University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Center for Global Engagement – Programs Abroad Office

Programs Abroad Coordinator

Regular Full Time - Exempt

UT Market Range MR10 expected salary $49,445 - $54,000

The Center for Global Engagement, (CGE), is hiring a Senior Coordinator to join a team of dedicated professionals in our Programs Abroad Office who are committed to fostering global awareness and academic, personal and professional growth by offering a broad range of study, intern, research and service-learning opportunities outside the United States.

CGE is comprised of seven units (English Language Institute, the International House, International Student and Scholar Services, Programs Abroad, Communications, Global Security, Risk and Resilience, & Global Research, Innovation and Partnerships) who are responsible for working throughout campus, across Tennessee and around the world to provide enriching and diverse international experiences for faculty, students, and scholars.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) is Tennessee’s flagship university and premier public research institution. We are an R-1 land-grant university with approximately 30,000 students, 9500 faculty and staff, 11 colleges, and over 300 degree programs. There are more than 1600 international students and scholars on the UTK campus. The University is located on a 580-acre campus in the city of Knoxville in eastern Tennessee, near the Great Smoky Mountains. The University of Tennessee Knoxville campus is seeking candidates who can contribute in meaningful ways to the diversity and intercultural goals of the University.

The City of Knoxville is a hidden gem surrounded by eight gorgeous lakes, with a beautiful and walkable downtown, a diverse music scene including internationally recognized festivals, active neighborhoods, unique restaurants, and a robust offering of diverse cultural and outdoor activities. UTK is located within easy driving distance to the Great Smoky Mountains, Atlanta, Nashville, Asheville, Charlotte, Louisville, and Cincinnati. It is only a day’s drive to Memphis, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Knoxville and the surrounding counties have a population of more than 850,000 people.

Position Summary

This is a full-time position that reports to the Director of Programs Abroad. This position provides leadership and strategic oversight for student enrollment processes and student engagement in programs abroad. The senior coordinator is an outward facing position, partnering closely with UT' s direct enroll, exchange, and affiliate partners and departments across campus to develop and manage the programs abroad portfolio of and engage students in the enrollment of programs. This position provides strategic recommendations to support UT' s Global Vision forward Responsibilities include:

· Developing and executing the framework for evaluation and management of direct enroll, exchange, and affiliate partnerships.

· Evaluating and Managing student enrollment processes, including request for transfer credit process, partner acceptance letters, placeholder course enrollment, and transcript processing

· Evaluating and Managing student application processes and materials

· Managing student workers, including peer advisors, interns, and graduate practicums

· Developing and executing the framework for partnerships with academic departments and UT external stakeholders

· Developing, maintaining, and delivering student engagement materials

· Supporting the Director and assistant Director in developing and operationalizing the student advising framework

· Managing and developing solutions for all technical aspects of the enrollment, application, and risk management system, Terra Dotta

The incumbent will represent the college and university to foreign partners and relationships. Additional responsibilities include serving as on call emergency support for students and faculty while abroad and supporting the director and assistant director with strategic initiatives including new program development, virtual Collaboration for Online International Learning (COIL), supporting embedded programing for UT initiatives such as Vol Edge, developing a Programs Abroad First Year Experience program, and supporting the implementation of the Programs Abroad Office strategic vision, goals, and organizational development.

Position Responsibilities

· Program Portfolio and Enrollment Management

o Manage portfolio of direct enroll, exchange, faculty-directed, and affiliate partnerships

o Develop and manage framework to evaluate program portfolio considering safety, risk management, academic integrity, financial viability for students

o Liaise with academic departments to identify strategic new program options and course equivalencies for partnerships

o Support the Director in developing new partnerships including development and processing of memorandums of agreement

o Develop and manage the framework for student program petitions

o Manage the development of new and continuing programming, to include the coordination with program providers, the solicitation and review of competing bids, the negotiation of program contracts, and the development of programmatic budgets.

o Collect and update new and existing information for programs in assigned portfolio, which may include comprehensive management of records and nominations related to exchange programs

o Work with faculty and domestic and international partners on education abroad program creation and renewal processes

o Communicate with international program coordinators on program details, logistics, policies, exchange placements, emergency issues, etc.

o Manage and delegate student enrollment processes across team including:

§ partner acceptance letters

§ placeholder course enrollment

§ transcript processing

§ student discipline checks

o Develop and manage the student request for transfer credit process and liase with academic advising office in its execution

o Conduct regular review and evaluation of student application materials and processes to ensure workflow and procedures are aligned and standardized.

o Oversee student workers, including peer advisors, interns, and graduate practicum

o Serve as the primary liaison to Terra Dotta, student application system

o Troubleshoot and develop solutions for all technical aspects of the enrollment, application, and risk management software, Terra Dotta

· Student Advocacy and Outreach

o Support the Director and Assistant Director in developing and operationalizing the student advising framework

o Interface with institutional software platforms to access and review student records (Student Information System (SIS), Banner, etc)

o Oversee the development and delivery of international program and study abroad-specific orientation sessions, materials and activities for incoming and outgoing students

o Develop and execute the strategy for partnerships with academic departments and student organizations across campus

o Support the Director in developing and executing the framework for partnerships with academic departments and UT external stakeholders

o Support the Director in building community across campus with faculty and staff for program leadership

o Support the Director in developing and executing the programs abroad scholarship strategy

o Develop, maintain, and deliver student engagement materials

o Manage student engagement budget

· Risk Management and Other Duties

o Support the implementation of CGE global risk management and mitigation practices

o Gather and synthesize pertinent risk documentation with program portfolio related to risk management and mitigation logistics, policies, and emergency plans and procedures

o Conduct regular review of contemporary literature for abroad programming to ensure use of best practices

o Serve as part of a 24/7 rotation to answer emergency telephone calls from education abroad students and address their needs immediately

o Perform international site assessments to institutions and program providers and attend international education conferences as budget and schedule allow

o Special projects as assigned by Director of PAO, including new program development, virtual Collaboration for Online International Learning (COIL), supporting embedded programing for UT initiatives such as Vol Edge, and developing a Programs Abroad First Year Experience program.

Education and Experience Required: Bachelor’s degree and at least three years of experience working in international education, student services academic advising, international engagement, or a related field.

Education and Experience Preferred: Master’s or terminal degree in International Studies, Education, Student Services or related field. Project management oversight, working knowledge of a non-English language, experience with global cross-cultural interactions and engagement, which might include living, working, or studying abroad.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

· Excellent ability to evaluate budgets and agreements, and demonstrate strong business acumen

· Working knowledge of higher education global programs, standards, requirements and practices

· Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage time effectively

· Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion while executing and evaluating program goals, policies, and regulations.

· Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with individuals from culturally-diverse backgrounds.

· Ability to interact with study abroad program representatives, faculty, and students in a professional manner with an understanding of protocol and confidentiality.

· Demonstrated excellent written and oral formal/informal communication skills. Ability to communicate with international partners who are often non-native English speakers.

· Ability to work periodic evening and weekend hours.

· Ability to travel domestically and internationally.

· Ability to manage emergency situations involving students studying abroad

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

· Working knowledge of federal and state policies and regulations that impact student enrollment, financial aid, and risk management of programs

· Excellent project management skills, and ability to map procedure and process across departments

· Ability to engage others towards a common vision or goal

· Experience with global cross-cultural interactions, which might include living, working, or studying abroad

· Working knowledge of one or more non-English languages

· Experience with academic and study abroad software such as Banner, TerraDotta, etc.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV or resume, names and contact information for three professional references, as well as a written response to the prompt below:

Please read and consider the hypothetical situation below and craft a well-written response, of no more than 1-2 paragraphs, using the scenario and related information below. Keep in mind there may be multiple ways to appropriately solve the issue. The hiring committee will be looking for clear and logical organization of ideas as well as evidence of critical thinking and knowledge of the fields of higher education and education abroad.

A well-respected, long-standing partner has been very slow to provide transcripts back to University of TN, Knoxville. This delay is impacting students in a negative way (delaying aid for coming semesters, jeopardizing ability to graduate, etc.) Describe a plan which would successfully address the situation, maintain the relationship with stakeholders and support the student(s). Please consider that in addition to the student and the partner, offices on campus outside of Programs Abroad are likely to be stakeholders here as well (transfer center, registrar, financial aid, etc.).