Director - Student Success & Retention

About Us

As a comprehensive institution of the University System of Georgia, Valdosta State University (VSU) is a welcoming, aware, and vibrant community founded on and dedicated to serving our communities rich and diverse heritages. Through excellence in teaching, basic and applied research, and service, VSU provides rigorous programs and opportunities that enrich our students, our university, and our region. As such, the VSU mission consists of three interrelated parts that includes a student mission, university mission and regional mission. The university is equally dedicated to the core values of community, including a commitment to practice civility, integrity and citizenship. As members of this community and proud Blazers we strive to uphold these core values for the advancement of the University, as stated in the Blazer Creed and reflected in our commitment to the University System of Georgias Core Values.

Blazer Creed Valdosta State University is a learning environment based on trust and mutual respect in which open dialogue, vigorous debate, and the free exchange of ideas are welcome. The University is equally dedicated to the core values of community, including a commitment to practice civility, integrity, and citizenship. As members of this community, and proud Blazers, we will strive to uphold these core values for the advancement of the University.

Civility - A Blazer shows courtesy and compassion as well as respect for the dignity of every human being.

Integrity - Each Blazer is responsible for his or her own actions, and our community is stronger when we contemplate the context of our decisions and uphold the principles of trust and honesty.

Citizenship - Every Blazer has an interest in the well-being of the community, and, therefore, a duty to stay informed, to make positive contributions, and to offer support to those who need help.

As a Blazer, we pledge to uphold the core principles of Civility, Integrity, and Citizenship.

Job Summary

This position provides direction and management oversight to one or more departments or units. Plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities. Based on the recent Proclamation: Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers (H-1B), VSU will not be sponsoring any new H-1B visa petitions until further notice.

Responsibilities

Department Summary The Director of Student Success & Retention provides strategic direction and operational oversight for academic interventions and retention initiatives focused on at-risk student populations, aligning programs and strategies with institutional performance and persistence goals. This role oversees academic interventions, tutoring, and orientation and transition programs, and serves as the primary point of contact for learning support across the institution. The Director is expected to lead with urgency, maintain high accountability for staff performance, and drive measurable improvements in academic performance and retention for at-risk students.

Typical Allocation of Duties:

• Accomplish department/unit objectives - 25%
• Direct the human, financial, and other resources needed to accomplish objectives of the department or unit.
• Monitor and establish processes - 20%
• Monitor and establish processes to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and alignment with University and department goals.
• Direct operations - 20%
• Direct the operations of the department or unit.
• Area Representative - 15%
• Represent the department or unit to internal and external groups and individuals.
• Manage budget - 10%
• Manage the department/unit budget.
• Compliance - 10%
• Ensure commitment to and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and standards.

Supervisor Expectations:

Academic Interventions

• Oversee the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of intervention strategies using institutional CRM and student success platforms, including identification, monitoring, and follow-up of students demonstrating academic risk.
• Establish and enforce a proactive, results-driven engagement model requiring structured tracking, urgent outreach, documentation, escalation, and accountability for measurable improvements in student academic performance and persistence.
• Coordinate learning support services in partnership with advising and academic affairs to align interventions with course demands and ensure clear referral pathways.
• Demonstrate the ability to teach or support instruction for courses serving at-risk student populations, as needed, to support retention and progression efforts.

Tutoring

• Provide strategic oversight of tutoring services to ensure alignment with institutional retention priorities to target high-DFW courses with coordinated academic support.
• Monitor utilization, academic impact, and performance outcomes to drive continuous improvement in tutoring effectiveness.

Orientation and Transition Programs

• Oversee orientation and transition initiatives that support academic readiness, engagement, and early momentum for new students.
• Align orientation and transition programming with institutional onboarding, progression, and retention goals.
• Use assessment data and student feedback to strengthen transition pathways and improve early-term persistence outcomes.

Effective Departmental Leadership

• Lead a results-driven academic interventions operation focused on at-risk populations, aligning strategies with institutional onboarding, progression, and retention goals.
• Provide oversight of academic interventions, tutoring, and orientation and transition programs with accountability for measurable gains in academic performance, engagement, and persistence.
• Drive data-informed decision making by establishing and monitoring performance metrics, allocating resources strategically, and communicating outcomes and risks to senior leadership.
• Develop and supervise staff while overseeing budgets and operations with fiscal responsibility, enforcing accountability, and fostering a culture of ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

Required Experience Bachelors degree in a specified field and five (5) years of related work experience in a related field is required. Terminal degree and/or professional licensure, certification, and/or designation may be required in some areas.

Proposed Salary Commensurate with experience.

USG Core Values

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct. Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Conditions of Employment

Applicants are required to provide:

• professional references with current contact information
• documentation of academic credentials
• employment history

Please note that during the search process, VSU reserves the right to:

• ask candidates who will serve in Positions of Trust to disclose criminal record history during the initial screening process and prior to a conditional offer of employment
• view social media outlets
• remove job postings without additional notification.

Employment is contingent upon:

• successful completion of a background check investigation, including a criminal background check
• reference checks

Employment may also be contingent upon the job-based requirements if applicable for your position:

• satisfactory credit check
• successful completion of a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR)
• pre-employment drug testing
• confirmation of credentials

After initial hiring, employees will be required to successfully complete all of the following training:

• New employee orientation
• VSUs Annual Compliance Training:
• USG Ethics Policy
• Conflict of Interest/Outside Activities Policy
• Drug Free Workplace
• Sexual Misconduct and Title IX
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Motor Vehicle Policy
• Workers Compensation (new hires)
• Georgia Open Records Act (new hires)
• USG Cybersecurity Training (required twice yearly)
• Job-specific training such as:
• FMLA and Workers Compensation
• Budget Manager training
• Purchasing Training (ePro & PCard)
• Defensive Driving

Equal Employment Opportunity

Valdosta State University is an equal opportunity educational institution. It is not the intent of the institution to discriminate against any applicant for admission or any student or employee of the institution based on the age, sex, race, religion, color, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation of the individual.

Background Check

Position of Trust + Credit

Accommodations

If you are a qualified individual with a disability, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings, apply for a job on this site, or participate in the search process as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting Catherine Wills, in the Office of Human Resources at croark@valdosta.edu.

Clery Disclosure

The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act requires institutions of higher education to publish an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASFSR). The ASFSR includes crime statistics for the three previous calendar years of reported crimes that occurred on campus; in or on certain non-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by our institution; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and fire safety policies and statistics. The ASFSR is published annually by October 1 and is available online at: https://www.valdosta.edu/administration/finance-admin/police/documents/2025-asfr-final-draft-aa.docx.pdf. You may request a paper copy of the report by emailing openrecords@valdosta.edu.