Assistant Director of Student Services (2 Open)

About the Opportunity

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning invites applications for multiple Assistant Director of Student Services positions within the Office of Admissions and Student Services. These roles are critical to advancing a holistic, student-centered experience and strengthening innovative approaches to academic advising and student success.

Reporting to senior leadership within Student Experience, the Assistant Director serves as a primary advising resource and advocate for undergraduate and graduate students across AAP's programs and locations. These roles are highly collaborative and student-facing, requiring creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking to support a diverse and dynamic student population.

AAP is particularly interested in candidates who are excited to reimagine and design new pathways in academic advising, integrating proactive, inclusive, and data-informed practices that support student well-being, persistence, and success.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive academic advising to undergraduate and graduate students across AAP programs, supporting degree planning, policies, and co-curricular engagement
• Serve as a primary point of contact for student concerns, including those in distress or experiencing academic difficulty, and connect them with appropriate campus resources
• Collaborate with faculty, college leadership, and campus partners (e.g., Cornell Health, CAPS, Dean of Students, Student Disability Services) to deliver holistic student support
• Develop and implement creative, student-centered advising strategies that advance innovative pathways for academic success and well-being
• Analyze trends related to student performance and persistence, using data to inform proactive interventions and continuous improvement of advising practices
• Design and deliver student transition programming, including orientation, pre-enrollment initiatives, Family Weekend, and commencement-related efforts
• Create targeted communications and resources to support student success, particularly for first-year, transfer, and students navigating complex academic pathways
• Contribute to the development and delivery of student success programs such as academic support initiatives and peer mentorship programs
• Advise and support student organizations, including leadership development, training, and alignment with university policies and practices
• Promote a culture of inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing while advocating for students in college and university forums and contributing to collaborative initiatives across AAP

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 2 to 4 years relevant experience or equivalent combination.
• Demonstrated experience working with a broad array of stakeholders to craft and implement collaborative, high-quality academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular programming and events.
• Experience in program design, delivery, and evaluation.
• Ability to connect with students of all backgrounds and experience levels; experience advising them on academic, professional, and personal goals.
• Strong public speaking, writing, and editing skills.
• Demonstrated project management, organizational skills, and detail orientation. Must be able to balance significant complexity and competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of discretion in dealing with confidential information in accordance with University policies and FERPA regulations.
• Ability to attend meetings and events across campus.
• Ability to travel occasionally as needed outside of campus to attend conferences, trainings, and/or meetings with stakeholders and external vendors, although travel outside the university is expected to be limited to one or two times a year.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's in Higher Education 3-5 years of experience.
• Track record of success in a higher education environment and/or deep familiarity with programs and fields connected to Architecture, Art, Planning, Design or Real-Estate.

This is a three-year term, full-time, on-site position based in Ithaca, NY, with salary commensurate with education and experience. This position may be eligible for renewal based on performance, continued funding, and organizational need. No relocation assistance can be provided for this position. Visa sponsorship is not available

Rewards and Benefits:

• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives.
• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: https://hr.cornell.edu/benefits-pay.
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: https://hr.cornell.edu/jobs/your-total-rewards.
• Our leave provisions include three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell

Application Procedure:

When applying through our system, please remember to attach your application materials (Resume and Cover Letter) in either Microsoft Word or PDF format. In the Experience Section of your application, use the "Drop Files Here" box to manually drag document(s) into your application. For a more detailed description and instructions on how to apply online, please click here as an external candidate.

NOTE: Cornell employees must apply through the Internal Cornell Career site.

• Relocation assistance is not available for this position.
• No visa sponsorship is available for this position.
• This is a three-year term, full-time, on-site position based in Ithaca, NY.

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Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell's non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell's union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

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