A cover letter is required and should be attached as the first page of your resume; applications lacking a cover letter will not be considered. It should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

This position reports to the Associate Director of Admissions. Significant out-of-town travel is required at certain times of year and may include weekends and evenings. Some additional hours during the height of the admissions season may be required. 

 

As a comprehensive performing arts school set in one of the world's finest public institutions of higher education, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) is deeply engaged in the creation, practice, scholarship, and pedagogy of music, theatre, and dance. We aim to provide leadership, nationally and internationally, in all three fields. We assert and celebrate the value of the arts to the mission of the University of Michigan. Further, SMTD is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion as a means of achieving and sustaining excellence.

Recruitment, Admissions, and Financial Aid  (75%)

Recruitment

• Meet with prospective students and their families in person or virtually to explain School and University admissions policies and procedures and answer questions on academic programs, auditions, School applications, and campus life. 
• Travel and represent the SMTD at college fairs, regional auditions, recruitment visits, and receptions, or represent SMTD at similar online events.
• Give information sessions to prospective and auditioning students on campus.
• Partner with the Admissions Program Coordinator (Communications) to plan and implement SMTD advertising efforts, in liaison with SMTD Marketing & Communications.
• Develop and maintain content on relevant sections of the SMTD website.
• Assist with execution of prospective student event days and auditions, and other admissions visit programming.

Admissions

• Read, review, and render admission decisions on undergraduate and graduate student applications for specific programs in music, theatre, musical theatre, and dance as assigned. Responsible for monitoring admission and yield rates within programs assigned, and meeting enrollment goals.
• Work with faculty annually to move applicants through the admissions process for assigned programs/departments.
• Provide active communication with the faculty and with the applicants to encourage enrollment.
• Consult with the faculty on their particular admissions requirements; learn and use program level benchmarks and measures.
• Following the direction of supervisors, execute business processes related to applications, i.e., processing paper and electronic applications/credentials, checking conduct statement responses, matching application/credentials with portfolio/audition results, and completing batch data entry loads, etc.
• Participate fully in the test and launch processes for our application and CRM environments as necessary.
• Support other admissions and financial aid projects as assigned. E.g. degree program changes in M-Pathways

Financial Aid 

• Support the merit-based financial aid process by preparing profiles on admitted applicants, participating in meetings with faculty and the financial aid team and making recommendations within the process for levels of support. 
• Support the need-based financial aid process by learning the fundamentals of grants, loans, and work-study funding and eligibility requirements to communicate with prospective students; work actively with the SMTD financial aid team to help students through need-based financial aid processes.
   

Special Administrative Assignments (15%)

Organize and execute special project and supervision responsibilities as assigned, which may include some of the following:

• Hire, train, and supervise student workers.
• Lead and manage SMTD In-Person Visits and online Webinar programming.
• Lead and manage SMTD off-campus recruitment efforts.
• Lead and manage Non-Rackham Graduate international student I-20 visa request processing; liaison with U-M International Center.
• Lead and manage incoming Study Abroad application processes.

Administrative Responsibility (10%)

• Prepare and maintain periodic reports and surveys related to areas of oversight.
• Develop expertise in the Query, Deliver, and Reader portions of CRM Slate.
• Other duties as assigned.

• A Bachelor's degree is required. 
• Communication Skills - Candidates must have the ability to communicate effectively with all levels of personnel as well as with prospective students and families. Strong written and oral communication skills are essential, including the ability to exercise tact and diplomacy, and the ability to maintain confidentiality in matters of a sensitive or confidential nature. 
• Demonstrated ability to think clearly and communicate effectively in difficult situations.
• Oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise a positive service-oriented attitude, initiative, independent judgment, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to meet deadlines is essential.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills including the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment is necessary.
• Must have excellent presentation skills, data analysis and interpretation abilities, a strong work ethic, and a high level of professionalism.
• Technology Skills - Excellent command of the use of technology in the workplace is critical. Position requires a detailed knowledge of and sophisticated use of web-based technology. Must have working knowledge of Microsoft products (e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Google Suite (e.g., Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs/Sheets), as well as familiarity with video conferencing services such as Zoom, Google Meet, WebEx, or similar.
• Ability to work weekends and evenings as scheduled.
• This position involves a willingness and ability to travel by car, public transit, rail, or air. Extensive travel is required during recruitment season (typically summer and fall). 
• This position routinely moves materials weighing up to 50 pounds across campus and to recruitment events.

• One or more years of experience working in admissions, financial aid, and/or student services. 
• Professional, collegiate training in music, dance, and/or theatre.
• Aptitude for and experience with college-bound students in the arts.
• Some experience working with international students and/or speaking ability in a second language.
• Experience in a Macintosh computing environment. 
• Working familiarity with relational databases, CRM products (e.g. Slate), and/or the M-Pathways Student Administration system.
• An understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures of the schools and colleges within the University.
• Knowledge of University policies and procedures.

This position is covered under the collective bargaining agreement between the U-M and the USU which contains and settles all matters with respect to wages, benefits, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.

About University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

A great university is made so by its faculty and staff, and Michigan is recognized as one of the best universities to work for in the country. The Michigan culture is known for engaging faculty and staff in all facets of the university to create a workplace that is vibrant and stimulating.For two consecutive years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has placed U-M in its "Great Colleges to Work For" survey. In particular, the university earns high marks for strong relations between faculty and administrators, a collaborative system of governance, strong pay and benefits, and a healthy work/life balance.

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