Specialist - Advisor-Continuing

Working/Functional Title

Director, New Student Orientation

Position Summary

Michigan State University invites applications for the position of Director of New Student Orientation (NSO) within the Office of Undergraduate Education. This leadership role is critical to first year and transfer students, as well as their families and supporters. NSO provides orientation experiences for:

• 17 degree granting colleges
• 9000+ incoming first year students
• 1500+ incoming transfer students

Position Overview

Reporting to the Assistant Dean of Access, Transitions and Student Success, the Director provides strategic leadership, vision, and oversight for all orientation programming while advancing student success and shaping the unit’s long-term strategic direction. The role involves cross-campus collaboration, student support, program development, and continuous assessment to ensure a welcoming and effective onboarding experience for new Spartans.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Develop and implement strategic vision for MSU’s orientation programs.
• Collaborate with campus partners to align orientation with institutional goals, family engagement, and student success initiatives.
• Develop and deliver timely data summaries, progress updates, and outcome reports to campus partners, ensuring transparency and alignment across units engaged in student success efforts.
• Lead efforts to develop and manage comprehensive virtual orientation programs.
• Partner with Undergraduate Education and campus partners to foster a comprehensive learning environment for student development.

Program Development & Assessment

• Design orientation programs with clear learning outcomes for first-year, transfer, and international students, as well as families and supporters.
• Ensure all orientation content and practices are inclusive and equitable, creating an inclusive community and sense of belonging for MSU's incoming student population
• Utilize data to evaluate past interventions, guide future programming, and monitor persistence and student success outcomes to ensure programs meet current and future needs. Create and execute assessment plans to measure program effectiveness and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Conduct and share research on best orientation and student transition practices.
• Present findings at national conferences and publish them in relevant outlets. This is supported by professional development funding for the NODA conference.
• Develop and facilitate orientation training workshops.
• Coordinates larger-scale planning, staffing, internal and external relationships to ensure successful event execution.

Administrative Leadership

• Supervise and evaluate three full-time NSO staff.
• Serve as the primary liaison to key campus units (e.g., Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, REHS, Academic Advising).
• Manage and strategically plan the NSO operating budget.
• Represent NSO in university committees and Undergraduate Education meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Professional Engagement

• Active participation in professional organizations such as NODA and Big Ten Orientation.
• Regularly present workshops and seminars on orientation and transition topics.
• Seek leadership roles in regional or national orientation-related organizations.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Masters -Higher Education, Student Affairs, College Student Personnel or related field

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, College Student Personnel, or related field.
• 10 years of progressive experience in orientation, first-year student programs, student success, student activities, or related areas.
• 5+ years of experience supervising professional and student staff.
• Demonstrated success in managing large-scale events.
• Experience with strategic budget planning.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills across diverse constituencies.
• Ability to lead with vision and foster a high-performing team.
• Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of the theories and practices related to student success and transition support.

Desired Qualifications

• Terminal degree
• Experience with grants, donors, and philanthropy

Required Application Materials

A complete application packet will contain a resume or CV, cover letter and contact information for three professional references.

Review of Applications Begins On

11/21/2025

Website

https://orientation.msu.edu/

Department Statement

Founded in 1855 as the nation's first land-grant university, Michigan State University (MSU) enrolls over 50,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. MSU is known internationally as a major public research university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, MSU is a multifaceted community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.  The Office of Undergraduate Education seeks to help lead MSU's undergraduate student success initiatives by operationalizing MSU's stated beliefs that every student it admits has the capacity to learn, thrive, and graduate and that it is MSU's responsibility to provide an environment with the academic, social, wellness, and financial support our students need to persist in college and succeed after graduation.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.