What are the responsibilities and job description for the Administrative Associate position at The University of Kansas?

Position Overview

The University of Kansas is a national leader in language education, offering instruction in over 30 languages through several academic departments and international area studies centers. This position serves as administrative support for the department of Slavic, German, and Eurasian Studies (SGES). It is a vibrant and friendly community of scholars whose work includes language instruction, literature, and culture. SGES has a total of 17 faculty members, 15 graduate students, and 75 undergraduate majors and minors spread across one BA degree and 4 minors. It teaches 10 languages as well as a number of courses in English about the cultures and peoples who speak those languages. The Max Kade Center for German-American Studies (MKC) is a sub-unit operating under the department which provides academic programing and houses archival and library collections in a set of historic buildings.

This position involves specialized and diverse administrative support work and is a critical part of a team that works to further the mission of all language programs in the College. The Administrative Associate must have strong communication, organization, and web design and social media skills.

Job Description

50% - Chair, Faculty, and Program Support for SGES/MKC:

Serves as a liaison to faculty for information about deadlines and policies.
Schedules departmental meetings and takes minutes.
Works with chair and faculty to submit paperwork for annual faculty evaluations, preparing promotion and tenure review, and financial reimbursements.
Acts as scheduling officer, creating, maintaining, and updating course scheduling and acting as liaison with the registrar’s office as needed.
Coordinates correspondence, calendar scheduling, and faculty interviews and hires on behalf of the chairs.
Updates the Catalog for both course and program changes.
Meets with SSC staff and department chairs to review/reconcile any budget discrepancies.
Works with Dean's Office and SSC HR contacts to advertise for and hire lecturers.
Assists with KUEA student awards and thank you letters to donors.
Develops and supervises the maintenance of alumni and outreach databases.
Hires, trains, and supervises student workers.

25% - Event Coordination:

Coordinates and manages departmental event details such as catering, location/room scheduling, venue set up, guest accommodations, photography, materials and handouts, presenter needs, technology resources, and other related tasks. Departmental events include ceremonies, recruitment and outreach events, open houses, language clubs, student organizations, and guest speakers.
Facilitates event-related financial transactions in collaboration with the department's Shared Service Center.
Assists with commencement events in LA&S.

15% - Office Support for the shared language office (shared by SGES, East Asian Languages and Cultures [EALC], and French, Francophone, and Italian Studies [FFIT]):

Assists in the daily operations of the front office.
Collaborates in inventory and orders of supplies for the departments.
Collaborates in the hiring, training, and supervision of student assistants.
Works with Facilities Services to meet office and classroom needs of departments.
Hires, trains, and supervises student workers for the shared language office.

10% - Communication and outreach for SGES:

Manages departmental email accounts and calendars.
Assists with outreach efforts targeting constituents, including donors, alumni, University units, colleagues, and current students.
Advertises events using flyers, brochures, email, social media, websites, and University calendar posts.
Creates course flyers and helps promote courses for departments.
Assists with content creation and maintenance for departmental websites and social media accounts.
Assists with departmental newsletters on recurring basis in coordination with chairs.
Coordinates with the Open Language Resource Center (OLRC) and other units for any language requirement updates.

Required Qualifications

High School diploma or GED equivalency plus a minimum of two years related administrative support work experience or two years of post-secondary education.
Basic proficiency with MS Office Suite as demonstrated by application materials and previous experience.
Strong written communication and organizational skills as evidenced by application materials.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree.
A minimum of two years administrative support work experience in higher education or a similarly complex organization.
Experience with communications and/or public relations work, including event planning.
Experience working with University policies and procedures as evidenced by application materials.
Experience with managing outreach content (e.g., social media channels, websites).
Record of supervisory responsibilities.

Additional Candidate Instructions

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

A cover letter addressing how required and preferred qualifications are met.
Resume or curriculum vitae.
Contact information for three (3) professional references.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Application review begins Saturday, September 19 2026, and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants is identified.

Contact Information to Applicants

Nina Vyatkina, vyatkina@ku.edu, 1 785 864 9178

Advertised Salary Range

Starting at $46,000

Application Review Begins

Saturday September 19, 2026

Anticipated Start Date

Wednesday September 30, 2026

Salary : $46,000

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