This position reports to the CSW Enrollment and Program Support Manager. This position is responsible for providing administrative support to the students, faculty, and Program Director of the CSW PhD Program.

Required

• Education: High School Diploma or GED
• Experience: 4-5 years of experience in an office environment
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills
  • Ability to maintain confidential information
  • Professional decision making and problem solving skills
  • Ability to manage multiple projects and work assignments
  • Ability to accomplish projects independently with little or no supervision
  • Ability and willingness to consistently adhere to the College of Social Work mission statement, vision, strategic plan and all University and College policies and procedures.
  • Advanced skill level in Microsoft Word Suite (Word, Excel, etc.)

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred

• Education: Bachelor's Degree
• Experience: 1-2 years in an office environment/academic environment and graduate program.

Dash or IRIS experience

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

  • Knowledge of the University of Tennessee, policies and procedures

  • Skills with Adobe, SAP, Banner, Argos, and Canvas

Work Location

• Knoxville, TN (Hybrid Eligible) w/ occasional weekends and evening work.

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR05
• Hybrid Schedule with occasional evenings
• Salary range: 40-43K (DOE)
• Non-Exempt
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

For best consideration applicants should submit the following materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter expressing interest in the role
• 3 Professional References

About The College/Department/Division

The College of Social Work is committed to advancing the mission of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as the state’s flagship land-grant university: to provide a quality public education for the citizens of Tennessee and beyond through exemplary teaching, research, and service. The college provides a professional social work education program that prepares bachelor’s and master's-level students for social work practice and doctoral-level graduate students for social work research and academia.

PhD Program & Program Director Support

The Administrative Specialist provides comprehensive administrative and operational support to the PhD Program Director and assists in the coordination and daily functioning of the PhD program. This position plays a key role in supporting program administration, student communication, course coordination, and program events. Duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide administrative support to the PhD Program Director in the execution of program responsibilities, including calendar management, correspondence, word processing, and data entry.

• Meet regularly with the Program Director to review priorities, troubleshoot urgent concerns, and support effective program leadership.

• Assist the Program Director in scheduling meetings with faculty, committees, and stakeholders to support the functioning and strategic direction of the PhD program.

• Respond to requests from the Program Director and PhD students in a timely and professional manner, providing support for administrative and technical needs.

• Maintain an accessible in-person and/or online program presence to support student communication and technical needs.

• Develop and distribute weekly announcements through the PhD Canvas course site to provide students with timely updates, important information, and relevant opportunities.

• Gather and highlight student achievements for inclusion in weekly announcements, college-wide communications, faculty meetings, and end-of-year celebrations.

• Maintain and update PhD student profiles and coordinate the development of graduating student biographical profiles (“Biobook”), including collecting photos and biographical information and coordinating with the college communications team.

• Maintain and manage email listservs for PhD students and the PhD Program Committee.

• Respond to inquiries from prospective or admitted students; Coordinate campus visits, including scheduling meetings with faculty, arranging tours, coordinating student lunches.

• Assist with new student onboarding and orientation logistics, including scheduling orientation activities, communicating with incoming students, coordinating campus partners, arranging meals and meeting spaces, and providing onsite support during orientation.

• Maintain and update the PhD orientation Canvas site and enroll confirmed students so they may complete pre-orientation modules.

• Maintain and update the PhD Student Handbook to ensure alignment with Graduate School policies and program requirements.

• Provide program data and information to internal and external constituents as requested.

• Assisting with course requests entries and updates and submitting the course request change form; collaborating with the Program Director to review and edit the course request schedule proof.

• Coordinate logistics related to adjunct instructor hiring and course assignments.

• Collect, upload, and update syllabi for PhD courses.

• Assist the Program Director with monitoring and reconciling program budgets.

• Identify and order program materials and resources needed by PhD students, faculty, and the Program Director.

• Coordinate ordering of program-related materials and instructor desk copies of textbooks to ensure the program has the resources needed each semester.

• Provide assistance with course registration and registration-related questions.

• Assist with coordination of PhD Program Committee meetings, including scheduling meetings, preparing materials, taking meeting minutes, and providing technical support.

• Support the coordination of the PhD Social Work Student Organization.

• Coordinate PhD program events such as faculty spotlights, lunch-and-learn sessions, workshops, and student engagement events.

• Schedule event logistics including room reservations or Zoom meetings, speaker coordination, honoraria processing for external speakers, and registration management.

Processing and coordinating PhD program requirements through the UTK Graduate School. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Communicate regularly with the Program Director, faculty, committee members, and students regarding deadlines and requirements to ensure timely submission of all materials.

• Coordinate logistics for dissertation defenses, including generating Zoom links or reserving meeting rooms as needed.

• Process and track all required graduate forms and program documentation, including GRA agreements; literature review course end-of-semester evaluations (SACS data); doctoral committee formation and admission to candidacy forms; dissertation defense paperwork; pass/fail forms; dissertation approval forms; teaching practicum planning and evaluation forms; semiannual reflection and evaluation forms; and PhD student progress reports.

• Work closely with students to obtain required signatures and route forms to faculty for timely completion and submission.

• Troubleshoot issues or questions that arise with the Graduate School or other university offices and respond to inquiries promptly to ensure smooth progression through program milestones.

• Maintain and organize a centralized database of PhD student forms and documents. Ensure required forms are stored in the PhD Student Canvas course and remain accessible and editable as needed, and maintain individual student folders containing relevant documentation to support accurate recordkeeping and program administration.

DASH Financial and HR System

• Provide travel support and reimbursement requests for PhD Program Director and students such as providing information on travel policies and deadlines and answering any questions or directing faculty to the point of contact or department.

• Submitting ORFs (Order Request Forms) for purchase items such as office supplies and memberships, event food, and all travel; assisting with international travel requirements and travel card requests; and creating and submitting expense reports for faculty review/resubmission if/when needed, including gathering agendas, receipts, and conference details.

• Process petty cash requests for PhD Program Director, and online PhD students.

• Other duties as assigned