Human Resources

Summary

This is a multi-faceted job. The staff member is the primary undergraduate academic advisor, but also will have significant roles in teaching, managing undergraduate laboratories, assisting faculty with online course development, and participating in outreach and recruiting activities.

Responsibilities and Essential Duties

1. Undergraduate Academic Advising
a. Coordinate and lead departmental academic and developmental advising activities.
b. Establish and maintain a regular schedule and processes to ensure that students are maintaining appropriate progress-towards-degree.
c. Establish and/or maintain effective online tools (e.g., check sheets, curriculum and prerequisite flow sheets) to assist students in planning their program of study.
d. Work with the Department Chair to plan and maintain regular advising sessions prior to course registration.
e. Serve as the MSE contact in the COE and university advising networks.
f. Maintain a working and up-to-date familiarity of available university academic and personal counseling intervention resources.
g. Ensure that undergraduate students who are considering graduate school at Michigan Tech are aware of forms, procedures and deadlines relevant to Accelerated MS degrees and “Senior Rule” courses that can be applied to a graduate degree.
2. Undergraduate laboratory support and supervision
a. Work with Department Chair and other technical staff to maintain primary undergraduate laboratories, particularly the undergraduate metallography lab, and others as assigned.
b. Ensure and maintain safe working environments in the labs.
c. Ensure and maintain an effective and productive working environment in the labs (i.e., properly maintaining equipment, enforce housekeeping, establishing and maintain efficient layouts, work towards improving and expanding capabilities of the facilities).
d. Establish protocol for student laboratory training, accessibility, safety, and conduct in the laboratories.
e. Develop and manage an effective system for consumables, supplies and use charges to ensure a sustainable laboratory environment.
3. Curriculum support
a. Assist faculty in planning, preparation, and effective delivery of laboratory coursework. Act as the primary instructor for undergraduate laboratory sections that are focused on characterization.
b. If needed, act as primary instructor in Department courses and/or deliver guest lectures in lecture or lab sections.
c. Assist faculty in developing high-quality content for asynchronous online graduate courses.
d. Serve on the Undergraduate Curriculum and Assessment Committee and actively participate in ongoing curriculum assessment and continuous improvement.
e. Assist the department Chair and/or the curriculum committee in maintaining documentation in support of college (ABET) and university (Higher Learning Council) accreditation activities, and in the preparation of the associated self-study reports.
f. Coordinate and administer the curriculum proposal process (binder process) with the department chair.
4. Outreach activities
a. Serve as liaison and host for prospective student inquiries and visits.
b. Serve as the liaison and site-coordinator for ASM Materials Camp activities.
c. Serve as the primary departmental liaison for and coordinate departmental open houses, expos, and activities in support of university outreach, recruitment, and admissions initiatives.
d. Coordinate K-12 departmental visits; interface with local school districts as needed.
e. Assist with MSE activities for the Summer Youth Program and related activities.
f. Participate in planned summer visits of incoming first-year students for advising purposes, if necessary.
g. Serve on the Department Recruiting and Retention Committee.
5. Other duties as assigned.
6. Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work.
7. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The required qualifications listed are representative of the education, experience, knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures

MS in Materials Science and Engineering.

Required Experience

One year of experience in industry or academia in an MSE-related position.

Desirable Education and/or Experience

● Experience with advising undergraduate students.
● Experience teaching undergraduate students in lab or lecture courses.
● Experience maintaining or managing materials science and engineering laboratories.
● Experience with advanced materials characterization techniques used in the curricula, including scanning electron microscopy.
● Experience with developing online course content.
● Experience with outreach and recruiting activities targeting high school students who may enroll at Michigan Tech.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

● Ability to work effectively and professionally with all types of undergraduate students in Advisor capacity.
● Deep understanding of structure-property-processing relations and common experimental techniques utilized to study materials.
● Ability to professionally maintain teaching laboratories to ensure safety, and ability to teach students in those laboratories to learn fundamental MSE principles.
● Ability to effectively present information to students, faculty, other university employees, and the general public, including teaching undergraduate course material.
● Excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational, and time management skills.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

● Demonstrated ability to prepare high-quality online course material.
● Demonstrated ability to work with faculty members to develop and deliver course material in lectures or laboratories.
● Demonstrated ability to succeed in recruitment activities, for example, summer youth programs.
● Demonstrated success in, or potential future contributions to, working with people with a wide variety of personal characteristics and viewpoints.

Work Environment and/or Physical Demands

Required Training and Other Conditions of Employment

Every employee at Michigan Technological University will receive the following 4 required trainings; additional training may be required by the department.

Required University Training:
● Employee Safety Overview
● Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation Training
● Annual Data Security Training 
● Annual Title IX Training

Background Check:

Offers of employment are contingent upon and not considered finalized until the required background check has been performed and the results received and assessed.

1.00

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Rate/Salary

The minimum salary for this position is $70,000. The final salary will depend on experience and qualifications.

Title of Position Supervisor

Department Chair

Posting Type

Dependent on Funding

Special Instructions to Applicants (if applicable)

This position is open to current Michigan Technological University employees only.