Scholar Support Counselor

Working Title: Scholar Support Counselor

Department Name: Toro Guardian Scholars

Division: Student Affairs

Classification Title: Student Services Professional IV

Classification Salary Range: $6,320 - $9,014 per month

The anticipated hiring salary for this position is $6,320 per month.

The final salary is dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Why Join CSUDH?

Toro Guardian Scholars, also known as TGS, at California State University, Dominguez Hills is a comprehensive program dedicated to supporting current and former foster youth, McKinney-Vento students, and unaccompanied minors. TGS is a unique program that connects eligible students to a wide range of services, resources, and workshops that empower them to build community and a network of support. This holistic approach is meant to enrich students' educational journey, equipping them with the skills needed to become professionals and leaders within their communities.

As a program, Toro Guardian Scholars provides students with the support, resources, and advocacy they need to graduate and achieve their desired quality of life.

Position Summary:

Under general supervision of the Associate Director of Toro Guardian Scholars, the Scholar Support Counselor will be responsible for providing highly complex case management services to freshman, sophomores, and providing lead work direction to graduate school intern(s). The position involves case management to connect Toro Guardian Scholar students to on- and off- campus resources, provide referrals, service coordination and collaboration, and advocacy across various settings, with the goal of increasing student retention, comfort with navigating campus and community resources, and student success. The Scholar Support Counselor will also support recruitment and outreach efforts, to engage prospective students and inform campus and community partners of how to support Toro Guardian Scholar populations with trauma-informed care.

Targeted Population: Students supported by Toro Guardian Scholars are current and former foster youth, McKinney-Vento students (experiencing homelessness in K-12), and unaccompanied minors. Current and former foster youth and McKinney-Vento students experience low retention and graduation rates and have complex needs due to their lived experience, systemic barriers, and low socioemotional and familial supports. Thus, the Toro Guardian Scholars student population often requires support with accessing jobs, housing, food and hygiene resources, mental health resources, navigating higher education settings, building community, and with navigating federal, state, county, and local resources throughout their time enrolled at CSUDH. Navigating such resources can sometimes prevent students from engaging in the academic work successfully, engaging with the campus community, and from remaining enrolled at the university. As such, the Scholar Support Counselor is responsible for supporting Toro Guardian Scholar students with remaining enrolled, accessing necessary resources, and developing a transition plan to ensure their needs are met following graduation.

This position may require weekend and evening work, dependent on need and programming.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides highly confidential, person-centered, and complex case management services for the TGS student population.
• Independently conduct assessments, check-ins, and crisis support.
• Facilitates goal setting, and transition plan meetings to support students in identifying individualized goals and barriers to success.
• Develops and implements personalized student support plans that both academic and personal challenges, including referrals, advocacy, and consistent follow-up with on-and-off campus agencies.
• Exercises judgement in navigating complex student circumstances involving multiple service providers and agencies.
• Collaborate with TGS team to ensure coordinated care, coverage and support for students.
• Monitors and evaluates student progress, identifying at-risk students and designing proactive outreach and retention strategies to address disengagement, life challenges, and barriers to academic success.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience: Possession of these knowledge and abilities is typically demonstrated through the equivalent to four years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience which includes experience in advising students individually and in groups, and in analysis and resolution of complex student services problems.

A master's degree in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work or a job‑related field may be substituted for one year of professional experience. A doctorate degree and the appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling, guidance or a job‑related field may be substituted for two years of the required professional experience for positions with a major responsibility for professional, personal or career counseling.

• Education: Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field plus upper division or graduate course work in counseling techniques, interviewing and conflict resolution where such are job related.
• CA Drive license required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Thorough knowledge of the policies, procedures and practices of the program area to which assigned or the ability to quickly acquire such knowledge.
• General knowledge of the policies, practices and activities of Student Services programs outside the program to which immediately assigned.
• General knowledge of advanced statistical and research methods.
• Ability to carry out very complex assignments without detailed instructions.
• Ability to advise students individually or in groups on varied and complex matters.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in outreach, planning, developing, and implementing university recruitment events specifically geared towards current and former foster youth for an education related setting.
• Extensive experience in working with current and former foster youth/systems.
• A master's degree in social work with the ability to supervise MSW interns (2 years of post-graduate work experience).

To view the full position description, click "Position Description" above.

General Information:

• Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or the continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance and State Law.
• In accordance with the California State University (CSU) Out-of-State Employment Policy, the CSU is a state entity whose business operations reside within the State of California and prohibits hiring employees to perform CSU-related work outside of California.
• California State University Dominguez Hills is not currently sponsoring staff or management positions for H-1B employment visas.
• The CSU system offers a competitive total compensation benefits package for employees and qualifying dependents, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, and tuition assistance. It is our goal to compensate employees equitably and fairly. You can access a full description of our benefits here.
• Possession of a valid Driver's License is required. Employees in this position will be enrolled in the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Government Employer Pull Notice Program.
• The person holding this position is considered a `mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Closing Statement

California State University, Dominguez Hills, is strongly committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce. Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may call the Human Resources Office at (310) 243-3771.

California State University Dominguez Hills is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, disability, marital status, or protected veteran status.

Employees at California State University, Dominguez Hills shall abide by the Nondiscrimination Statement.

Education Code 89521 Requirements: Applicants will be required to disclose whether they have received a final administrative decision or final judicial decision determining that they have committed sexual harassment within the last 7 years only after a determination is made that they meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and before an offer of employment is extended.

Applicants who reach the final stages of the application process must also sign a release form that authorizes the release of information by the applicant's current and/or former employers to the CSU concerning any substantiated allegations of misconduct.

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