Departmental Overview The Department of Earth & Planetary Science, within the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Division of the College of Letters and Science is one of the top ranked programs in the USA with 6 major specializations and several interdisciplinary programs in atmospheric science, climate, environmental geoscience, marine geophysics and planetary science.
The Student Services Advisor independently administers and coordinates complex undergraduate and graduate student services functions for the Department of Earth and Planetary Science with a high degree of autonomy. Applying advanced, specialized student services expertise, the position advises departmental leadership, faculty, and students on complex academic advising, curriculum, enrollment, and student services matters impacting the department's undergraduate majors, minors, and graduate programs.
The position serves as a key member of the department's administrative team and as a primary resource to the Department Chair, faculty committees, campus partners, and students on academic policies, curriculum planning, enrollment management, and student progression. The incumbent independently coordinates department-wide course scheduling and curriculum implementation activities, advises leadership on policy and operational impacts to academic programs, and helps develop and implement processes, policies, and practices that support student success, program effectiveness, and departmental academic objectives.
The position provides leadership and oversight for undergraduate student services and academic program management activities, including strategic planning and assessment of undergraduate student services functions, development and implementation of student services related policies and procedures, and resolution of complex student services and curriculum-related issues. The incumbent also provides resource allocation and budgetary oversight related to student services programming and operations.
The position leads and implements complex student services initiatives and high-visibility programming, including commencement, outreach and recruitment activities, orientation programming, DEIB-related student engagement efforts, and oversight of the department's peer advising and student work-study programs. The incumbent provides functional leadership, onboarding, training, and guidance for peer advisors and student staff.
In addition, the position supports graduate admissions and fellowship processes, coordinates the administration of departmental fellowship programs, and works collaboratively with departmental leadership, faculty committees, College and campus partners, and the advising team to analyze and interpret academic policies and operational issues, identify areas for process improvement, and recommend and implement solutions that support departmental and institutional goals.
Application Review Date The First Review Date for this job is: August 31, 2026 - Open Until Filled
Responsibilities Academic Advising and Student Support - 25% - Provides advanced academic advising and student services support for undergraduate majors, minors, and graduate programs within the Department of Earth and Planetary Science. Advises prospective, current, transfer, and graduate students on degree requirements, curriculum planning, enrollment, academic progression, petitions, policies, and campus resources. Establishes, tracks, and maintains academic records and Academic Progress Reports and monitors student progress toward degree completion. Serves as a lead departmental resource for complex advising, student progression, and academic policy matters impacting undergraduate and graduate programs. Advises faculty and departmental leadership on operational impacts of academic policies, curriculum requirements, and student services processes affecting program administration and student success.
- Provides guidance regarding complex student issues, including academic standing concerns, accommodations, student distress situations, petitions, and referrals to campus support resources.
- Reviews and advises on complex petitions, transfer coursework applicability, and exceptions to program requirements in coordination with faculty, departmental leadership, and campus partners. Supports resolution of complex student concerns requiring coordination across multiple academic or administrative units. Collaborates with campus partners including L&S, the Registrar, Cal Student Central, DSP, Financial Aid, Summer Sessions, and other advising units to support student success and resolve complex issues. Maintains undergraduate and graduate program information, advising materials, departmental communications, and website content. Responsible for advising students and faculty on academic student dishonesty cases. Serves as the primary contact for policies on student conduct and academic integrity. Reviews and as needed refers highly sensitive student matters involving formal grievances, discrimination concerns, student conduct issues, FERPA concerns, or situations with significant legal, policy, or reputational implications for the department or University.
Policy Interpretation, Program Administration, and Department Consultation - 15% - Serves as a primary departmental resource to faculty, students, campus partners, and departmental leadership regarding academic regulations, enrollment policies, curriculum requirements, student concerns, and student services processes. Applies advanced knowledge of departmental, College, and University policies and procedures to interpret and operationalize academic and student services requirements impacting students, faculty, and program administration. Advises the Department Chair, Director of Student Services, faculty, and departmental committees on academic policy interpretation, student progression issues, operational impacts, and process improvements affecting undergraduate and graduate programs.
- Analyzes operational and student impacts of academic policies, procedures, and curriculum changes and recommends process improvements and implementation strategies supporting effective program administration and student success. Identifies systemic operational or process issues affecting advising, enrollment management, and student services functions and recommends solutions and implementation strategies to improve efficiency, consistency, and student outcomes. Provides continuity across undergraduate and graduate advising operations and serves as backup support for the Director of Student Services as needed.
Curriculum Coordination and Academic Program Implementation - 15% - Manages curriculum implementation and academic program administration activities for undergraduate and graduate programs. Leads implementation activities associated with major curriculum and program changes, including updates to Academic Progress Reports, advising procedures, enrollment structures, student records systems, and student and faculty communications. Collaborates with faculty, departmental leadership, campus partners, and committees on curriculum planning, course sequencing, program requirements, and implementation of curriculum and program changes. Supports departmental leadership and faculty committees in evaluating operational, enrollment, and student progression impacts associated with curriculum revisions, new academic initiatives, and program restructuring efforts.
- Supports development and implementation of new course and curriculum proposals in coordination with faculty, departmental committees, the Committee on Courses of Instruction, and College and campus partners. Develops and delivers guidance and training related to curriculum and program changes for peer advisors and student-facing staff. Coordinates training and guidance for peer advisors and student-facing staff related to curriculum changes, enrollment procedures, and academic policy implementation. Responsible for advising students on career resources and referring students to career advisors and relevant events. Assist students on identifying relevant career paths utilizing skills developed in the department's curriculum. Conducts curriculum and program analysis by identifying operational impacts, updating advising processes and Academic Progress Reports, communicating changes to students and faculty, and training peer advisors and student staff on revised requirements and procedures.
Course Scheduling and Enrollment Management - 20% - Independently leads department course scheduling and enrollment management activities for undergraduate and graduate programs. Using a high degree of judgment and autonomy, independently schedules department courses and manages enrollment activities, including enrollment limits, seat reservations, waitlists, course restrictions, concurrent enrollment requests, classroom coordination, and cross-listed courses.
- Serves as the department's primary course scheduler and coordinates complex scheduling activities involving enrollment demand, classroom availability, cross-listed courses, course sequencing, discussion section budget allocations, and instructional resource constraints. Develops solutions to course scheduling and enrollment conflicts by balancing budgetary and instructional capacity, classroom availability, student demand, faculty needs, and curriculum sequencing requirements while ensuring student access to required coursework.
- Analyzes enrollment trends, instructional needs, and operational impacts to develop solutions supporting student access, curriculum sequencing, and effective use of instructional resources. Advises faculty and departmental leadership on enrollment trends, instructional needs, and scheduling impacts affecting student access and progression through academic programs. Collaborates with the Campus Scheduling Office and other academic units to resolve scheduling and classroom issues.
Graduate Admissions, Fellowships, and Financial Support Administration - 10% - Supports graduate admissions and fellowship administration activities for the department, including coordinating application review processes, communications, committee support, and admissions-related operations. Participates in graduate admissions and fellowship review activities and supports departmental decision-making related to admissions processes, fellowship coordination, and student support initiatives.
- Coordinates administration of departmental fellowship, scholarship, and award programs, including application coordination, budget tracking, award processing, committee support, and communications with students, faculty, and staff. Coordinates fellowship and award administration activities including application coordination, budget tracking, award processing, committee support, and communications related to student funding opportunities. Advises students regarding departmental and campus funding opportunities and financial support resources.
- Comprehensive management of the Ramsden Fund ($250K annually) and Committee, overseeing the full distribution lifecycle and ensuring independent, start-to-finish execution of the fellowship and scholarship programs. Leverages CalAnswers to generate financial reports and accurately interprets chartstrings.
- Advises departmental leadership and faculty on funding allocation strategies and award administration.
Outreach, Student Engagement, and DEIB Initiatives - 10% - Plans and implements complex, high-visibility outreach, recruitment, orientation, commencement, Cal Day, Honors Thesis Symposium, and student engagement initiatives supporting departmental and institutional goals. Collaborates with faculty, student organizations, campus partners, and the department Equity Advisor to support inclusive student engagement, outreach, recruitment, and community-building efforts. Supports outreach and recruitment initiatives designed to improve student access, engagement, and representation within Earth and Planetary Science programs, including programming supporting transfer and underrepresented student populations.
- Coordinates workshops, presentations, outreach communications, and recruitment activities for prospective and current students, including transfer and underrepresented student populations. Supports departmental DEIB initiatives and student programming designed to improve student access, engagement, and sense of belonging.
- Led comprehensive marketing and management strategies for Summer Sessions, driving enrollment growth and increasing revenue.
Functional Leadership, Training, and Operational Coordination - 5% - Provides functional leadership and operational coordination for advising and student services activities within the department. Coordinates onboarding, training, scheduling, and ongoing guidance for peer advisors and student staff to support continuity and consistency across advising operations and student-facing services.
Coordinates onboarding, training, scheduling, and ongoing support for peer advisors and student staff to promote consistency, continuity, and effective student-facing services across advising operations. Develops advising resources, training materials, and operational guidance related to curriculum, enrollment, and student services processes. - Collaborates with departmental leadership, faculty, and ca
