POSITION IDENTIFICATION
TITLE Director, TRIO - Upward Bound
CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 1101
GRADE 45
CLASSIFICATION Exempt
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs – Student Support & Opportunity Services
GENERAL FUNCTION
The Director of TRIO Upward Bound is the primary liaison between the TRIO Upward Bound Program and University administrators, faculty, public school district partners, participants, parents, and community representatives interested in the TRIO program. This position ensures that the programs meet established goals, objectives, and federal guidelines and is responsible for program development, implementation, participant recruitment and management of day-to-day operations. The Director is responsible for planning, supervising, and evaluating programs and staff, budgeting, maintaining appropriate program records, and preparing and submitting time and effort reports and mandated compliance reports. The Director of TRIO Upward Bound ensures awareness and understanding of the TRIO program by providing a variety of presentations as well as continuous networking.
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, Administration, Educational Leadership, Teacher Education, Social Work, or a related field is required; a Master’s degree is preferred.
Experience: At least three years of experience in educational program management, personnel management, supervision, and fiscal management are required. At least two years developing and providing higher education preparatory instruction, tutoring, academic advising, assessment, standardized testing preferred. Demonstrated administrative experience with program development or project management including budgets is preferred. Experience working with Upward Bound, TRIO programs, or other similar programs focused on students who are from various multi- cultural, and service focused backgrounds is preferred.
Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required. Familiarity with statistical software packages is preferred. Excellent interpersonal skills, organizational, and management skills are also required. A working knowledge of computers applications, including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office is required. Experience with database maintenance preferred. Familiarity with the academic policies and procedures of the Springfield Public School system, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the U.S. Department of Higher Education, and higher education is preferred. Knowledge of student development theory and its application to student academic support services is also preferred.
Other: A valid driver’s license is required. The scope of the position requires working evenings and weekends as well as occasional out-of-town travel, including some overnight stays. Continuation of appointment to this position is dependent on the renewal of the TRIO grant.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Ensures that the TRIO Upward Bound Program is understood and accepted as an integral part of the University community by representing the program in formal and informal venues, facilitating communication and discussion regarding the TRIO Program’s operations, goals, and the needs of Upward Bound participants.2. Conducts research and manages all administrative tasks and operations to comply with program requirements, and reporting research findings in formal and informal venues.
3. Ensure that the program for participants is organized, monitored, and managed to meet goals and objectives by designing, developing, and directing all facets of the Upward Bound Program follow the U.S. Department of Education and the Missouri State University grant proposals,
4. Provides reporting and analysis as needed or required, tracking expenditures, and maintaining financial records in accordance with federal guidelines, ensuring that the TRIO Program meets all grant obligations in a timely manner related to submission of all necessary U.S. Department of Education reports.
5. Ensures that program eligible students are able to fully utilize the TRIO program by interviewing interested students and collecting and reporting data through evaluation to assess the effectiveness and impact of the TRIO program.
6. Coordinates and meets regularly with various University representatives, specifically faculty and administrators, various community agencies and the federal government (Department of Education).
7. Documents the progress of TRIO Program in achieving its funded objectives through coordination and evaluation of the project.
8. Works to secure funding for the continuation of the TRIO Programs by proposing research studies and working with the Assistant Vice President for Multicultural Services to coordinate/commission the writing of grant proposals to obtain funding for additional programs, such as Talent Search, EOC, McNair, and other TRIO grants as available and appropriate.
9. Responsible for developing TRIO program budgets and exercising primary control over TRIO budgets.
10. Provides direct academic support services to Upward Bound participants and supervises participants at activities, multi -cultural events, and multi-cultural trips in compliance with the University’s policies.
11. Works with low-income, first-generation, or academically disadvantaged high school students to help them develop the skills needed to become successful college students by assisting them in the development of appropriate educational goals, guiding them in decision-making and learning how to accept responsibility for their decisions, directing them to resources related to career and academic major choices, and providing opportunities to develop social skills, cultural competence, study and writing skills.
12. Plans and oversees the annual summer academy for Upward Bound participants by planning and organizing the classes curriculum and corresponding classes to be offered, supervising certified teachers, enrolling students into classes, coordinating classroom assignments, textbooks, and supplies, and providing daily supervision of camp activities and curriculum.
13. Supervises workshops, and Saturday Academy for participants to help develop social skills, study skills, and writing skills and provide academic advising and career counseling and testing.
14. Organizes, and supervises events and trips designed to help develop cultural competence in Upward Bound participants by taking them to sporting, theatrical, historical, musical, and other educational and cultural events.
15. Ensures the effectiveness of the advising process by maintaining both paper and electronic database advisee files for all assigned advisees, regularly updating advisee academic reports and counseling notes, and validating the information contained in the advisee files with the student database.
16. Facilitates personal and academic development of program participants by encouraging involvement in cultural and leadership activities both on and off campus, providing opportunities for participation in advising student leadership groups within the program and motivating program participants to apply for graduate school in their chosen field of study.
17. Manages the Bear Up Mentoring Program by matching peer mentors to students to help the mentee with guidance and support to be successful in college.
18. Ensures the accuracy and confidentiality of participants’ files and maintains student file with required documents as well as coordinates the academic and financial data regarding participants for entry into the student file.
19. Facilitates awareness of the TRIO programs by marketing the program and promoting program services through informational presentations to faculty, staff, prospective students from the MSU population and transfer students, and/or by distributing program literature at student festivals, strategic locations across campus, and elsewhere as appropriate as well as maintains the program website.
20. Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses required by the supervisor.
21. Contributes to the overall success of the program and the University by performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
SUPERVISION
The Director of the TRIO Upward Bound Programs supervises professional staff, clerical staff, graduate assistants, part-time staff, and student employees.
OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES
REVISED JANUARY 2025