What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies?

Institution: University of Michigan
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Education: Associate’s required + experience, BA preferred
Job posting ends Sept. 5, 2012

Job Summary

The Department of Asian Languages and Cultures is a center for the exploration of the humanities in Asia, where students are invited to cross the boundaries of nations (like China, India, Korea, and Indonesia) and of disciplines (like literature, film, language, religion, and history). The Department offers instruction in the languages and cultures of Asia (including Chinese, Filipino, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Thai, Tibetan, Urdu, and Vietnamese).

The Curriculum and Student Services Coordinator is the senior student affairs officer for the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC). The Coordinator is responsible for administering all aspects of ALC’s undergraduate and graduate curricula, including academic advising, strategic planning, student programming, and curriculum development and management.

Graduate Program Administration: The Coordinator is expected to work closely with the Director of Graduate Studies. This position provides a full range of academic support including managing the admissions process and recruitment efforts for prospective students; maintaining student academic and funding records; tracking and preparing multi-source budget projections; preparing Rackham forms for student advancement; coordinating fellowship applications for University and national competitions; and managing the GSI hiring process and training program.

Undergraduate Advising: The Coordinator serves as one of four Concentration Advisors for the 200+ students with concentrations or minors in ALC. Duties include holding approximately eight advising hours per week, maintaining the online advising calendar, training other concentration advisors, and maintaining the departments advising materials and handbooks.

Curricular Administration: The Coordinator works closely with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and provides leadership in the annual curriculum planning process. Duties include preparing course approval forms for both graduate and undergraduate courses, maintaining all graduate and undergraduate program information on the department’s website and working with the faculty to strategize the connection between course offerings, the number of concentrators and graduate students, and the department’s degree requirements. The Coordinator provides functional supervision to the department’s Curriculum Assistant who is responsible for coordinating each semester’s time schedule and course guide, managing course enrollment and statistics, providing triage to front-line advising questions, and providing support for undergraduate and graduate program activities. The Coordinator will represent the department at annual advising and study abroad fairs, and will organize several student-focused programs each year. The Coordinator is an ex officio member of the department’s Graduate Program and Curriculum Committees.

Required Qualifications

Associate’s Degree required, with at least five years of progressively responsible work experience. Reasonable knowledge of University policies, rules, and administrative procedures relating to student affairs is necessary. Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills are required. The successful candidate will have the ability to work effectively and sensitively with a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff and to handle sensitive and confidential materials and situations. Candidate must possess a high level of proficiency with information technology applications including spreadsheets, word processing, and web management. The successful candidate must be a self-starter; have excellent organizational skills; be able to set priorities and handle multiple assignments and deadlines; learn quickly and remain efficient in the face of concurrent tasks; and display excellent judgment while operating in a flexible and highly professional manner. The successful candidate must work well in a team environment as well as independently with minimal supervision, and be comfortable working with international faculty and students. A high degree of attention to detail and accuracy is essential. The successful candidate will be required to occasionally flex his/her hours in order to attend evening events.

Desired Qualifications

A Bachelor’s Degree is strongly desired and experience with any M-Pathways Modules is preferred. Some interest or background in Asian culture is also preferred.

For more information and to apply, see original posting on umjobs.com.