations.