Guidelines of the Duties of the Administrative Assistants in the College of Science and Management

Transcription

1 Guidelines of the Duties of the Administrative Assistants in the College of Science and Management 2006

2 Table of Contents 1. Background 3 2. Supervision 4 3. Support Meeting attendance Meeting Preparation Meeting Minutes Format Circulation of Program 6 Meeting Minutes 3.2 Additional Meetings 6 4. Communication 7 5. Finance Support 8 6. Office Administrative Duties Ordering of Supplies Equipment Tracking Mail 9 7. Support for Faculty Hiring Other Related Duties 10 2

3 1. Background The contents presented in this booklet do not replace Human Resources Job Evaluation and Position Description Questionnaire Process. Currently, there are 6.2 Administrative Assistants in the College of Science and Management supporting the following programs: Geography, Resource Recreation and Tourism (1), Ecosystem Science and Management (1.8), Chemistry, Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering (1), Math, Physics and Computer Science (1), School of Planning (0.4) and the School of Business (1). The personnel and Administrative Assistants positions in the College of Science and Management are an integral part of the programs. The Administrative Assistants are the front-line workers who assist students, faculty, other staff and Program Chairs on a daily basis while working with other departments and programs across the university as well as with external groups. In order to provide a similar and more equitable level of service across all of the programs in CSAM, these guidelines are designed to assist the Administrative Assistants, Chairs, faculty and staff to obtain a better understanding of the service job expectations provided by all. 3

4 Confidentiality is an important aspect of the position. The Administrative Assistants are professionals who fulfill this role. 2. Supervision The Operations Manager in the College of Science and Management is responsible for the direct supervision of the Administrative Assistants. The functional supervision is provided by the respective Program Chair. Direct supervision involves all human resources related functions for CSAM Administrative Assistants. In contrast, functional supervision is the day-to-day delegation of tasks. The Operations Manager is also responsible to intervene and make decisions if there are conflicts or discrepancies in the type and amount of work assigned to the Administrative Assistants. 3. Support Typically, the Administrative Assistants primarily supports the teaching activities in the programs. They also provide direct support to the Chairs and/or Associate Chairs and members of the program which include: all teaching faculty, visiting scholars, adjunct professors and external affiliates (e.g. Canadian Forest Service and Forintek employees). Support is also provided to students. 4

5 The Administrative Assistants assist with compiling information with respect to teaching workload assignments, preparation of course schedule request forms, providing class lists and relevant student information to the Chair. They are also involved in the preparation of course evaluation packages for all courses taught in the program. Copy Services can be used as a resource to make large-copy items such copy exams, midterms and selected materials. The Administrative Assistants are not to support individual research related activities. Should faculty require such support, other resources need to be considered using the funding allocated to the researcher or faculty member s research fund. 3.1 Meeting Attendance The two important meetings that require Administrative Assistants attendance are: (i) program meetings (as per the Faculty Agreement Article (d)) held at least twice in each of the fall and winter semesters, and (ii) the CSAM Administrative Assistants meetings which are held once per month. Tasks usually completed by Administrative Assistants pertaining to meetings are as follows: 5

6 3.1.1 Meeting Preparation. Prior to the Program meeting, a call is sent out for agenda items and the meeting packages forwarded to the appropriate attendees Meeting Minutes Format. The meeting minutes should be brief and to the point, i.e. only recording the topic of discussion and the follow-up action items. The intent of the minutes is not to transcribe verbatim discussions of who said what, but rather to capture the ideas of the action items, major topics of discussion and any follow-ups required Circulation of Program Meeting Minutes. Copies of minutes shall be provided to the attendees with a copy to the Dean of the College of Science in Management either by or hardcopy. 3.2 Additional Meetings Also, the Administrative Assistants for Planning, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering, and Ecosystem Science and Management, also attend Curriculum Committee meetings on a regular basis. Administrative Assistants are required to attend 6

7 other meetings as required by the Chair (e.g. Appointment and Selection Committee (ASC)). 4. Communication The Administrative Assistants are involved in varying degrees in the creation, publication and maintenance of program materials which could include the following: webpage creation and updates, program brochures, newsletters and posters advertising guest lectures. For example, the types of activities that the Administrative Assistants are involved in for the College or their programs include the following: the production of posters for the weekly Natural Resources Colloquium Series; monthly updates of the CSAM e-newsletter for all of the Programs in the College; and the production of a weekly NRES newsletter. For most programs, it is important to also have the Administrative Assistants actively update (or be involved in providing information for) the program webpage (s) to the UNBC Communications Office. If Administrative Assistants wish to be involved in the maintenance of program webpages, this will have to be done by using the UNBC content management system (CMS). For those who have not taken a training workshop on how to use this system, CMS training can be obtained from the Communications Office. 7

8 5. Finance Support The Administrative Assistants are also involved in tracking the program budgets. This includes student assistant and teaching assistant budget allocations. Processing travel claims for current and visiting faculty, accredited members for various programs and claims from interviewed candidates for jobs at UNBC is also part of the Administrative Assistants role. The Administrative Assistants are responsible for making travel arrangements and processing travel claims for the Chair and/or Associate Chair, for other faculty members carrying out business for the Program, and for special visitors engaged in program business. Some of the Administrative Assistants administer petty cash for the program as well as reconcile these funds for the program. 6. Office Administration Duties The Administrative Assistants generate class lists and extract enrolment data using various resources in the university mainframe computer. They process grade status forms to the registrar s office, ensure that all course evaluation forms have been accounted for and delivered to the Dean s office for processing. They also assist in the hiring of Student and Teaching Assistants and provide all follow-up correspondence to the applicants. 8

9 For those programs that plan retreats or professional development days, the Administrative Assistants may be involved in planning and/or attending the event. The Administrative Assistants also assist in planning and organizing the logistics for student field trips and field camps. 6.1 Ordering of Supplies The Administrative Assistants are responsible for ordering the supplies for the photocopier, fax and arranging for the purchase of general office supplies. In instances when there are new faculty or instructors, the Administrative Assistants order the appropriate keys, phones and computers for these individuals. 6.2 Equipment Tracking The Administrative Assistants who have equipment available for use by any member of the program are responsible to keep a logbook to track the program equipment, monitor its usage and distribution. They are also responsible for its maintenance. Typical equipment includes laptop computers, cameras, satellite phones, two-way radios, etc. 6.3 Mail The Administrative Assistants are responsible to receive and distribute mail to the Program Chair and faculty members. They also assist with the 9

10 preparation of outgoing mail and courier packages. 7. Support for Faculty Hiring The Administrative Assistants assist in the hiring and setting up a new faculty member at UNBC by requesting office space and keys, purchasing a computer and telephone, finding office furniture and any other related duties necessary to make the arrival of the incumbent smooth. During the hiring process, the Administrative Assistants prepare the application packages of candidates for Appointment Selection Committees (ASCs). The packages for a job competition are obtained from the Vice-President Academic & Provost s Office for duplication. One complete binder of all the curriculum vitae is made available to the ASC members and kept at the Administrative Assistants desk. 8. Other Related Duties The Administrative Assistants are responsible for providing general reception duties, responding to telephone calls and directing enquiries to the appropriate person/department/program. Annual faculty phone lists are kept current and updated at least before the beginning of every academic year. The Administrative Assistants are responsible to help the Chairs prepare materials for program 10

11 and/or accreditation reviews. The Chairs are responsible to provide direction to the Administrative Assistants regarding the level of assistance to be provided during program reviews. Typically program reviews occur once every 5 years. The Administrative Assistants will also be involved with assisting in arranging meetings between program members and outside organizations for those Programs that have degrees associated with accrediting bodies. The Administrative Assistants may also be required to collect and collate information required for the accreditation review and prepare the necessary paperwork for faculty or instructional recruitment. While these are guidelines prepared for incumbent Chairs, Administration Assistants, Faculty members, and others involved in a program, it should be noted that these guidelines do not capture the entire portfolio of the Administrative Assistants. For example, there are Administrative Assistants who are also very involved in organizing public lectures, colloquiums and other special events which can consume a large portion of their time. The support for these events needs to continue. 11