Assistant Director, Academic Special Programs

Job Description Summary

The Assistant Director of Academic Special Programs, is a full -time, exempt professional position housed within Academic Affairs and reporting to the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Director of Online Faculty and Student Services.
This position serves as the primary operational lead responsible for the administration, coordination, and compliance oversight of the University's academic consortium partnerships, including Acadeum and the Online Consortium of Independent Colleges and Universities (OCICU), as well as the advising of currently enrolled Dual Enrollment (DE) students.
The Assistant Director ensures continuity of high- quality student services for visiting student populations ; manages day-to-day enrollment processing in Colleague (SIS), Canvas (LMS), and related platforms of consortium students ; maintains compliance with FERPA and other applicable regulations; and collaborates across Academic Affairs, the Registrar's Office, IT, and Finance to support data integrity, budget oversight, and enrollment growth.
This position requires no direct reports at this time but may serve in a lead capacity for projects or student workers as assigned.

Job Description

Duties and Tasks:

Consortium Administration — Acadeum & OCICU

• Serve as the primary operational point of contact for academic consortium partnerships, including Acadeum and OCICU (Online Consortium of Independent Colleges and Universities).

• Coordinate course schedules and offerings with the Registrar’s scheduling team and post offerings to consortium platforms in advance of official publication to maximize enrollment visibility and competitive positioning.

• Process incoming consortium enrollment s; create or update student accounts in SIS; register students in requested course sections; and verify LMS access prior to the start of each term.

• Create and maintain term parameters and configurations for Acadeum, OCICU, and other consortium relationships.

• Serve as liaison between consortium students, home institutions, and Saint Leo University academic and administrative departments.

• Coordinate and process student withdrawals, drops, and grade disputes in accordance with institutional and consortium policies.

• Manage and monitor the consortium course schedule timeline, ensuring early posting to consortium sites (Acadeum portal and OCICU platform) to support enrollment activity ahead of competitors.

• Conduct sustained student outreach and customer service communications throughout each term, including:

• A minimum of four targeted emails during week one of each term.
• Weekly communications throughout the remainder of the term to promote engagement, provide login/textbook guidance, and ensure student success.
• Follow-up outreach to students who are inactive or not participating in their courses.
• Track and report enrollment metrics per term; provide historical enrollment data and trend analyses to academic leadership as requested.

• Monitor OCICU enrollment trends and develop outreach strategies to re -engage member institutions; coordinate with appropriate stakeholders on potential migration of OCICU partner schools to Acadeum if participation continues to decline.

• Maintain consortium financial records; track revenue impacts; and coordinate budget development for consortium operations, including invoicing and reconciliation as applicable.

Dual Enrollment Management 

• Provide consistent support and customer service for dual enrollment students, in concert with the enrollment team, to resolve academic record and user account issues.

• Conduct midterm academic progress audits to identify at-risk students and facilitate timely academic intervention and support.

• Coordinate and process student withdrawals, course drops, and grade appeals in compliance with institutional policies and procedures.

• Prepare and distribute final grade reports to participating high schools at the conclusion of each academic term, ensuring accuracy and timely delivery.

Student Information Systems & Records

• Maintain and operate student records and curricular systems using Colleague (SIS), Colleague Self- Service, and related platforms including the University’s CRM, LMS, and Document Management System (DMS).

• Ensure accuracy and consistency of student data, course offerings, and academic records across Colleague, CRM, LMS, and affiliated systems.

• Perform student data processing operations, including system testing, troubleshooting, and implementation of new features or integrations.

• Assist with resolving data discrepancies, student registration errors, and user access or permission issues.

• Collaborate with IT and Academic Affairs to assess and improve student information system functionalities, integrations, and reporting capabilities.

Compliance & Reporting

• Maintain strict compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and all other applicable laws, regulations, and institutional policies.

• Review policy updates and ensure alignment of consortium and DE operations with applicable institutional and regulatory requirements.

• Support alignment with SACSCOC cooperative academic agreement policy (AcadUp #118) for any consortium and DE agreements requiring notification or signed agreements.

Data, Reporting & Analytics

• Provide enrollment trend analyses and financial impact summaries for Acadeum, OCICU, and DE programs to support strategic decision -making.

• Track budget actuals against projections for assigned program areas; flag variances to leadership as needed.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required with 2 years applicable experience. Equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience in higher education administration will be considered.
• Experience: Minimum of two (2) years in higher education administration,  academic advising, enrollment management, or registrar operations. Experience managing academic consortium agreements or interinstitutional cooperative programs preferred (e.g., Acadeum, OCICU, or similar).
• Experience with Ellucian Colleague (SIS) and CANVAS (LMS) preferred.
• Knowledge of higher education standards, policies, procedures, and regulatory frameworks.
• Knowledge of FERPA and applicable privacy and compliance requirements for student records.
• Knowledge of academic consortium operations, cooperative enrollment academic agreements, and interinstitutional enrollment processes.
• Knowledge of student information systems, student communication systems, and learning management systems.

Skills:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to communicate professionally with students, faculty, staff, and external partners.

• Strong active listening, critical thinking, and problem -solving skills.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams) and other relevant technologies and auditing tools.

• Experience with data collection, analysis, and report preparation.

• Excellence in customer service and sustained student communication and outreach.

Abilities:

• Professionalism toward the University’s Mission, Vision, Values, Strategic Plan, Policies, Programs, Purposes, and goals.

• Ability to build relationships across a wide range of constituents, including students, faculty, staff, and external partners.

• Ability to handle multiple work unit priorities and projects independently in a high volume, fast -paced environment.

• Ability to work with accuracy, diligence, and strong attention to detail.

• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of student records and institutional data.

• Ability to assess and resolve situations and problems related to registration procedures and computerized information systems.

• Ability to adapt, change, and learn new procedures and technologies as the institutional environment evolves.

• Ability to lead and direct workflow through coaching and operational coordination.

• Multicultural competencies; ability to work with diverse student, staff, and faculty populations in a team environment.

• Excellent comprehensive reasoning and analytical ability.

ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are a representation of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The term "qualified individual with a disability" means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of this position. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate professionally in person, over the telephone, through email and other electronic means, move about the office and University, handle various type of media and equipment, and visually or otherwise identify, observe and assess. The employee is occasionally required to lift up to 10 pounds unless otherwise specified in the job description. This position may be performed remotely or in a hybrid capacity subject to departmental needs and University policy. NOTICE: The intent of this job description is to provide a representation of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description. Saint Leo University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity as a critical step in ensuring employee, student and graduate success. 

Why Work at Saint Leo?

What it’s Like to Work Here: Ask our employees and the one word they’d use to describe working at Saint Leo University is “Community.” Our team members all share the Saint Leo core values, positive attitudes, and problem-solving abilities, enabling them to provide excellent student centered service. Our mission is educating and preparing students for life and leadership in a challenging world.  Thank you for your interest in joining the Saint Leo PRIDE!

We are committed to providing our employees with the support they need. At Saint Leo, we offer an array of medical, dental, and vision packages as well as several add-on perks to make your benefits package truly customizable to you and your family needs. Available benefits based on employment status (Full Time vs Part Time).

• FREE Tuition - Employee, Spouse, and Dependents*
• Tuition Exchange Opportunity - Dependent of Employees*
• Generous Paid Leave - Sick, Vacation, and Holidays
• Comprehensive Group Health Plan (Medical, Dental, and Vision)
• Group Medical Plan includes Teledoc, Surgery Plus, Wellness Incentive Program and more!
• 100% Employer-Funded Health Reimbursement Account
• 100% Employer-Paid Short Term Disability Insurance
• 100% Employer-Funded Employee Assistance Program (healthcare and dependent options)
• Employer-provided life insurance
• Discounted On-Campus Dining Meal Plans
• Nationwide Pet Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 403b Retirement Plan
• Wellness Center

*Eligibility based on meeting required service period

2025 ICUBA Benefits Guide_St Leo