International Student Life Coordinator

The Role

The International Student Life Coordinators (ISLCs) provide front-line student service to international students in support of international student success, engagement and retention. International Student Life Coordinators spent part of their time providing general advising services in person by receiving walk-in students at DCI reception, online students in a virtual reception, by appointment (online and in-person) and through electronic communications (email, official DCI social media channels/chat, etc.). International Student Life Coordinators support a broad range of student-related concerns from simple requests, such as housing recommendations, to complex request, such as supporting students during emergencies related to mental health breakdowns, crime reporting, or conflict in a course. Successful ISLCs demonstrate high levels of customer service, high levels of independent problem solving, broad expertise related to College and community services, and they apply their knowledge and skills to anticipate student issues in order to pro-actively educate students through planned communication, public resources and student life programming.

The other primary role of International Student Life Coordinators involves providing regular (semester cycle) student life/success programming by hosting international student orientations and curating online co-curricular course content; running a range of in-person student success programs independently and in partnership with other service areas; and organizing student engagement events online and on campus to foster connection to the Douglas College community and integration between domestic and international students. The ISLCs hires, supervise and mentors student assistants, volunteer students, and co-ordinates staff from multiple divisions to bring events and projects to fruition. As mentors to student assistants, the ISLCs foster student leadership and work-related competencies through the assignment of appropriate duties and ongoing feedback to students. The ISLCs demonstrate strong project management, thrive in high energy environments, and enjoy working directly with student. Responsibilities 1. International Student Life Programming and Event management a. Plan, organize and deliver international student orientation and international student life programming each semester to the incoming class of over 600 international students in order to introduce Douglas College academic cultural expectations, build their intercultural connection, and introduce students to Douglas College student services in order to fulfill Douglas College student success strategic goals.b. Leads internal and cross-divisional teams creating and delivering co-curricular student success content every semester for workshops, online courses, and digital materials as part of an integrated student success program focused on the determinants of holistic student success including: academic success, career success, health and wellness, immigration success, and community connection.c. Interviews, hires, trains, schedules, supervises and evaluates multiple student assistants each semester involved with international student life events and the international student mentor program.d. On a semesterly basis, manages the new international student mentor program involving paid and volunteer student mentors connecting weekly with hundreds of new international students using in-person and social channels, an alert system to escalate issues from student mentors to the coordinator, and weekly mentor meetings to support students. Onboarding mentors involves creating and updating appropriate content in the College learning management system (Blackboard) gathering feedback and iterating the program each semester.e. Liaises with external partners to plan and execute events as the event lead for international students; such as, Facilities, the Douglas Student Union, MCO, and Student Affairs and Services – Student Life.f. Produces event marketing material for posters, the web, social media and email on a semesterly basis for recurring international student life events and the mentor program with MCO support, when available, or independently. Creates, curates, and organizes content for Douglas International communications to staff and students related to international student life events and programs.g. Plans, executes and reports on event and program feedback each semester.h. Uses collaborative team-based project and task management software to collaborate on multiple projects.i. Works from an annual or semester-based event plan and provides feedback to the supervisor and manager to improve future plans.

2. International Student Life Advising (1:1) a. Receives students at DCI reception, in-person or online; seeks to establish a professional and welcoming rapport.b. Diffuses hostile or emotional situations and refers students to supervisor or advisor for resolution.c. Actively listens, interviews and assesses the presenting student issue(s) in order to support students by:i. identifying resources for student independent resolution of the issue,ii. solving the student issue by responding to the request directly,iii. referring the student to an International Student Advising Specialist,iv. referring the student to other department resources within Douglas College, and/orv. referring the student to resources external to Douglas College (e.g. housing resources).d. Prepares letters for students upon request and/or signs forms required for external agencies related to confirmation of enrollment or status at Douglas College.e. Advises students on complex cases involving student wellbeing while liaising with, and providing leadership to, other staff on campus to provide seamless support and services for international students (e.g. Counselling, Learning Centre, Faculty contacts, and the Career Centre).f. Maintains and updates student records according to Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee Canada (IRCC), BC Freedom of Information, Privacy and Protection Act (FIPPA), and Douglas College policies.g. Generates and revises documents for operational needs (e.g. event attendance lists, quarantine tracking reports, study permit compliance lists, etc.).

3. Continuous Improvement and Networking a. Engages in ongoing training provided by Douglas College on service areas, technologies, and policies.b. Engages in ongoing professional development related to customer service, co-curricular learning, and relevant student life and culture topics.c. Presents ideas for customer service, operations, and student success programing improvement to colleagues and administrators to progress the overall service level to international students.d. Stays current on immigration policy and news impacting current international students in order to use independent judgement to respond to students or refer to an International Student Advising Specialist as required.e. Stays current on Douglas College programs of most relevance to international students in order to provide wayfinding information to students for independent resolution of questions.f. Represent Douglas International as a contributing member to cross-functional teams and learning communities of practice within Douglas College related to student life and front-line services.g. Participates as an active member in regional, provincial and national associations such as Transition and Orientation Professionals of BC, Canadian Bureau for International Education Student Life Professional Learning Community, British Columbia International Education Association, and the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services, Transition, Orientation and Student life Community of Practice.

4. Performs other related duties as required, such as: a. Offsite leadership of international student life events.b. Assists the International Student Life Supervisor, as required.c. Leads and/or contributes to Douglas international projects, such as updating housing resource lists for incoming students, researching international student experience, or doing a comparative service analysis report between institutions. To Be Successful in this Role You Will Need Successful completion of a bachelor degree in a related field from a recognized post-secondary institution and a minimum of 2 years related work experience, or a combination of credentials and experience considered equivalent. Ability to maintain effective working relationships with administrators, faculty, staff and students. Proven customer service, administrative and organization abilities. Excellent project management skills. Strong interviewing skills. Strong emotional self-management. Good working knowledge of routine office systems and procedures such as filing systems, administrative control systems, and standard forms of business communication. Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills including written and verbal fluency in the English language. Knowledge of international student concerns related to study, work, immigration and well-being. To empathize with the international student experience during one-on-one and small group interactions. Knowledge of Douglas College services and policies related to student academics and student life. Knowledge of post-secondary student lifecycle and service needs from ‘new student to alumni.’ Working knowledge, of the post-secondary system in BC as it pertains to international students. Familiarity with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) policies and procedures related to international students. The ability to make engaging presentations and lead webinars speaking to small and large groups in formal and informal settings, and be flexible in adapting speaking and presentation styles to people of various backgrounds and cultures. Working knowledge of social medial platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Demonstrated ability:to provide client-centered serviceto coordinate events with multiple stakeholders in person and onlineto interact effectively and tactfully with people of various backgrounds and culturesto gather, organize, and report on program and event feedbackto communicate persuasively, diplomatically and tactfully verbally and in writingto collaborate and seek help when faced with complex or challenging situationsto nurture and develop student leadership potential and work-related competenciesto critically analyze, reason, problem solve and exercise sound judgmentto ensure accuracy of information and enter data accuratelyto maintain a high degree of confidentialityto effectively use time management to prioritize tasks for self and groupsto effectively lead and support project-based work using planning toolsto create and deliver engaging presentations for large groupsto effectively engage with large groups of people in workshop or educational formatsto work as a team or independently, with a minimum of supervisionto organize and manage digital workspaces for working groups and committeesto maintain high levels of customer service while under task, time or interpersonal pressureto work within an environment where there is a constant flow of enquiries, requiring attention to detail, endurance and stamina and the need to stay focused over prolonged periods of timeto advocate on behalf of others for correction of an error or change in procedureto retain, organize, utilize and communicate a vast range of information to support othersto provide exceptional client-centered service on a consistent basis to multiple stakeholder groupsto create and maintain a professional networkInternational experience and second language skills are assets.A working knowledge of student information database systems such as Banner is an asset.Knowledge of adult educational design and co-curricular learning principles is an asset.A working knowledge of learning management systems such as Blackboard is an asset.Technical skills: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, MS Teams, MS Planer, Zoom, all at an intermediate or higher level.

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