Program Assistant, Humanities Departments - Erie PA

Gannon University•Erie, PA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

This position provides administrative support to all academic departments within the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences that are housed on the 3rd floor of the Palumbo Academic Center. In addition, this individual provides support to the Associate Executive Director of the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA), for which Gannon University is the administrative home. Finally, this individual provides administrative support for the Graduate Council. This position will work collaboratively with colleagues, assist students, and engage in University, professional, and community service activities. The successful candidate must be able to support and promote the University’s inclusive Mission, its Catholic identity, and its liberal arts and professional education traditions.

Requirements

Educational background equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.
Three years of general secretarial experience with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office products and/or experience with event planning, customer support, or student support.
Must possess excellent verbal, written, proofreading and organizational skills; the ability to multitask and prioritize responsibilities, the ability to research and compile data, the ability to learn and implement new software and other technology; with a willingness to seek direction regarding courses of action.
Must be able to support and promote the University’s Mission.

Responsibilities

Schedule and attend departmental meetings, Laudato Si’ Committee meetings, Graduate Council meetings, Global Summit Planning meetings, and other meetings as required; take and distribute meeting minutes when appropriate.
Process faculty expense statements, including reviewing for accuracy, tracking receipts, and coordinating with the Dean’s Office and Finance Office. This includes faculty development grants, minigrants, and courses with associated fees.
Manage the departmental purchasing card, track receipts, and complete monthly reconciliation.
Plan and support events by making space reservations in Coursedog, coordinating catering orders, arranging hotel accommodations and flights for guests, and assisting with event promotion for events such as the Gannon Writing Awards, Honors Banquet, Illig Lecture, and Collins Lecture.
Coordinate the Writing Awards process, including preparing certificates and award payments for 50+ students; assisting with awards ceremony logistics; working with a student worker to display posters; transporting materials, programs, books, etc. to event venue; and retrieving materials following the event.
Reserve event spaces and arrange catering for additional events such as the Totem Launch, class-related events, and departmental gatherings.
Manage 16 budgets, including departmental budgets, three endowments, rollover accounts, and special funds. Ensure budgets remain within limits and process payment requests, check requisitions, purchase orders, and international wire transfers.
Track inventory and order office supplies for departments and faculty as needed.
Respond to requests from 40+ full-time and adjunct faculty members, including submitting work orders for repairs, completing SUAC forms for alterations or construction, submitting ITS tickets for classroom technology and software needs, posting class cancellation notices, making copies as needed, proctoring exams, and entering classroom change requests in Coursedog.
Collect, review, and electronically file approximately 150 course syllabi each semester.
Maintain and service three printers on the 3rd floor, including monitoring and replacing toner, ordering and loading paper, clearing paper jams, and placing service calls when necessary.
Maintain and update digital signage on the 3rd floor north-side display using BrightSign software and share signage with other BrightSign operators across campus.
Assist with the Summer Writing Camp by ordering supplies, reserving rooms, sending communications, processing expenses, organizing catering, and coordinating printing.
Support faculty searches by scheduling initial interviews, communicating with candidates and search committees, organizing campus visits, and coordinating with Human Resources regarding accommodations and expenses.
Coordinate office moves and onboarding for new faculty, including office preparation, updating security codes, managing mailboxes, and ordering office keys.
Oversee and assign tasks to student workers, as applicable.
Serve as the 3rd floor fire drill marshal twice per year.
Collaborate daily with faculty, the Dean’s Office, other administrative support staff, and campus offices.
Remain available and responsive in a high-volume office environment with walk-ins, phone calls, and email inquiries.
Provide comprehensive administrative support for the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) that hosts an annual convention serving up to 2,000 participants from 800 institutions across 50 countries, with up to 500 sessions.
Serve as liaison with the Executive Board, Executive Directors, Board of Directors, and Caucus Representatives.
Manage the NeMLA support inbox, responding to up to 30+ inquiries daily, including research-based responses, issuance of receipts, invitation letters, certificates of attendance, and other official documentation.
Maintain and update records using the online membership and conference database.
Recruit, schedule, and coordinate 60+ conference volunteers, developing a detailed multi-day schedule (six hours per volunteer over four days).
Facilitate volunteer training via Microsoft Teams.
Distribute schedules, handle rescheduling requests, track attendance on site, and process volunteer reimbursements.
Maintain records for conference speakers, including contracts, W-9 forms, and required documentation.
Process 85+ payments for Graduate Student Caucus ( GSC ) and CAITY travel awards, essay awards, and speaker honoraria.
Create and distribute award and participation certificates for speakers and essay awardees.
Coordinate summer fellowship administration, tracking recipient submissions, processing reimbursements (including international wire transfers), and managing correspondence with recipients and committee members.
Attend Executive Committee and Board meetings, take detailed notes and produce formal meeting minutes.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive digital filing system for each annual conference.
Support on-site convention logistics, including travel coordination, registration desk setup and breakdown, staffing the registration hub, training volunteers on attendee check-in systems and materials distribution, providing light technical support, troubleshooting, and customer service.
Utilize QuickBooks to: Process payments and reimbursements. Set up and maintain contractor records, including vendor profiles, documentation status, and payment information. Reconcile travel expenses for Executive Board members. Track receipts and categorize expenses accurately. Initiate checks and coordinate closely with the bookkeeper to maintain financial accuracy and compliance.
Maintain the Graduate Council Microsoft Teams channel, including shared files, membership access, and sub-channels; upload agendas, meeting minutes, and presenter PowerPoints.
Maintain and organize the Graduate Council filing system.
Update and manage the Graduate Council SharePoint site.
Schedule monthly Microsoft Teams meetings for the full Graduate Council (50+members) at the start of each semester and coordinate scheduling updates with the Provost’s Office.
Maintain accurate Graduate Council attendance and membership lists by coordinating with Administrative Assistants across all three colleges.
Schedule and attend monthly Executive Council meetings (Graduate Council Chair, four subcommittee chairs, and Registrar) to review proposals; take detailed notes and provide summaries to the Chair for proposal feedback and revisions in Coursedog.
Track curricular proposals through Coursedog.
Communicate regularly with Graduate Council members regarding proposal submission deadlines and meeting dates.
Prepare, record, and distribute accurate meeting minutes.
Create Microsoft Teams polls in advance for approval of minutes and proposals and launch polls during meetings as needed.
Set up and manage breakout rooms for the four Graduate Council subcommittees during meetings.
Provide technical support to presenters, including assistance with PowerPoint presentations.
Distribute the annual call for Graduate Research Assistantships (written by the Graduate Council Chair) in early to mid-February to Administrative Assistants in each of the three colleges.
Schedule selection meetings with the Graduate Council Chair and the three college Deans.
Send award and non-award notification emails to faculty applicants.
Distribute Police & Safety parking communications to commuter graduate students twice per year.
Respond to student inquiries regarding parking or refer them to Police & Safety as appropriate.
Coordinate Graduate Student Professional Development funding across three award cycles each academic year in collaboration with the Graduate Council Chair and the Student Scholarship Committee Chair.
Ensure the SharePoint site is open and accessible during each application period.
Update award notification letters and send decision emails to all student applicants once recipients are selected.
Respond to student inquiries regarding Professional Development funding.
Process submitted expenses and submit payment requests.
Track submissions, expenditures, and budgets, and send reminder emails to students with outstanding expense documentation.
Screens and distributes incoming correspondence; fill requests for materials; and prepares materials for mailing.