Sponsored Student Advisor
Position Overview
The International Advisor for Sponsored Students is a key member of the International Support Services (ISS) staff. This position reports directly to the Assistant Director for Advising and Compliance and is the primary point of contact and primary advisor for sponsored students and their sponsors. Sponsored students in this context refers to international students with third party billing, usually through a foreign national government, an international agency, or a corporation and students participating in the Jayhawk Semester program. The Jayhawk Semester is a 1-2 semester program for non-degree international students, often coming through partner institutions. This position is responsible for counseling and advising students and sponsors from the beginning of partner development through program completion. The priority is sponsored-student-related support; however, this person will advise and counsel all international students and scholars served by the office, as capacity allows. This position will be considered a primary backup for J scholars. This international advisor serves as a Designated School Official (DSO) with the Department of Homeland Security for the F-1 student program and as an Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) with the Department of State for the J-1 exchange visitor program. The U.S. government requires DSOs and AROs to have U.S. permanent residence or U.S. citizenship.
Job Description
The percentages listed below might change during critical times and the responsibilities of the advisor include but are not limited to:
45% Advising and Counseling
45% Advising and Counseling
- Serve as the primary advisor for sponsoring agencies, partner schools, students, and university units that work with sponsored students including Jayhawk Semester program participants.
- Serve as a resource advisor for on campus services, policies and procedures, especially those relevant to sponsored students and Jayhawk Semester students.
- Counsel, advise and consult with international students and scholars on matters related to F-1, J-1 and occasionally other non-immigrant status regulations.
- Interpret non-immigrant status regulations, policies and practices for students, scholars, faculty, and staff of the university community.
- Provide comprehensive advising and guidance for Jayhawk Semester student program participants, including but not limited to the application process, housing, pre-arrival info, academic advising, personal concerns and immigration advising.
- Interact with appropriate government agencies including Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration and Kansas Department of Revenue (for Kansas Driver’s Licenses).
- Facilitate necessary reporting to partner agencies/schools including the ordering and dissemination of transcripts and verification of enrollment for sponsored students.
- Coordinate with Student Accounts and Receivables to maintain up-to-date documentation and timely billing processes for sponsored students.
- Process data and create immigration documents for F-1 and J-1 nonimmigrants in the Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS), a government database.
- Analyze data and report accurate and timely information to SEVIS to maintain Federal compliance requirements.
- Develop and maintain relationships with potential and current sponsors and Jayhawk Semester partners.
- Assist in the negotiation of contracts and agreements with sponsors and partners.
- Market and recruit to further develop and expand the Jayhawk Semester program
- Coordinate and participate in embassy, agency, and school visits.
- Provide workshops and presentations for students, scholars, sponsors, university departments and partners.
- Inform and encourage targeted populations to attend cultural events and programs.
- Support other projects and populations that KU ISS serves.
- Assist the ISS team in daily administrative duties and other designated responsibilities.
- Serve on departmental and university-wide committees.
Position Requirements
U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident to comply with Federal regulation requirements to be a DSO and ARO (to issue and sign immigration documents).
Required Qualifications
- Master's degree, OR Bachelor’s degree plus one (1) year of relevant experience.
- One year of experience working in international education and/or living, studying or working abroad as evidenced by application materials.
- Excellent written communication skills as evidenced by application materials.
- Experience with Microsoft Office Suite to include Outlook, Word, Powerpoint, and/or Excel as demonstrated by application materials.
- Experience working with data management systems or applications such as spreadsheets or databases as evidenced by application materials..
Preferred Qualifications
- Degree emphasis in International Education, Educational Administration, counseling, English as a Second Language, foreign languages and cultures or other related fields.
- Experience advising or counseling students or scholars.
- Experience working with sponsors as defined in the job description.
- Experience in planning, organizing and implementing workshops, seminars and/or programs.
- Strong oral communication skills as evidenced by the interview process.
Additional Candidate Instructions
A complete online application will include:
- Cover letter addressing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
- Resume.
- Contact information for three professional references (including at least one previous or current supervisor).
Contact Information to Applicants
Shawn Wettlaufer
swettlauf@ku.edu
swettlauf@ku.edu
Advertised Salary Range
$43,888 to $45,000
Application Review Begins
Monday September 23, 2024
Anticipated Start Date
Monday October 14, 2024