Senior Adviser

Position Summary
Immersion Vanderbilt seeks dedicated creative intellectually curious and team-oriented candidates to provide academic advising to undergraduate students and deliver programmatic support for the Immersion Vanderbilt office. Immersion Vanderbilt requires each undergraduate student to participate in an immersive experience that occurs in and beyond the classroom and culminates in a final project. The program involves campus- wide collaboration across all schools and colleges. The Immersion Vanderbilt office coordinates efforts across campus providing centralized support and communication to ensure students and faculty have the resources they need.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to providing guidance to students and serving as a point of contact for campus partners; developing expertise in a few of the six Immersion Vanderbilt Pathways (Civic and Community Engagement; Innovation Arts and Design; Internships; Leadership and Professional Development; Research; and Study Abroad); hosting group and individual advising sessions; and supporting students faculty and staff with the administrative components of experiential learning. The position will collaborate with faculty staff colleges and schools campus partner offices and external partners in support of experiential learning and the Immersion Vanderbilt mission.

About the Work Unit
Immersion Vanderbilt provides a unique opportunity for Vanderbilt students to pursue their interests through a hands-on mentored experience inside and outside the classroom. Immersion Vanderbilt culminates with a tangible final project such as a work of art an op-ed piece in a newspaper a thesis a web app a musical performance or a prototype among many other products. This work unit facilitates these transformative student experiences supporting learners as they engage with mentors apply classroom knowledge and create novel products that demonstrate their learning and contributions. This office plays a vital role in providing Vanderbilt students with unparalleled opportunities for experiential learning personal growth and real-world impact.
Through Immersion Vanderbilt students can explore diverse experiential learning pathways such as study abroad; internships; civic and community engagement; research; innovation arts and design; and leadership and professional development.

About the Provosts Office of Undergraduate Education

The Provosts Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) advances Vanderbilts academic mission by supporting more than 7200 undergraduate students in pursuing rigorous and inquiry-driven learning experiences. OUE collaborates closely with faculty and academic units to develop and sustain programs that promote undergraduate research scholarly engagement global learning and other high impact academic practices that extend beyond the classroom. Through strategic coordination of curricular and co-curricular academic initiatives including Immersion Vanderbilt study abroad and faculty driven academic programming OUE ensures that students have access to meaningful opportunities for intellectual growth and discovery. By aligning resources services and academic support structures OUE strengthens the undergraduate academic experience and fosters a community committed to learning curiosity and academic excellence.

Key Functions and Expected Performance

• Collaborate with Immersion staff Immersion faculty fellows and campus partners to deliver comprehensive effective advising on all aspects of the experiential pathways and Immersion Vanderbilt requirements.
• Develop first-year student advising plan including the timeline for completing their Immersion Vanderbilt experiences and culminating project.
• Coordinate upper-division student advising guiding the selection development and declaration of qualifying immersive experiences.
• Coordinate upper-division student advising guiding the requirements for selection development and completion of Immersion culminating projects.
• Collaborate with Immersion staff to track students Immersion progress through completion of the degree requirement.
• Build expertise of the Immersion Vanderbilt Pathways by developing knowledge of related programs departments centers faculty staff and student projects.
• Research and benchmark trends in designated pathway(s) including experiential learning undergraduate advising models and experiential funding opportunities.
• Assist in the planning development and facilitation of signature Immersion Vanderbilt events and culminating project showcases. Host and attend events on occasional evenings and weekends.
• Support outreach efforts by contributing to content development for print digital and social media in collaboration with the outreach team.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the university to advance institutional goals and strategic priorities.
• Other duties as assigned.

OUE Divisional and Institutional Responsibilities

• Demonstrate initiative by proactively identifying opportunities to improve processes solve problems and advance divisional and institutional priorities.
• Stay informed about and effectively utilize emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance academic and administrative processes where appropriate.
• Actively participate in divisional initiatives professional development opportunities and OUE meetings and events that strengthen collaboration and shared purpose.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment by supporting colleagues and contributing to shared goals across the division.
• Contribute to the mission of OUE and Vanderbilt University through participation on divisional and institutional committees task forces and working groups as appropriate.
• Maintain a working knowledge of relevant university policies procedures and systems to support effective responsible and compliant operations.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and strategic priorities of OUE and Vanderbilt University.

Supervisory Relationships
This position has no supervisory responsibilities and reports both administratively and functionally to the Senior Director of Immersion Vanderbilt.

Education and Certifications

• Bachelors degree from an accredited institution of higher education is required.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in a related field is required.
• Masters degree from an accredited institution of higher education is strongly preferred.
  

Experience and Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Experience advising or teaching undergraduate students is required.
• Experience working with faculty is required.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to engage effectively with students are required.
• Self-motivation and a positive professional approach are required.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team is required.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed to meet strategic and business needs is required.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds.
• Knowledge of experiential learning pedagogy is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment discretion and tact in handling sensitive matters.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook Word Excel PowerPoint) and collaboration platforms such as Zoom and Teams.