Academic Program Coordinator, Sociology and Criminal Justice

Salary Grade:29E

Context of the Job:

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) is the largest college at the University of Delaware, comprising 22 academic departments, 2 academic centers, and 37 interdisciplinary centers, programs, and institutes across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences., CAS plays a central role in the University’s academic mission, providing foundational coursework for all UD students and serving more than 8,400 undergraduate and graduate majors. CAS is home to over 520 full-time faculty who are nationally and internationally recognized scholars and innovative teachers. With annual sponsored research expenditures exceeding $40 million, the College supports significant interdisciplinary research and maintains outstanding teaching and research facilities. Supported by over 425 staff members and 45 postdoctoral fellows and researchers, CAS operates with annual expenditures of over $152 million and serves as a hub for interdisciplinary engagement, connecting the University with local, national, and global communities through research, creative activity, and public service.

The Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice is housed within the College of Arts and Sciences and offers nationally recognized graduate and undergraduate programs. The Department currently consists of 23 tenure track, continuing track, and temporary faculty, 3 administrative staff, approximately 700 undergraduate students, and 40 graduate students.. The Department also services many undergraduate students, with over 60 class sections taught per semester.

Under the limited direction of the department Business Administrator (BA) and in coordination with the department Chairperson(s), the Academic Program Coordinator (APC) is responsible for the coordination of departmental academic programs and a wide range of department, faculty, and staff operational needs and activities. The Coordinator interacts with and supports faculty, students, College and University administrators, and alumni to support the mission and goals of the Department(s), College, and University and to advance departmental teaching, service, and research objectives.

Major Responsibilities:

• Manage operational aspects of the departmental undergraduate and graduate programs to ensure student progress toward degree completion through both internal departmental documentation and the Stellic degree management and advising platform. Assist graduate and undergraduate students and faculty advisors with registration and scheduling issues, drop/add, overrides, transfer credit evaluations, change of registration without penalty, registration holds, and general advisement questions, in coordination with department faculty, the BA, the College Student Success Center (SSC) team, the Graduate College, and the Honors College. Meet with walk-in visitors, including prospective students (high school, new admits) and their parents/guardians regarding academic requirements, career opportunities and University resources.
• Respond to inquiries, investigate, and resolve problems related to undergraduate and graduate transactions handled by the department. Interpret and explain College and University policies, practices, and procedures to parents/guardians and prospective students as well as to current students and faculty.
• Develop curriculum guides to address issues unique to department’s majors and minors.
• Manage departmental course scheduling, in coordination with department faculty and the BA. Input all course data into UDSIS and manage classroom requests to secure rooms and avoid conflicts, in conjunction with other departments.
• Resolve conflicts of departmental courses with each other and with courses outside the department that are part of the departmental curriculum, and monitor enrollments to determine whether more sections need to be added or cancelled.
• Validate grade roster and faculty workload, approve change of Academic Program Plan webforms, make faculty advisor assignments, and coordinate final exam schedules and course evaluations.
• Monitor progress towards degree for departmental graduate students. Work with faculty advisors to track and prepare for qualifying exams, dissertation proposals, and dissertation defenses. Coordinate with the Graduate College and resolves issues as they arise.
• Liaison to department faculty to edit the UD Course Catalog to reflect all changes in undergraduate and graduate course descriptions and degree programs and submits descriptions of proposed new courses and curriculum changes for approval.
• Participate in undergraduate and graduate recruitment efforts by advising applicants on general academic requirements, managing annual graduate recruitment events, and coordinating the Department's participation in a variety of special undergraduate admissions events including Admitted Students Days and Blue & Golden Saturdays for prospective students, parents/guardians, faculty and others. Coordinate with SSC and department Chair on graduate and undergraduate New Student Orientation.
• Manage and update students' files and records. Check various forms for accuracy such as grade checks, overload petitions, and curriculum changes; assists students in the completion of required forms that may contain confidential information.
• Maintain the department's undergraduate and graduate files including but not limited to course syllabi, course descriptions, curriculum changes, enrollment records, and schedule records. Supports faculty requests for UDSIS information regarding student academic issues and for referencing unofficial transcripts.
• Conduct and/or facilitate data analysis as needed for the purpose of curriculum planning or assessment.
• Manage daily operations of the Department including:
  • Manage event planning for department functions and special events, such as speaker series, faculty recruitment, and convocation, in coordination with College Events staff.
  • Direct, maintain, and process department payroll for student workers, miscellaneous wage employees, and hourly graduate students. Review timesheets for accuracy, appropriate financial information, and runs ad hoc reports as needed. Resolve concerns with College HR as needed.
  • Provide administrative support for internal communications, including updating internal intranet sites, internal newsletters, internal mailing lists, event promotion to internal audiences, and routine correspondence with faculty, staff, and students. Liaise with the CAS Communications Team to access communications services.
  • Provide administrative support for Department Chair and faculty, as needed.
  • Attend and take notes at departmental committee meetings for the undergraduate and graduate programs.
  • Assume responsibility for other operational needs within the department, such as supply maintenance and standard equipment maintenance, donor acknowledgement letters, exam copying coordination, departmental mail, and records retention and filing needs.
  • Assist with special projects and performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.
  • With the assistance of the CAS Financial Operations team, oversee the daily processing and accounting for revenue and expenditures. Ensure accuracy and availability of funding and works with the Financial Operations team to maintain compliance with accounting procedures.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a related discipline and three years of job-related work experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Working knowledge of undergraduate and graduate academic and recruitment policies, procedures, systems, regulations, and standards at the University level preferred.
• Ability to evaluate student transcripts and/or records. Knowledge of graduate academic standards and student conduct polices governing academic misconduct and student recruitment and retention issues
• Ability to communicate course prerequisites, certification, and/or curriculum/graduation requirements to students
• Effective organizational skills
• Ability to interpret, adapt, and apply guidelines and procedures
• Ability to communicate effectively and interact well with people of all ages and diverse backgrounds
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Commitment to advancing and sharing successful programs and initiatives
• Ability to grasp, retain, and disseminate an extensive and varied body of information; the ability to exercise sound judgment and employ effective decision-making skills
• Ability to gather and analyze statistical and financial data and generate ad-hoc reports.
• A minimum of intermediate level proficiency with spreadsheets and databases
• Experience with University's student records system (UDSIS), degree management and advising system (Stellic), graduate application database (SLATE), and accounting system (based on PeopleSoft) preferred
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, complex projects, and long-term initiatives with precision