Undergraduate Program Admin

Overview

The Undergraduate Program Administrator (UPA) manages all aspects of the Department of East Asian Studies (EAS) undergraduate program, an international department where diversity is valued.

 

As the main point of contact for concentrators and students considering the major, minor, or language study in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, the duties include working in tandem with academic advisors to assist students (majors, minors, and prospective) with course tracking and progress.

 

This administrator collaborates with the EAS Director of Undergraduate Studies and serves as a liaison between department faculty, students, affiliated departments and programs, and interacts directly with central offices (Registrar’s Office and the Dean of the College). Acting independently, the UPA will manage daily communication with students, faculty and central administrative offices, interpreting and applying complex information quickly while prioritizing workflow to meet tight deadlines. Key responsibilities include assisting students (majors, minors, and prospective) with course tracking and progress, maintaining course data (including offerings, grades, cross-listings, and classroom assignments), planning and managing select events and their budgets, and preparing statistical reports for meetings, including those for the EAS Curriculum Committee.

 

As an integral member of the East Asian Studies Department, reporting to the Manager of Finance and Administration and Graduate Program Manager, this administrator will be situated in our main office and will share general office responsibilities (10% time) with two other administrators.

 

Note: This position requires in-person attendance at our annual Class Day Ceremony, often on Memorial Day, to manage event logistics for graduating students and their families.

Responsibilities

UNDERGRADUATE ADMINISTRATION:

This position serves as liaison between the Registrar's Office, the Dean of the College, and the EAS Department. On his/her own initiative, the UPA will be in daily communication with students and faculty. S/he must assess needs, trouble shoot, and communicate complex information quickly, while also prioritize workflow. S/he will manage course scheduling for approximately 140 course sections across 4 tracks (EAS, JPN, CHI, KOR), keeping faculty on target to meet Registrar's deadlines. Many of these duties are complex and unique to the specific needs of EAS. As an example, Chinese (CHI) language courses follow a 5-day meeting pattern. In CHI alone, we have approximately 35 class sections per term with 11 CHI language teachers offering classes and drills, which adds complexity to room and lecturer assignments, CAFSIS report, and evaluations.

 

S/he will proactively participate in EAS Curriculum Committee meetings alongside the Department Chair, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Graduate Program Manager, and appointed faculty to address all aspects of course planning. S/he will collaborate with key department members to strategize and implement central policy changes. The Director of Undergraduate Studies and the UPA will work together to develop and execute new initiatives to promote the EAS major and minor across campus.

 

EVENTS MANAGEMENT:

Organize and support all undergraduate events and activities: Junior and Senior Independent Work Programs, Academic Expo, Spring Open House, Thesis Writing Sections, Major's Fair, Senior Dinner, and Class Day, to promote student engagement with the Department.

 

Plan and setup for our weekly departmental lunch colloquium event including catering plan, invitations, RSVP, and managing setup with our work-study student.

 

OFFICE, WEB, EVENTS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA SUPPORT:

• Daily - this administrator will be the first point of contact for those visiting the main office: faculty, students, guests. S/ he will respond to faculty needs on short notice; order, receive and distribute office supplies; ship bulk mailings, and trouble shoot equipment: printers, scanners, photocopy machines.
• Weekly - manage logistics for colloquium lunches (ordering, setup, clean up).
• Monthly – s/he will reconcile undergraduate expenses on the credit card.
• Each Semester - the website and social media will be updated for curriculum changes and to announce events.

• Summer – S/he will work with the front office administrators to prepare offices for the coming fall (signage, mailboxes, maintenance requests, etc.)

Qualifications

Essential

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent
• 5+ years work experience
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills; attention to detail and the ability to think and execute strategically
• Effective orga