Position: Director of the Academic Success Program
Organization: Vermont Law School
Location: South Royalton, VT
Vermont Law School, an independent, private law school, seeks a Director to design, develop, implement, and oversee its Academic Success Program, which ensures students have access to individualized academic assistance. The Director develops and executes classes and workshops, either directly or in conjunction with staff, aimed to give students the skills necessary to be successful in their legal studies and pass the bar exam. This includes students in the JD, MELP, and LLM programs at Vermont Law School. The Director will report to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and will work closely with the Assistant Director, Program Coordinator, Student Mentors, and work-study students. Overall success of the Academic Success Program will be determined by student evaluations, the bar passage rate, attendance at programs, and faculty feedback. This is a full-time, exempt position located in South Royalton, Vermont.
Responsibilities:
- Design and implement strategies to assist all students, particularly high-risk students and students in academic difficulty, to be successful in their legal studies
- Oversee administrative duties associated with the bar exam, including but not limited to: coordinating with the Director of Career Services to report bar passage statistics to the ABA, reporting programs and initiatives to the trustees, maintaining student records in regard to bar exam
- Design and implement curriculum for the Advanced Legal Analysis course, in addition to delivering workshops, speaker series, informational resources for all bar takers (TWEN, bulletin boards, flyers, emails), and a summer support program for July bar takers
- Coordinate services of commercial bar prep companies (Bar/Bri, Kaplan, PMBR) with student and VLS needs
- Work in conjunction with the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and the Assistant Director of ASP to ensure implementation of approved reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities
- Hire, train, and supervise academic success program staff including the Assistant Director, Program Coordinator, and Student Mentors
- Manage the general operations of the department including the budget, short and long-term departmental goals, metrics, and strategies, and the coordination of offerings within the department and with other departments and individual faculty members
- Assist the Associate Dean of Student Affairs & Diversity in the design and implementation of orientation activities for incoming students, including the academic component of orientation programs
- Provide individual counseling and tutoring for students in regards to study habits, skills, and tools for academic improvement
- Contribute to the Academic Success community through research
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with faculty, academic administrators, and students
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Bachelor’s degree required; JD and licensed to practice law preferred
- Experience in higher education and teaching
- Training in learning theories and experience in actual practice of law
- Experience in multi-cultural setting and/or with diverse student body
- Knowledge of legal theories, ADA, and FERPA, and legal analytical and writing skills
- Position requires some evening and/or weekend hours, with travel required for training and conferences
Salary is commensurate with experience and includes benefits.
To Apply:
Vermont Law School has engaged Koya Consulting to work with them on this hire. To apply for the position, please submit a cover letter and current resume to: Katie Bouton, executivesearch@koyaconsulting.com.
Vermont Law School is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBT applicants.
About Vermont Law School:
Vermont Law School, an independent, private law school located in South Royalton, Vermont, was founded in 1972. In a short span of time the Law School has earned national recognition for its innovative programs and talented faculty, and has become an indispensable legal resource for the regional community. Vermont Law School’s goal is to educate agents of change who will continue to be guided by our motto—“Law for the community and the world”—as they set off down their individual paths toward success as litigators, public interest attorneys, environmental and land use experts, civil rights advocates, and activists. For more information, please visit: www.vermontlaw.edu.