Senior MDP Academic Advisor

How to Apply

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Job Summary

The Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP) is a large-scale, cross-college initiative supporting 900+ students annually from the College of Engineering and schools across the University. The program aims to move students beyond theoretical knowledge, supporting them in combining deep technical expertise with systems thinking and design application for complex engineering challenges.

The MDP's goal is to develop graduates with a high degree of professional readiness, proficient in independent learning, functional teamwork, and effective communication. The program also instills critical research skills, project management acumen, and advanced communication capabilities essential attributes for students seeking success in competitive professional careers or pursuing PhD programs in research-intensive fields.

Operationally, MDP achieves this by offering a range of structured, multidisciplinary experiential learning opportunities. MDP also functions as a practical sandbox for innovation, offering structured, multidisciplinary experiential learning opportunities while simultaneously piloting and assessing new curricular/management models for instruction in the engineering design process.
You will advise prospective and current MDP program students completing requirements (pre-requirements) for MDP-offered academic projects and/or the full MDP Academic Minor. The Multidisciplinary Design minor is available to students from Engineering and students across campus.

To be successful, you will need to develop knowledge and familiarity with an extremely wide range of programs and establish and maintain close working relationships with the academic advisors within all departments of the College of Engineering and many departments in other schools and colleges. You will also ensure that students are aware of and fully engaged in the enriching co-curricular activities of the program.  

Strong candidates for this position will be comfortable leading 1:1 advising meetings, formally presenting information to large audiences, maximizing relationships with faculty and staff University-wide, handling and maintaining large sets of data, creating efficient business processes and maintaining student confidentiality.

You will report to the MDP Director.

Who We Are

Michigan Engineers are world-class educators, researchers, students and staff who strive to build a people-first future. As part of a top national public research institution, Michigan Engineering's mission is to provide scientific and technological leadership to the people of the world, develop intellectually curious and socially conscious minds, create collaborative solutions to societal problems, and promote an inclusive and innovative community of service for the common good.

Why Work at Michigan?

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
• Maternity and Parental Leave

Responsibilities*

ADVISING: 

• Advise undergraduate and graduate students on curriculum planning and course selection that supports participation in the Multidisciplinary Design Program.
• Support undergraduate students in exploring and successfully completing MDP Partner Sponsored, FRST Research, and minor in multidisciplinary design experiences, track and manage students' progress.  Identify appropriate courses from across the entire campus to support individual student progress in the MDP  minor.
• Assist students experiencing academic difficulties or project team challenges, and provide referrals to appropriate campus resources; maintain student confidentiality.
• Manage the accurate implementation of 29 bilateral degree-substitution agreements across the College and University by building advisor-facing processes, tracking curriculum committee-required activities/reporting, communicating requirements to students, and auditing progress toward completion.
• Promote co-curricular experiences to students (including other Immersed Programs).
• Be proficient, knowledgeable, and stay current on curricular changes in the College of Engineering and relevant programs across campus.

ADVISING ADMINISTRATION: 

• Review, maintain, and update students' academic records for progress toward degree completion, compliance with degree requirements, and eligibility for graduation
• Evaluate student preparedness for placement in ENGR x55 sequence (ENGR 255,355, 455, or 555) based on each student's previous experience, professional development, and transcript. 
• Maintain timely and accurate records of interactions with students, referrals, exceptions to standard procedures, and decisions affecting degree progress
• Update and maintain student records in MDP Student database; Maintain advising records within the central University advising system. 
• Represent the program to academic advisors and within academic advising working groups across the University

PROGRAM SUPPORT: 

• Represent the program at events for prospective students; present at information sessions and application help sessions.
• Provide advice to Faculty Advisors of student organizations on best practices of using academic credit to support student learning and efficient ways to manage course credit. 
• Utilize academic advising data to develop improved processes and provide strategic insights/advice to program directors on program improvement needs/opportunities. 
• Identify gaps/needs in the overall program, provide suggested programming improvements, assist in the creation and implementation of new processes and/or student-focused programming activities. 
• Manage the peer advisors program for maximum impact.
• Be a collaborative member of the MDP team, assisting with recruitment events, MDP cohort programs, workshops, group advising, and other events throughout the year
• Other projects and responsibilities as assigned.

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor's Degree and 4+ years of experience related to counseling (academic, educational, personal), academic advising, student services, or student records management
• Demonstrated experience supporting students from a variety of backgrounds.
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office (intermediate/advanced) and Google collaboration tools. An ability to master new tools quickly. 
• Experience and demonstrated proficiency using student information systems.
• Enthusiasm about working closely with a diverse student population on a one-on-one basis, and in small groups 
• Excellent interpersonal, speaking, and writing skills, including the ability to make effective presentations to students and faculty audiences 
• Experience working directly with faculty and/or curriculum committees, or comparable committees 
• Ability to handle confidential issues appropriately; demonstrated good judgment 
• Excellent organizational and time management skills 
• Willingness and ability to work very occasional weekend and evening hours for student events

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

This is a substantially in-person position, interacting directly with colleagues and students.  In this role we need at least 4 days in person during the academic term.  Any remote time  will need to be flexible around  MDP activities and student programming needs.

Additional Information

• The person in this position routinely presents information at events and in meetings.
• This position may require work during early mornings, nights, and/or weekends.

Union Affiliation

This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the University Staff United (USU), which represents bargaining unit members in all matters with respect to wages, benefits, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.