Academic Program Coordinator, Office of Academic Affairs

Position Announcement
The School for Field Studies
Headquarters

The School for Field Studies (SFS) seeks an experienced and ambitious professional to join the academic administration team to further the mission of the most prominent international education provider in environmental field-based studies. To support the administration of SFS education abroad programs, you will engage with a dynamic team of staff at our ten field centers around the world as well as at headquarters.

The Academic Program Coordinator provides administrative, planning, and logistical support to the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). Duties include project management; budget management; writing and editing academic communications and documents; and providing support for curricular and/or research initiatives. We are especially interested in candidates with experience working with a diverse student body, and demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion and cultural competence in a learning environment as we continue to develop policies to support our Institutional Position on Diversity and Inclusion. This position plays an important role interfacing with other departments within SFS-HQ:  Finance; Operations; Institutional Relations, Marketing, Admissions and Student Health and Wellness.

Institutional Mission
As an international non-profit academic institution, The School for Field Studies (SFS) provides semester and summer programming in environmental topics and conducts user-inspired field-based research at ten international campuses. SFS is committed to providing hands-on, interdisciplinary education and environmental research in partnership with natural resource dependent communities.  

Institutional Position on Diversity and Inclusion
SFS was founded with the belief that stewardship of our planet is the responsibility of people  around the world. Addressing complex global issues requires the active inclusion of stakeholders with varying perspectives and identities. We recognize that to successfully address threats to our natural world, we must look beyond social constructs designed to divide us. Just as we value biodiversity in all of its forms, we value and engage with a multitude of diverse perspectives and people in the countries where we work and the students and staff we serve.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Administrative experience (preferably 3+ years, including college experience) and strong organizational skills, including project management and budget management
• Bachelor’s degree, preferably environmental science / studies or a complementary field  
• Excellent written and spoken English and skill in editing documents and other communications
• Demonstrated commitment to and experience in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, especially within an academic context
• Passion for science communication especially related to sharing academic publications and research updates in a public-facing forum (website, social media, etc.) and a willingness to collaborate with colleagues in Marketing to produce content related to faculty research
• Ability to assume and carry out projects and complex tasks  both independently and collaboratively, depending on the project
• High competence in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with all levels of the organization, including clients and domestic and international partners and colleagues
• Appreciation and understanding of education abroad and participation in an abroad experience (SFS experience preferred)
• A desire to work with colleagues who have a passion for the environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing and implementing DEI programming within an academic setting
• Experience in science communication, dissemination of research especially using audio visual tools.
• Work experience in a higher educational setting with knowledge of academic administration, student evaluations, student grading, faculty assessment, cross-department communication
• Experience working with information systems and/or databases, especially Salesforce
• Proficiency in a language spoken at one or more  of our centers

Duties and Responsibilities:
 

1. Program Support
   • Prior to each program, process student learning accommodation requests, prepare SFS accommodations letters for Dean’s review, and communicate with Center Directors.
   • At the completion of each program:
     • Systematically prepare, collect, and review the evaluations by students at each center and prepare assessments for the Dean’s review.
     • Compile and review the Final Reports submitted by each center.
     • Systematically review grading for each course at each center and prepare a grade distribution report for the Dean’s review. Provide final grades to the SFS Registrar and assist with the creation of transcripts as needed.

 

2. Academic Materials and Communication

• Under the Dean’s supervision, collaborate with Marketing to create a section of the website dedicated to highlighting SFS research and develop mechanisms for dissemination (i.e. podcasts, short video interviews, social media posts, etc.).
• Under the Dean’s supervision:
  • Review and edit the Program Manual for each program on an annual basis.
  • Review the course syllabi prior to each program period to ensure compliance with formatting, requirements, and protocols

• • Field academic questions and requests from prospective, current and former SFS students.

 

3. Project Management
   • Keep track of planning, budget, and progress on OAA initiatives
   • Track and manage library holdings and requests from faculty
   • Track and manage research and teaching funds requests from Centers
   • Participate in identification and planning of new initiatives in the OAA

 

4. Center Interaction

• Support the development and dissemination of Center Director and faculty orientation and training materials, including onboarding, professional development workshops
• Assist with the ongoing development of living-learning communities at our Centers that are inclusive of diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds, in which all learners have the opportunity to thrive. This may include supporting the creation of trainings, policies, and other materials to support faculty and students.
• Coordinate cross-Center initiatives such as faculty seminars and working groups.
• Communicate with Center Directors, faculty, and staff to better understand research and other Center-based initiatives to communicate out external audiences through written and/or audiovisual media.

 

5. Support Course Development and School of Record requirements:
   • Collaborate with colleagues in Institutional Relations to liaise with sending schools regarding academic questions.
   • Assist in developing new course proposals, and their submission for review/approval from the SFS School of Record, University of Minnesota.

 

6. Support the SFS Institutional Relations and Marketing teams

• Attend college education-abroad fairs as necessary to promote SFS programs at sending schools
• Help develop promotional material (web and print) that enhances the visibility of SFS academic programming

 

7. Other duties as assigned

Reports To:  The Dean, Office of Academic Affairs

Location:  Location negotiable. Some US based (or international travel) may be required.

Start Date:  late-August 2022

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary:  Competitive salary and benefits

For more information on The School for Field Studies, please review the Programs section of our website: www.fieldstudies.org.