Department Administrator, East Asian Languages and Civilizations and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures

University of Pennsylvania

6d•$24 - $31•Onsite

About The Position

The Department Administrator of East Asian Languages (EALC) and Civilizations and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (MELC) oversees every aspect of leading two departments including managing finances, hiring, letter writing, appointing/reappointing lectures, overseeing academic and facilities. Independently serves as the primary contact for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as providing leadership support to the two department chairs, 24 standing faculty and 26 LFL (Lecturers in Foreign Languages) and eight language programs. The position is responsible for advising, leading, directing, and managing the academic, administrative, and financial sectors of the departments of MELC and EALC. The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations (EALC) is a relatively new department with a long history. Formally established in 2005 when the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies divided along geographic lines, the Department dates back to the 19th century when PENN was one of the first universities to offer courses in the languages and civilizations of what was then referred to as “the Orient.” EALC is a department of interdisciplinary scholars who focus on the humanistic tradition of East Asia, covering both the classical and modern civilizations of China, Japan and Korea. We teach and research the disciplines of history, literary history, linguistics, art history, performance and gender studies, philosophy, religion and ethics. The Department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in both Chinese and Japanese Studies and is building a parallel program for Korean Studies. Language is an important part of our program. In addition to Chinese, Japanese and Korean, offered from introductory through advanced levels, we also offer Cantonese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Thai on a regular basis. The Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Civilizations (MELC) engages in the interdisciplinary humanistic study and teaching of the cultures of the Near East (often called the Middle East) as they express themselves in languages and texts, including both written and oral sources, as well as art, architecture, archaeology and material culture. These cultures encompass the geographic region that stretches from North Africa through the eastern Mediterranean, Arabia and Iran. NELC's programs focus on the civilizations of Mesopotamia/Iraq, Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Syria, Arabia, Anatolia/Turkey and Persia/Iran. We teach Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Egyptian, Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Persian and Turkish, and other languages of the region, from ancient through modern.

Requirements

Bachelor of Arts and 2 to 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
Strong organizational skills.
Strong written and oral communications skills.
Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
Must exercise professional judgement with the ability to provide excellent customer service to a diverse audience.
Solid understanding of scholarly resources across the University that are available for both students and department faculty.

Nice To Haves

Experience providing administrative support in an academic environment strongly preferred.
Financial experience.
Event-planning experience.
An understanding of academic and curriculum planning are preferred.
Familiarity with Penn’s financial application strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Handles the general office administration for the Departments of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and East Asian Languages and Civilizations and serves as the primary contact for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as providing administrative support to the two Department Chairs, 24 standing faculty and 33 LFL (Lecturers in Foreign Languages).
Responsible for developing and maintaining communications, fielding inquiries, and guiding both students and faculty through a variety of University policies, resources, and procedures.
Handles student activity coordination and provides guidance to students and support to faculty as related to academic and curriculum planning.
Responsible for coordinating human resource needs of department, including assisting with faculty and staff searches, appointments, and maintains and organizes all records with strict confidentiality acting as a liaison with the SAS Dean’s office on personnel matters.
Maintains a track of emerging needs, changing priorities, required resources for departmental mission.
Responsible for department event planning and workshop coordination, as well as maintaining, updating, and developing the department website.
Must understand and effectively communicate the scholarly and teaching missions of the department.
Serves as a liaison with the International Student and Scholar Services and processes all international visas for the departments.

Benefits

Excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families.
Generous retirement benefits.
A wide variety of professional development opportunities.
Supportive work and family benefits.
A wealth of health and wellness programs and resources.
Comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits.
Flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition assistance for employees, spouses, and dependent children.
Tuition assistance for dependent children at other institutions.
Generous retirement plans (Basic, Matching, and Supplemental) with pre-tax or Roth basis options.
Wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Substantial amount of time away from work.
Long-Term Care Insurance.
Wellness and Work-life Resources.
Professional and Personal Development resources.
Access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities.
Discounts and Special Services (arts and entertainment, transportation, mortgages, new cars, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, theme parks).
Flexible Work Hours.
Penn Home Ownership Services (forgivable loan for eligible employees).
Adoption Assistance.