Administrative Assistant, EdD

Position Description

The College of Education & Behavioral Sciences seeks an energetic, organized Administrative Assistant to provide essential operational, administrative, and logistical support to faculty in the online Doctor of Education (EdD) program. Working approximately 19 hours per week, this individual serves as a primary support and point of contact for prospective and enrolled doctoral students, dissertation chairs and committee members, and program faculty. Key responsibilities include supporting doctoral admissions and onboarding workflows, facilitating day-to-day program communications, budget processing, tracking dissertation milestones, and coordinating major departmental events such as the doctoral hooding ceremony. The successful candidate will embody Eastern University’s mission of faith, reason, and justice, treating each member of the campus community with fairness, dignity, and respect to foster a spirit of unity, harmony, and excellence.

Position Responsibilities

Admissions & Recruitment Support

• Coordinate with university enrollment staff to build, update, and maintain detailed admissions tracking charts and applicant files for the EdD program.
• Design, schedule, and manage virtual admissions interviews, issuing and tracking formal interview invitations to selected candidates.
• Administer writing sample assessments, track evaluations, and manage all submission logistics.
• Serve as an informative, welcoming point of contact for admitted applicants, coordinating new student orientation details, welcome packets, and initial onboarding information.

Program Operations

• Serve as the frontline communicator for the EdD program by responding promptly and professionally to telephone, email, and virtual inquiries from prospective and current students as requested by admissions/enrollment.
• Resolve routine inquiries from current students and/or forward to appropriate faculty and advisors.
• Disseminate key academic and departmental announcements to current students, including registration reminders, program policies, academic calendars, and degree completion deadlines.
• Partner with the Program Director and Department Chair to coordinate cohort community-building activities and professional development workshops (virtual and hybrid).
• Distribute, track, and collect course and program evaluations for faculty, students, and graduating cohorts.
• Support the Program Director and Department Chair with day-to-day budget tracking and cost center administration, including processing purchase orders, invoices, expense reimbursements, and faculty stipends/check requests (specifically for Dissertation Chairs and committee members).
• Assist in updating, proofreading, and formatting digital program manuals, EdD student handbooks, catalog entries, and departmental website content.
• Organize, track, and archive secure student academic and program records within departmental cloud drives in compliance with FERPA guidelines.
• Provide administrative and clerical assistance to program leadership in compiling data for accreditation self-studies, Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) reviews, and institutional compliance reporting.

Dissertation & Graduation Support

• Maintain and monitor operational milestone schedules for doctoral candidates and dissertation committee chairs, regularly communicating deadlines and procedural expectations.
• Track candidate progression through key dissertation benchmarks (topic approval, proposal defense, IRB review, final defense, and repository publication) alongside active committee assignments.
• Collaborate closely with program leadership to plan, coordinate, and execute the annual doctoral Hooding Ceremony and graduation reception, including ordering regalia/hoods, formatting and printing event programs, and managing event logistics.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or higher degree preferred.
• 2+ years of administrative support or office management experience, preferably within higher education (e.g., admissions) or a PK–12 school environment.
• Proficiency in office productivity and collaboration tools, including Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Teams, OneDrive/SharePoint), Google Workspace (including Shared Drive management), and Zoom. Experience with student information systems (SIS) or CRM platforms (e.g., Ellucian, Salesforce) is an asset.
• Strong organizational and workflow management skills, with acute attention to detail and accuracy in data entry and tracking.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to interact effectively with adult learners, faculty, and administrators.
• Discretion and integrity in handling sensitive student records, institutional budgets, and confidential information in alignment with FERPA regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities independently and collaboratively in a deadline- oriented environment.

We offer a complete benefits package to full-time faculty and staff including healthcare coverage, retirement plan contributions, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, long-term and short-term disability, tuition remission and tuition exchange participation as well as an extensive holiday, summer hours and paid time off leave schedule.

Part-time Regular staff who are scheduled 30-36 hours per week over the course of a year, receive a full benefit package based on their part-time scheduled hours. Healthcare coverage is based on the ACA medical coverage guidelines. Affiliate faculty receive a benefit package as outlined with their covenant. Adjunct faculty may be eligible for medical coverage under the ACA after an annual one year lookback review.

Part-time staff who are scheduled to work less than 30 hours per week schedule are eligible for employer contribution towards the retirement plan after one year of employment. Eligibility rules apply. Adjunct faculty may make employee deferral contributions towards the retirement plan.

Part-Time Graduate Assistant Coaches are eligible for participation in the Tuition Remission Coaches Program.

Temporary, Contractors and Seasonal Employees: Individuals in this status are scheduled on an as-needed-basis and are not eligible for participation in the University’s benefits programs.

Detailed information regarding our benefits program and eligibility is provided once hired or you can contact Human Resources with any questions.