Academic Assistant to Chair - Earth and Environmental Sciences

at  Austin Peay State University

This non-exempt staff position reports to and assists the Chair by ensuring all aspects of the department run smoothly by providing general organizational skills for the department. This position is often the first point of contact for students and recruits. Under the Chair’s discretion, this position may assist faculty who are assigned specific tasks.
Austin Peay State University is a four-year public, doctoral-level university, with six colleges and four Chairs of Excellence. The University has an enrollment of over 9,000 students and is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, a community of an estimated 166,000 people located approximately 40 miles northwest of Nashville, TN

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Greet visitors and assist as necessary, answer incoming calls and emails, respond to inquiries or transfer calls to the appropriate person. Pick up and distribution of mail and packages.
• Process requisitions, payment authorizations, purchase supplies for the office, classrooms, labs/studio/building or other needs as arise in the department. Complete textbook requisitions for the bookstore each semester.
• Complete temporary hiring documents, faculty hiring documents, and interview arrangements.
• Process travel authorizations, travel claims, study abroad documents, purchase airline tickets, make hotel reservations, reserve cars, process conference registrations, request and distribute funds in advance for faculty, students, and Chair.
• Assist Chair with scholarship awards, department awards, college awards, scheduling student seminars, arranging for speakers, recruitment events and letters, alumni events and letters. Maintain files for office. Catalog course syllabi, student evaluations, work orders, key requests, and swipe card access. Maintain a department calendar.
• Provide support for office equipment. Maintain departmental web page. May be asked by Chair to assist faculty member assigned to oversee computer labs in the department.
• Utilizing Chair guidelines, enter permits, assign advisors, workload (TLC) changes, class schedule entry, review and correct bulletins. Supervise and assign work to scholarship and work study students. May be asked to proctor a major field test or exam.
• Create class room usage, DFW , enrollment, RTP document signatures, curriculum proposals, TLC , and other department specific reports.
• Assist the Chair in monitoring budgets to include monthly reconciliation with Banner.
• Complete Dual-service contracts, personal service agreements, and other standard contracts for the Chair’s review and signature.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to efficiently operate a personal computer and associated software (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, Zoom, Avaya Cloud, etc.) and Elusion Banner.
• Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of records and information.
• Ability to interact in an effective and appropriate manner with diverse populations, the University community, and the public.
• Ability to detect and correct grammatical and spelling errors in written correspondence.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Basic understanding of URL’s, browsers, and content management systems.

Physical Requirements

• Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Previous office experience.
• A background check will be required of the successful applicant.

Posting Detail Information

• Greet visitors and assist as necessary, answer incoming calls and emails, respond to inquiries or transfer calls to the appropriate person. Pick up and distribution of mail and packages.
• Process requisitions, payment authorizations, purchase supplies for the office, classrooms, labs/studio/building or other needs as arise in the department. Complete textbook requisitions for the bookstore each semester.
• Complete temporary hiring documents, faculty hiring documents, and interview arrangements.
• Process travel authorizations, travel claims, study abroad documents, purchase airline tickets, make hotel reservations, reserve cars, process conference registrations, request and distribute funds in advance for faculty, students, and Chair.
• Assist Chair with scholarship awards, department awards, college awards, scheduling student seminars, arranging for speakers, recruitment events and letters, alumni events and letters. Maintain files for office. Catalog course syllabi, student evaluations, work orders, key requests, and swipe card access. Maintain a department calendar.
• Provide support for office equipment. Maintain departmental web page. May be asked by Chair to assist faculty member assigned to oversee computer labs in the department.
• Utilizing Chair guidelines, enter permits, assign advisors, workload (TLC) changes, class schedule entry, review and correct bulletins. Supervise and assign work to scholarship and work study students. May be asked to proctor a major field test or exam.
• Create class room usage, DFW , enrollment, RTP document signatures, curriculum proposals, TLC , and other department specific reports.
• Assist the Chair in monitoring budgets to include monthly reconciliation with Banner.
• Complete Dual-service contracts, personal service agreements, and other standard contracts for the Chair’s review and signature.
• Perform other related duties as assigned