Retention Specialist

This job is a full time, benefited position in the Student AffairsDivision or Institutional Effectiveness Division that reports to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

Salary: Commensurate with education and experience.

Minimum Qualifications:

A bachelor’s degree is required, with experience in an academic setting.

Preferred Qualifications:

A Master’s degree in a related field is preferred. Previous work experience in at least one of the following student services areas in higher education: academic advising, counseling, and/or retention services. Knowledge of assessment and evaluation practices for engaging and motivating students who are experiencing academic difficulty.

Desired Skills:

Strong interpersonal communication skills needed to effectively work with a broad and diverse student population. Candidate should exhibit strong organizational, planning, and record-keeping skills, and be able to effectively use technology to develop, test, and evaluate programs for tracking student progress. Accurate documentation procedures are also vital. Candidate will need cultural competence and strong relationship building skills. Highly developed written and oral communication skills, as well as problem solving abilities in both team and individual work environments are a must. This position will also require the ability to work closely with the private sector to promote opportunities and awareness for the GTC student body.

Job Description Summary:
The primary objective for this position will be continued support for students in a seamless process to drive students towards graduation and placement into four year degree program and/or employment. This position requires cross campus communication and engagement with faculty, staff, and current students. The successful candidate will be able to develop programming that is data driven and to blend quantitative and qualitative data into an efficient gathering, reporting, and analysis process. The successful candidate advises students and assists them in making informed college major and career choices. S/he works with college faculty and other community college and university counselors to remain current with transferability of courses, majors, and admissions requirements.

Job Responsibilities & Performance Standards:

  • Develop and implement special strategies to aid in retention.
  • Properly conduct exit interviews with withdrawing students to determine reasons for withdrawal and methods to aid in retention.
  • Compile survey responses into annual report for faculty and staff.
  • Develop and implements special strategies to aid in retention.
  • Coordinate academic progress and degree completion programs and interventions in a comprehensive planning format, including benchmark and communication strategies.
  • Participate on teams to identify barriers to success in retention and graduation rates.
  • Develop specific programming and action plans for readmitted and non-traditional students.
  • Work with Career Services to develop a successful career planning and job placement program for graduates, including sill development in resume writing, interviewing, and other job preparation skill sets.
  • Plan and execute specific events on campus such as orientation, first-year experience, workshops, seminars, and college and career fairs.
  • Develop and implement an early alert system by working with faculty to provide timely feedback to students about their academic progress, to identify students whose behaviors indicate a lack of academic success strategies, and to refer to students for academic skills assistance, including tutoring, counseling, and/or career guidance.
  • Stay current with trends and best practices regarding student retention, develop retention strategies for the college, and work closely with faculty, student/outreach services staff, and other GTC staff in implementing, evaluating, and improving retention strategies.
  • Maintain knowledge of TCSG guidelines, GTC program requirements, and act as liaison between students and faculty.
  • Review student records for retention issues; follow up on progress through personal contact and correspondence.
  • Coach students through administrative barriers that are preventing them from progressing toward graduation.
  • Counsel academically dismissed students on reinstatement process.
  • Evaluate services to determine impact on retention and assists with development of new and refined strategies for maximizing retention.
  • Gather and analyze data; prepare reports of operational activities, evaluation of services, etc.
  • Maintain an updated database of prospective student, collecting data to determine their needs, and managing and tracking them through the pipeline.
  • Performs other duties as assigned in the fulfillment of the needs, philosophy, and purpose of Gwinnett Technical College.

To Apply:
Please complete your job application through the Gwinnett Technical College Online Job Center at located under Career Services/Jobs at GTC.

Gwinnett Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age or disability.

Lisa Richardson, Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator, 5150 Sugarloaf Parkway, Building 100, Room 323B, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, 678-226-6691,