Assistant to the Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Academics, Cornell Graduate School

About the Cornell University Graduate School

Cornell University’s Graduate School enables graduate and professional students and graduate faculty to thrive intellectually and achieve academic success. The Graduate School serves 4,800 students across nearly 100 fields of study. Through the graduate field system, the Graduate School provides the administrative structure to allow fields to devote their efforts and resources to research, scholarship, instruction, and professional development for their students.

The Opportunity

About Cornell University: Cornell University is a community of scholars dedicated to academic excellence and inclusivity. The Graduate School, a cornerstone of this mission, fosters collaboration across multiple disciplines and units. Our administrative team is central to supporting the diverse academic and professional success of our students, faculty, and staff. We are seeking a highly organized, collaborative, and proactive Administrative Assistant to join our dynamic team and contribute to the success of our graduate programs.

We are looking for a dedicated and detail-oriented Administrative Assistant to support the Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Academics. This newly created, full-time position is vital in ensuring the smooth operation of our life sciences graduate fields, academic policies, and student support programs. As an Administrative Assistant, you will be a key liaison, interacting frequently with students, faculty, and staff from various academic units across the university, fostering productive collaborative relationships.

Key Responsibilities

General Administrative Support:

• Manage dynamic and complex calendars for the Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Academics, anticipating needs, resolving scheduling conflicts, and setting them up for success through strong organization and with an attention to detail.
• Work both independently and in coordination with the graduate school administrative team, to coordinate logistics for meetings, events, and workshops, including scheduling, room reservations, guest arrangements, vendors, food and logistics, setting agendas, taking minutes, and disseminating information.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for faculty, students, and staff, providing accurate information on academic policies and issues.
• Prepare domestic and international travel arrangements and process reimbursements, along with other routine financial transactions.
• Develop and maintain confidential administrative and academic records, draft sensitive correspondence, and design reports and tables that are time sensitive.

Academic Support:

• Organize and support meetings related to academic integrity, grievance issues, and critical functions, ensuring confidentiality and efficient coordination.
• Assist with grant proposal development, including familiarizing yourself with sponsor guidelines, formatting proposals, and supporting fellowship and award applications.
• Schedule semester meetings of the Directors of Graduate Studies, compile agenda and share with participants, invite guest speakers, record meeting notes.
• Manage scheduling and coordination of complex regularly occurring meetings, and provide back-up support for Graduate School committee meetings on occasion.
• Support the assembly of graduate student fellowship, training grant, and award applications.

Project Management:

• Independently manage assigned projects, determining timelines, deliverables, and collaborations needed for successful completion.
• Occasional evening and weekend availability may be required to support Graduate School programs, events, and initiatives.

Support Team Dynamics and Professional Growth:

• Provide back-up reception coverage and support other administrative functions within the Graduate School.
• Participate in university-wide events, such as orientation and commencement.
• Prioritize professional development opportunities with input from your supervisor.

Success Factors

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and busy environment.
• Outstanding organizational, problem-solving, and customer service skills.
• Ability to handle highly sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality.
• Effective communication skills, with the ability to navigate formal and informal decision-making networks.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently, contributing to team goals and supporting the Graduate School’s mission.

At Cornell University, we value diversity and inclusion, and we are committed to fostering a culture where every member of our community feels respected and valued. This role offers the opportunity to engage wi