Program Assistant

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How to Apply

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Job Summary

The LSA Honors Program is seeking a Program Assistant to join a team of faculty, staff, and students in nurturing a culture of intellectual curiosity, integrity, and academic innovation and excellence for all of its members. The Program Assistant will provide complex administrative support for Program operations, excellent student and customer service in a front-desk capacity, and key support for student recruitment, admissions, and orientation processes.

The LSA Honors Program’s mission is to foster the intellectual, personal, and professional growth of students who demonstrate curiosity, integrity, and excellence, and who seek a rigorous and well-rounded undergraduate experience. The Honors experience provides stimulating coursework that represents the entire breadth of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. We strive to inspire students through personal advising relationships, and promote the individual development of our students by supporting research, travel, and civic endeavors. We value diversity and endeavor to cultivate an inclusive and respectful community of Honors students, staff and faculty united in the pursuit of excellence.

Mission Statement

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

Responsibilities*

Provide complex administrative support to the LSA Honors Program in the following areas: reception, admissions and orientation, events, student activities, and student services.

Reception:  Greet all visitors and direct traffic flow within office suite; route calls, provide triage services at busy times; maintain advising and Honors’ facilities calendars. Maintain attendance roster for events.

Admissions & Orientation:  Generate and maintain multiple databases of prospective incoming and active students. Manage workflow through the admissions and orientation processes, working closely with the Assistant Director of Honors and occasionally supervising student temporary employees. Troubleshoot and resolve system issues. Maintain files of student applications and reviews. Communicate with other university offices about the status of individual incoming students. Generate statistical reports and analyses of recruiting, admissions, and orientation efforts. Represent the LSA Honors Program to prospective students and their families in person and through telephone, email, and online (e.g., Zoom) contact and at recruiting events, including some evenings and weekends. Represent Honors at recruiting and yield events such as Campus Days, giving presentations, and conducting Q&A sessions. Develop and manage the Honors Student Ambassadors program, recruiting and training students to represent Honors with prospective students and families. Provide logistical support for visiting students.

Student Services:   Provide direct student services and back-up support for other student services personnel, including but not limited to class permissions, independent study permissions, conversions, overload permissions. Communicate and collaborate with faculty and staff in other units in aid of student services. Work with Academic Auditor to manage workflow and guarantee timely processing of all student services. Provide back-up administrative support to Honors Academic Board. Develop and maintain records-keeping practices in accordance with university policies. File, scan, and track documents relative to routine student interactions, especially during times of peak activity (e.g., admissions, orientation). Maintain and analyze records related to the Sophomore Honors Award.

Events:  Make and execute logistical plans for Honors Program events for students, parents, and alumni as scheduled during the academic year and summer orientation. Provide logistical support for a range of meetings and events. Review and choose vendors under supervision, establish contact, make arrangements for all logistics for the events, oversee set up and clean up, maintain event records and report trends.

Ordering Supplies/Financial processing & maintenance:  Order and maintain supplies needed to support meetings, events, and routine office operations. Work with relevant staff team members to identify and anticipate needs and to coordinate purchases. Maintain and reconcile P-Card and prepare expense reports using the Concur expense management system with responsibility for ensuring compliance with University guidelines.

Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Excellent writing, verbal, and interpersonal/customer service/student service skills
• Demonstrated ability to exercise initiative, independent judgment, discretion, and diplomacy
• Good problem-solving skills and commitment to life-long learning
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritizing and handling various tasks and deadlines simultaneously
• Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel, Google collaborative software, Canvas, Qualtrics, U-M-supported online platforms for webinars and meetings (e.g., Zoom), and multi-line phone systems
• Enthusiasm for working as part of a whole-office team

Desired Qualifications*

• Student administrative support experience in a University of Michigan department or program
• Experience supporting programs specific to undergraduate academic and co-curricular education
• Knowledge of and demonstrated proficiency in Google Drive (documents, spreadsheets, forms) and other collaborative and/or project management tools
• Knowledge of and demonstrated proficiency with university systems related to admissions processes, student services, and financial management such as MPathways and the Concur Travel and Expense systems

Additional Information

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitments to serve the diverse people of Michigan, fulfill the College’s Guiding Principles, and sustain the excellence of LSA. 

To learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion visit https://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/dei.html

To learn more about LSA’s Guiding Principles visit http://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/faculty-staff/human-resources/lsa-staff-guiding-principles.html

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

Decision Making Process

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.