Want to build the next generation of college with us?
We’re looking for a Director of Student Outcomes & Persistence
About College Together’s Mission
A little more than three years ago, in late 2020, we began a journey here at College Together to create a new pathway to higher education attainment for all Philadelphians. This new category of college — which we have come to call a “fusion college” model — combines the best elements of existing colleges but also scraps the parts that are inefficient and don’t lead to student success.
This new model is not purely online or in a classroom, but a fusion of digital curriculum and physical community. In our case, the CT experience combines groundbreaking digital, competency-based curricula from our partners at Southern New Hampshire University with in-person experience and support right here at home with CT.
This fresh take on college is one where students can earn credits by mastering projects as they go along at their own pace instead of waiting until the end of a semester to get their grades, where learners can make their own college schedule instead of trying to fit rigid classes into the rhythms of life, work, and family, and where everybody receives personalized support every single day in a community of learners.
In a city where 10% of higher schoolers graduate from college, we want to prove that college can be done differently — and that it can cost less, be more flexible, and deliver better outcomes.
Today, in summer 2024, our first twenty-one graduates are a testament to that belief. All of them are Philadelphians and graduated on-time and with zero-debt. We are just getting started.
We believe in a future where everyone can earn an accessible, relevant, and radically affordable college degree. By the end of the decade, we aspire to be a top five college destination here in Philadelphia, remain uniquely great at serving underserved populations, and prove that college can be innovative and efficient again.
If this mission excites you, we should chat!
College Together is looking for someone to join our budding 501(c)(3) nonprofit who would be motivated to grow this new college model with us. We are seeking a senior staff-level Director of Student Outcomes & Persistence to lead our student experience, support, and persistent efforts into our next chapter of growth and refinement.
About the Position
Imagine if you were given the opportunity to create a college experience from scratch. A nationally recognized, regionally accredited non-profit university will take care of the components of college-building that are hardest to set up: gaining accreditation, creating the curriculum, registering students, dealing with professors, handing out grades, and conferring degrees.
You, on the other end, get to reimagine the actual student experience from the ground up. You can figure out how much tutoring each student gets, dream up what support structures look like, forge community, set accountability standards, and rethink, redesign, and redefine the day-to-day higher education experience especially for those who have historically been left behind by traditional institutions.
That is the opportunity this role enables. While SNHU creates and operates the curriculum, CT gets to build the support system and campus community that guides students through that curriculum.
As the Director of Student Outcomes & Persistence, you will join co-founders Oscar and Dustin in CT’s senior leadership team. You’ll be given the reigns to oversee and lead our student-side programming structures. You will be responsible for three areas of focus:
1. Coaching & Program Design
- Refine and direct CT’s existing student support vision and strategy;
- Take lead on our student coaching curriculum across CT’s multiple pathways;
- Support the entire team in designing a cohesive, enriching, and valuable fusion college experience for every student;
- Mentor a caseload of CTers through on-time/accelerated degree attainment.
2. Lead the Coaching Team
- Inherit leadership of a motivated team of incumbent college coaches;
- Help to recruit, hire, and retain high-quality coaching team members;
- Promote team development through professional development opportunities and mentorship;
- Foster a culture of and design structures to achieve academic excellence and continuous improvement.
3. Drive Persistence & Graduation
- Develop and implement strategies to improve learner retention and advancement;
- Monitor student academic performance and address areas needing refinement;
- Oversee the development and implementation of assessment tools to measure learning outcomes and program effectiveness;
- Leverage program data, learner feedback, staff involvement, and any additional qualitative and quantitative means to shepard the continued development of a high quality student support program.
Be sure to read the Philadelphia Citizen’s profile of our first graduation ceremony!
Concluding Details
Salary Range: Starting at $62,000.
Final range negotiable based on experience.
After a starting probationary period, all employees are eligible for enrollment and access to:
Health Insurance via Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice PPO Gold Classic/CT contributes 80% of the premium);
Dental Insurance via Guardian EM Dental (CT contributes 80% of your premium);
Life Insurance via Nationwide (Beam Basic Life Plan/CT covers 100% of your premium).
Vacation days, sick days, federal holidays, and other associated team benefits as outlined at the time of hire.
About You
We are seeking someone who:
…holds a bachelor’s degree;
…has at least 5 years of experience working with youth in a direct service role;
…has experience directing/overseeing team members in a managerial capacity;
…is able to be adaptable in any role and can wear multiple hats;
…believe the higher education system does not only need to be improved on the margins and that the system itself demands a new type of institution grounded in equity and student-centered thinking;
…knowledgeable of modern trends and best practices in higher education, digital learning, the local education sector, and first-generation student support;.
Adherence to the mission, fit with our staff, a willingness to grow, and a learning mindset are more important to us than checking every box of qualifications or being completely competent on day one at every job responsibility.
We also are particularly enthusiastic about candidates who share proximity to our learners — candidates who worked while attending college, attended a community college en route to a BA, were an adult or parent learner, or in some other way deviated from the so-called “traditional” pathway.
