Admissions Counselor (SAL 6)

Brief Summary of This Position:

The Admissions Counselor is a member of the Recruitment & Outreach Team within the Office of Admissions. On a daily basis, a counselor will primarily serve incomplete applicants and admitted students from an assigned territory using strategic follow-up and recruitment methods in order to positively affect a decision to matriculate to Berea College. Other primary functions include evaluating and analyzing completed files to assess applicant candidacy for admission. Furthermore, this position is tasked with the analysis of data and other information in order to make independent decisions regarding the recruitment of students from the assigned territory. The position will also work with parents, families and student advocates as appropriate to support the recruitment of students.

Minimum Qualifications Required:

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor's degree, required
• Master's degree, preferred
  
  

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• Experience with high school students preferred, but not required
• 2-3 years experience in a high school or college setting preferred (Masters degree (education/higher education, social sciences, etc) can be used in combination with experience)
  
  

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Exercise good judgement and integrity in a high-pressure, goal-oriented, deadline-driven environment
• Affinity for people (willingness to engage with students and families from backgrounds Berea seeks to serve)
• Exceptional writing, public speaking and presentation skills
• Strong listening skills with ability to identify meaningful connections to the institution
• Excitement about conveying benefits of a liberal arts education in a diverse college community
• Ability to utilize data to assess, evaluate and validate decisions
• Statistical research, critical thinking and data analytical skills
• Ability to manage small details within the framework of a big vision
• Collaborate within and across teams to convey the aims of a selective liberal arts college
• Familiarity with generational mindsets, behaviors and tendencies
• Multilingual skills highly desirable
  
  

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Valid Driver's License
• Required background check
  
  

Physical requirements:

• Ability to navigate campus/public buildings and grounds
• Ability to drive/travel long distances
• Ability to stand for extended periods of time
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
  
  

Environmental conditions:

• Routine office environment with interruptions and noise due to frequent visitors, students, staff and faculty
• Travel- some driving in inclement weather may be necessary
  
  

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:

• Standard office equipment: laptop computer with minimum software proficiency, fax machine, printer
• Vehicle: college car/van, golf cart
  
  

Primary duties and responsibilities:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Regular and predictable attendance is essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Manage the assigned territory so that an appropriate number of well qualified applications become complete each year
• Consistently follow up with well-qualified applicants and admitted students via highly-personalized strategic recruitment methods to yield the appropriate number of commits each year
• Complete holistic review and evaluation of complete application files (including but not limited to exploration of fit and likelihood to retain) on a daily basis
• Oversee selection, scheduling and completion of student interviews with applicants and provide a critical written summary the same day
• Independently review and analyze reports and dashboards to track current progress and develop plan of action to meet individual targets
• Conduct engaging and educational on-campus and virtual informational presentations and conversations with prospective students, their families, advocates, groups and other interested parties
• Serve as member of the Admissions Selection Committee, including presentations of students and their alignment with Berea's Great Commitments
• Collaborate with the Campus Visits Team to plan individual and group visits for incomplete applicants and offered students
• Maintain strong relationships with student influencers (e.g., endorsers, alums, school personnel) and collaborate with them in order to complete and strengthen applicant files
• Attend and facilitate workshops and sessions during all annual recruitment events
• Complete an annual territory report and build action plan for individual territory performance and assist in identification of Admissions Associate priority travel.
• As required, occasionally represent the College at recruitment events scheduled throughout the region.
• Routinely monitor and improve personal recruitment strategies based upon national publications, journals and papers related to admissions and enrollment management.
• Complete administrative tasks, duties and responsibilities (incoming phone queries, Ask Admissions, expense reports, internal deadlines, etc.) in a timely manner while maintaining quality customer service
  
  

Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty and students.

Founded in 1855, Berea College achieved national distinction as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls 1,600 students from 43 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them a no-tuition promise, valued at more than $178,000. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and many are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only nine federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College was again named one of the nation’s “Best Institutions for Undergraduates to Earn their College Degree” in the 2022 edition of The Princeton Review’s book, The Best 387 Colleges. Berea also appeared on four other lists within the publication: Best Colleges in the Southeast; Best Value Colleges; Best Green Colleges; and Tuition Free Schools. Berea College is ranked #148 by The Princeton Review – the highest-ranked Kentucky college, and the #3 “Best Value College” in the nation. Berea is one of only two private institutions ranked in the Top 10 for Value in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education (THE) 2022 College Rankings. The Washington Monthly ranks Berea College #13 among the nation’s liberal arts colleges, recognizing Berea for maintaining “consistently high rankings thanks to their economic diversity, relatively strong graduation rates, and commitment to meeting students’ financial need.” U.S. News and World Report Rankings lists Berea as #30 among National Liberal Arts Colleges, including ranking Berea #1 in Service Learning, #2 for Most Innovative Schools, #3 in Co-ops/Internships, #4 in First-year Experiences, and tied for #13 in Best Undergraduate Teaching.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Berea College is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application!

Berea College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

Note to Prospective Employees:

Each year, Berea College Public Safety publishes an annual report to the campus to make public crime statistics, policies, and procedures for Berea College. This Annual Security Report, required by the Jeane Clery Act, Minger Act, and the Student Right To Know Act is now available for review. For a full, printable version of the ASR, you can click here: https://www.berea.edu/public-safety/annual-security-report-2019/

For a policy-by-policy version that is easier to read and browse, please visit Public Safety’s website here: https://www.berea.edu/public-safety/annual-security-report-2019/