Mesa Director

Description:

The Director of Spokane Falls Community College’s MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) serves as primary coordinator and overseer of activities funded or sponsored by the MESA program and/or for the benefit of MESA students, including the promotion of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, STEM education, and STEM programs to students of color and students of populations underrepresented in STEM fields; the recruitment and retention of those students; and collaborating with the STEM pathway team to facilitate success, persistence, completion and transfer to baccalaureate programs of those students.

The Director of the MESA program is charged with supporting the institution to achieve the above objectives. This position reports to the Dean of Computing, Mathematics and Science.

Launched more than 40-years ago, Washington MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) is one of the 11 “MESA States” in the national MESA USA network. MESA is nationally recognized for its innovative and effective academic development program. MESA engages thousands of educationally disadvantaged students, so they excel in math and science and graduate with STEM degrees. MESA partners with all segments of higher education as well as 6-12 institutions.

As a statewide organization, WA MESA is committed to building pathways to careers in science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM) for traditionally underrepresented minority (URM) students, including women, Native Americans/Alaska Natives, African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders. WA MESA supports six (6) regional MESA College Preparation Centers (6-12) geographically placed throughout the state of Washington to coordinate and deliver STEM-focused programs and services to middle and high school students. In partnership with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), Transfer Preparation Community College Programs (Transfer Prep) are housed within twelve (12) of the 34 community colleges in Washington. Through high-impact services and programming, Transfer Prep Centers seek to accelerate the number of historically underrepresented community college students on their STEM career pathway. SFCC serves as one of the twelve Transfer Preparation programs in Washington State.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program representative

Provide leadership and coordination of the MESA program, including training of other MESA personnel. *
Serve as a member of the STEM Pathway in a role that intertwines the goals of MESA with the essential practices of Guided Pathways. *
Serve as a resource for MESA students, directing them to appropriate resources for tutoring, financial aid, advising, counseling and other services. *
Provide mentorship and coaching for MESA students with respect to STEM learning opportunities, careers, etc. *
Attend and actively participate in state MESA Directors’ meetings and other activities (including occasional overnights) to ensure successful implementation of the MESA program in accordance with MESA statewide office guidelines and serve as primary contact for WA MESA at SFCC. *
Program planning
Manage, plan, oversee, and track orientation activities, outreach activities, and STEM focused events for MESA students, including but not limited to resume and cover letter workshops, campus speakers, transfer campus visits, scholarship opportunities, award ceremonies and graduation celebrations. *
Develop and implement quarterly programming that fulfills both the MESA mission and aligns with the college’s equity goals. *
Collaborate with the Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion on projects that support the SFCC student population. *
Collaborate with peers who oversee other student support programs on campus to develop, coordinate, and integrate activities, for example: Learning Support, Pathway Teams, Outreach, Counseling, and Concurrent Enrollment. *
Develop and manage student-centered workshops in collaboration with STEM faculty and student leaders. *
Develop and maintain a MESA business and industry advisory board. *
Coordinate with faculty and the Dean on identifying and promoting research and internship opportunities for students. *
Participate in Bigfoot Registration and STEM Pathway retention sessions. *
Interface with other college services to create engaging materials promoting MESA activities and the MESA program for print and electronic distribution. *
Program reporting
Manage MESA program budget under the supervision of the Dean. *
Track and provide transfer data, success data for MESA students, and other relevant data pertaining to students in MESA activities as outlined by both the WA MESA and supervising dean. *
Collaborate with the STEM Pathway to develop and maintain a transfer database.
Report on and present MESA activities through written reports and oral presentations. *
Appropriately analyze, summarize, and use data from Program Review to provide recommendations to the Dean for changes to programming. *
Program supervision
Manage the MESA student center that fosters a welcoming atmosphere for academic purposes to ensure meeting the needs of MESA students and facilitates cohort formation. *
Demonstrate cultural competencies required to work with students from broadly different cultural backgrounds. *
Supervise work-study student employees (train, schedule, evaluate, discipline and respond to grievances). Adhere to all district rules and regulations. Inform and educate employees about behavior and performance expectations, provide timely and accurate feedback regarding performance, and ensure performance and behavioral problems are corrected promptly and effectively. *
Model professional decorum and mutual respect in all personal interactions. *
Comply with district policies, procedures and directives, state and federal regulations, orders and statutes and collective bargaining agreements. *
Support and advance the CCS strategic plan, and perform other duties as assigned. *
Indicates this is an essential duty