Specialist - Outreach-Continuing

Assistant Program Director for TRIO Student Support Services

The Michigan State University Office of Undergraduate Education oversees undergraduate academic policies and facilitates institutional wide initiatives focused on enhancing undergraduate learning. We engage in everything from the orientation and welcome of first-year students to the enhancement and oversight of selected academic programs and co-curricular initiatives. Focused around the five opportunity areas for student success https://undergrad.msu.edu/strategy-retention/sues, Undergrad Ed seeks to ensure every student MSU admits can learn, thrive, and graduate.

TRIO Student Support Services at Michigan State University is a federally funded program supported by the U.S. Department of Education through 2030. The program is housed within the Pathways Persistence Programs unit and is led by the TRIO SSS Director. It serves first generation students, students from limited income backgrounds, and students with disabilities.
Each year, TRIO SSS supports more than 600 students through coordinated, student-centered services designed to promote persistence and degree completion. Services include proactive advising and success coaching, peer mentoring, academic and career workshops, tutoring, a summer transition program, high impact learning opportunities, financial literacy support, and preparation for graduate and professional study.

The Assistant Program Director (APD) for TRIO Student Support Services serves as a key member of the program’s leadership team, reporting directly to the Program Director. In this capacity, the APD collaborates closely with the Director to ensure the seamless execution of the federally funded grant, maintaining strict adherence to the approved Plan of Operations and federal regulations. The role is designed to fortify program operations through strategic outreach, compliance, and data collection. By overseeing data systems and assisting the Director with conducting compliance reviews, the APD ensures the program remains high-functioning and audit-ready.

While the Director holds primary administrative accountability, the APD is responsible for leading specific core programmatic functional areas. This includes spearheading the intake and eligibility review process to ensure all participants meet federal criteria, as well as managing the TRIO SSS database with meticulous attention to detail, assisting with the critical preparation of the Annual Performance Report (APR) and leading comprehensive program evaluations to measure student outcomes against established objectives. Furthermore, the APD serves as a strategic support for academic success initiatives, providing essential backup and leadership for program components such as academic tutoring, strategic retention planning, and holistic student development workshops.

This position requires occasional evening and weekend work to support program activities and events.

Strategic Leadership, Supervision & Management (Other) (35%)
• Collaborate with the Director in daily operations, logistics, and staff supervision as needed.
• Directly supervises assigned graduate and undergraduate student staff, including hiring, training and evaluation, ensuring alignment with program goals and federal requirements.
• Monitor and analyze program expenditures in collaboration with the Director to ensure alignment with approved grant categories and federal cost principles.
• Support the Director in ensuring that all program operations and services comply with federal TRIO SSS regulations and the approved grant Plan of Operations.
• Contribute to strategic planning, policy development, and continuous improvement efforts aligned with federal performance objectives.
• Serve as acting lead in the absence of the Program Director when delegated.
• Carry out additional responsibilities as needed to support the overall success of the program.

Applications received after May 13, 2026, will be reviewed only if the position remains unfilled following the initial interview process.

05/13/2026

https://undergrad.msu.edu/advising-transitions/pathways2persist/trio-sss

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.

Advertised: Apr 13, 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: Apr 13, 2028 Eastern Daylight Time

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