Current job title: Administrative
Assistant
Industry: Higher Education (Community
College)
Department: Office of Academic Affairs
Years worked in this industry: Less
than 1
Years worked in this department: Less
than 1
Special training or attributes needed or helpful to
get job in this industry (or specific department): An
associates degree was required for this position and the desired
attributes included being highly organized, motivated and computer
literate. Organizing events for large groups was helpful and the ability
to maintain the confidentiality of the information this office handles was
a must.
Number of
managers and/or staff supported: Six divisional
secretaries.
Typical work hours: Monday through
Friday from 8am-4pm.
Weekends or overtime hours: No, I do
not work weekends or overtime.
General salary range
(Note: This is a general figure or range provided by survey respondent and may
NOT be an exact salary in order to
give survey respondent some privacy. Also you must take into account that
the number of years worked in industry/department may contribute to this
salary as well as criteria such as level of position and person reports
to, required hours and geographical location.): approx.
$26,500
Benefits (direct or indirect): I
have medical, dental and 401K benefits. I also have 15 vacation days
starting in the first year and all major holidays off.
Lingo you might hear in this industry:
(1) Articulation Agreements are agreements formed between two academic
institutions in which a student may receive course credit at the higher
level institution for successfully completing a course of study at the
lower level institution.
(2) FERPA (Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974). This act
entitles the student to direct access to records on file with the
exception of psychological, medical, parental financial records or any
records filed before January 1, 1975. It also stipulates exactly who may
have access to a student’s records (without permission) among other
things. Due to the level of confidentiality involved with student’s
personal information, following the rules laid out by this act is stressed
to all college employees and it is often difficult for parents to
understand why they cannot be given much information relating to their
child’s academic performance.
(3) Dual-credit courses are college level courses taken by high school
students and taught by high school teachers and count for both high school
and college credit at the same time.
A typical day on the job: I have a wide
range of duties from answering the phones, relaying messages, processing
reports (travel, conference, classroom observations, etc), ensuring that
the divisions under my boss’ supervision are staying on task with their
timelines, managing the dean's calendar, filing,
maintaining calendars for travel and sick/vacation/personal time for all
staff reporting to our office, sorting through and prioritizing the mail
to determine, for example, what requires a signature, etc.
Positive things about being an administrative
professional in this industry: I get to work in a very
diverse environment (we have many international students and students with
differing academic abilities as well as physical challenges) that requires
taking on many responsibilities. This position gives me an enormous amount
of personal satisfaction. I really enjoy the interaction with the
students, especially when we are able to help them or see them succeed.
Every day is different in some way which keeps it from getting boring,
however I am always well aware of the importance of my position within
this institution so I relish the opportunity to become more fluent with
the job every day.
Negative things about being an administrative
professional in this industry: The only difficulty I have
encountered is the responsibility of telling people things that they don’t
want to hear. For example, telling a student that their request has been
denied or that their grade dispute was unsuccessful or telling parents
that I cannot tell them the information they are requesting.
Type of workspace/office:
Office. (The dean’s office, the dean’s
assistant’s office and a conference room open off of my office.)
Primary responsibilities as an administrative
professional in this position: Maintaining the dean’s
calendar, answering the phone, processing various reports/requests that
come in from faculty and staff (travel requests, conference reports,
budget transfers, classroom observations, etc.), maintaining the retention
of classroom rosters, grade books, first day handouts, copies of final
exams, etc., keeping the divisions on track with what needs to be turned
in and when, preparing extra service and adjunct contracts for every term.
Top thing(s) incumbent admin would require of job
applicants seeking to be her/his position replacement: Must
be a highly organized, motivated individual who is capable of
communicating with others in a positive, professional manner and is
dedicated to not just the success of the institution but also the success
of the dean you will work for. This is an extremely busy office with a
dean who is in high demand and this position requires a certain amount of
personal dedication in order to ensure that the dean is on top of things
and as prepared as possible for each day.
Office machines or equipment operated regularly:
Computer, telephone and copier.
Technology (hard) skills used regularly:
Developing spreadsheets, accessing student records to verify information
to prepare the dean for meetings with students, generating reports,
filling out purchase requisitions, etc. Mainly computer skills.
Critical soft skills: Having excellent
verbal and written communication skills is important due to the fact that
I am not only a representative of a college but also of an academic
office. Strong interpersonal skills are extremely helpful in dealing with
students, parents and faculty as they all have different needs and
sometimes the information we have to give them is not necessarily what
they want to hear.
Pace of this position: It is very
dependent on the time of year. The beginning and end of each semester has
a tendency to be hectic but the pace slows somewhat during mid-semester.
Geographical region: Northeast
U.S.
