Staff Assistant

Stony Brook University - Stony Brook, NY

Full-time

Stony Brook, NY

Educational Services

About the position

The Academic Program Coordinator position is full-time; the incumbent will support both the Departments of English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, splitting their time equally in each department. Both departments are located on the 2nd floor of the Humanities Building. The incumbent will work closely with both the Undergraduate and Graduate Program Directors in each department, managing the overall academic integrity, quality, and viability of the degree programs. The incumbent will assist with general academic program administration, graduate admissions, joint departmental graduate admit day and orientation planning and implementation, registration processes, maintain accurate student records, and process degree clearances. This position is responsible for building connections with students, faculty, and staff, and will serve as the primary liaison to the Graduate School and various student support service offices. The incumbent must be flexible and have outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. The incumbent should also have experience working independently and as part of a team. Someone with strong organizational and time management skills with attention to detail is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to the Undergraduate and Graduate Program Directors; work collaboratively with the Department Chairs, Department Administrators, and Faculty.
• Academically support students, including regular communication about course offerings, degree requirements, and departmental policies and procedures.
• Work with program directors to address any student-related concerns in a timely manner.
• Communicate with prospective graduate students interested in the MA, MAT, PhD, and combined degree programs, and coordinate meetings with the graduate directors when appropriate.
• Manage the graduate admissions process in SLATE, including regular communication with current applicants, clarifying admissions requirements, facilitating the department review of applications, and informing students of admission decisions.
• Work closely with the CAS Dean's office, HR, and Visa and Immigration Services on hiring Teaching Assistants through DocuSign using the correct funding sources.
• Serve as the primary liaison with the Graduate School to confirm Graduate Tuition Scholarship (GTS) rosters, manage allocated TA lines, and ensure students are adhering to strictly enforced deadlines, policies, and procedures.
• Guide students through the thesis and dissertation/defense processes.
• Maintain internal files for tracking student academic progress.
• Regularly update graduate student handbooks and printed departmental materials.
• Manage edits to the Graduate Bulletin, and work closely with the Graduate School on communicating programmatic updates.
• Ensure accurate and complete program and student records with adherence to FERPA regulations, from admissions through graduation clearance.
• Plan and implement joint EGL/WGSS Graduate Admit Day, New Graduate Student Orientation, Graduation, and other related events.
• Represent the departments at university-wide programs and events.
• Interact with other university offices (i.e. the Graduate School, Dean's Office, International Academic Programs, Registrar's Office, Student Accounts, and the Center for Inclusive Education).
• Other duties or projects as assigned as appropriate to rank and departmental mission.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree (foreign equivalent or higher).
• Two (2) years of full-time experience in a college or university setting in one or more of the following areas: student services, including academic programs, student programming/activities, admissions, or enrollment/retention areas.

Nice-to-haves

• Master's Degree (foreign equivalent or higher) in higher education, student affairs, or a related discipline.
• Experience with one or more of the following systems: SLATE, SBU Reporting, DocuSign, AccessVIS, Google Apps, PeopleSoft, Degree Works, and Brightspace.
• Experience coordinating academic programs and providing support at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in a college or university setting.
• Experience interacting with a diverse student population.

Benefits

• $3,400 UUP annual location pay, paid biweekly.