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What does an administrative assistant to the dean do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

An administrative assistant to the dean primarily performs administrative and clerical support tasks related to the daily operations of a college or university. Their responsibilities usually include handling calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, receiving and organizing files, overseeing schedules, arranging appointments, and running errands as needed. They also assist the dean in writing proposals and other reports, supervising student workers, and coordinating activities. Moreover, an administrative assistant to the dean maintains an active communication line with different offices for an efficient workflow.

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Administrative assistant to the dean responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real administrative assistant to the dean resumes:

  • Manage finances including tuition, billing, services, and staff payroll.
  • Manage and coordinate complex internal and external meetings and/or events via videoconferencing, WebEx and teleconference calls.
  • Create detailed PowerPoint presentations for conferences, seminars, and workshops.
  • Process payroll data by collecting, coding, and computing time sheets for all part-time instructional and support staff.
  • Present PowerPoint presentations when need.
  • Review crime prevention surveys, economic crime and logistics security, and personnel security vulnerability assessments for high risk personnel.
  • Monitor budgets, purchases and payments using PeopleSoft financial software and Microsoft applications.
  • Create marketing presentations, performing research development, generate complex documentations and RFP responses.

Administrative assistant to the dean skills and personality traits

We calculated that 10% of Administrative Assistant To The Deans are proficient in Travel Arrangements, Phone Calls, and Scheduling Appointments. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.

We break down the percentage of Administrative Assistant To The Deans that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Travel Arrangements, 10%

    Prepared advertising for recruiting of new faculty; prepared itineraries and made hotel and travel arrangements.

  • Phone Calls, 8%

    Received and screened telephone calls and delivered materials.

  • Scheduling Appointments, 6%

    Perform routine administrative functions like scheduling appointments.

  • Provides Administrative Support, 6%

    Assisted with special projects and provides administrative support to various departments.

  • Payroll, 5%

    Ensured timely and accurate compensation of 65-70 adjunct and part-time faculty each semester by providing detailed instructions to Payroll Department.

  • Financial Aid, 5%

    Assist Financial Aid and Career Services with basic departmental tasks; assist in student orientations and campus events.

"travel arrangements," "phone calls," and "scheduling appointments" are among the most common skills that administrative assistant to the deans use at work. You can find even more administrative assistant to the dean responsibilities below, including:

Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for an administrative assistant to the dean to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what administrative assistant to the deans do because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Additionally, an administrative assistant to the dean resume shows how administrative assistant to the deans use interpersonal skills: "exhibited solid interpersonal relations skills toward courteously greeting patients and assisting them with completingpaperwork. "

Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform administrative assistant to the dean duties is organizational skills. Administrative assistant to the deans responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." Administrative assistant to the deans also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided organizational support for several college committees including meeting minutes, communication emails, and scheduling of meetings. "

Writing skills. administrative assistant to the deans are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to administrative assistant to the dean responsibilities, because "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." An administrative assistant to the dean resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "assisted insurance agents with reviewing, writing, and payments for all insurance policies including insurance claims and processing. "

Most common administrative assistant to the dean skills

Compare different administrative assistant to the deans

Administrative assistant to the dean vs. Senior secretary

A Senior Secretary is responsible for maintaining office records, receiving and directing telephone calls, and writing various reports for managers. They also schedule appointments and meetings for supervisors and assist in the process of new hires.

We looked at the average administrative assistant to the dean salary and compared it with the wages of a senior secretary. Generally speaking, senior secretaries are paid $16,242 lower than administrative assistant to the deans per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between administrative assistant to the deans and senior secretaries are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like scheduling appointments, provides administrative support, and payroll.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, administrative assistant to the dean responsibilities require skills like "travel arrangements," "phone calls," "financial aid," and "alumni." Meanwhile a typical senior secretary has skills in areas such as "patients," "data entry," "purchase orders," and "secretarial support." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Senior secretaries earn the highest salaries when working in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average yearly salary of $39,400. On the other hand, administrative assistant to the deans are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $42,084.senior secretaries tend to reach lower levels of education than administrative assistant to the deans. In fact, senior secretaries are 6.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Administrative assistant to the dean vs. Executive secretary

The primary role of executive secretaries is to provide clerical support to an executive or a high-level administrator. They are the ones who conduct the different administrative support tasks for executives which include managing the calendar of executives, answering phone calls, conducting research and sorting important files, preparing and proofreading monthly reports and industry documents that are relevant to the role of executives, and performing some bookkeeping activities such as invoice creation and office inventory tracking.

On average, executive secretaries earn a $2,768 lower salary than administrative assistant to the deans a year.A few skills overlap for administrative assistant to the deans and executive secretaries. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "scheduling appointments," "provides administrative support," and "payroll. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, administrative assistant to the dean responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "travel arrangements," "phone calls," "financial aid," and "alumni." Meanwhile, an executive secretary has duties that require skills in areas such as "office procedures," "financial statements," "secretarial support," and "hotel reservations." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Executive secretaries may earn a lower salary than administrative assistant to the deans, but executive secretaries earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $55,053. On the other hand, administrative assistant to the deans receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $42,084.In general, executive secretaries achieve lower levels of education than administrative assistant to the deans. They're 6.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Administrative assistant to the dean vs. Assistant to executive vice president

Assistants to executive vice presidents are responsible for managing the day to day operation and administrative activities of the executive vice presidents. They have varied roles and responsibilities, which include organizing the workflow of the executive vice president, preparing for meetings, and monitoring schedule. They are also expected to respond to the electronic mail as per the VP's request, prepare papers and documents, and handle all aspects of the VP's vacation and travel. This position is essential in helping the VP manage and prioritize competing demands for attention and time.

On average, assistants to executive vice president earn higher salaries than administrative assistant to the deans, with a $5,371 difference per year.By looking over several administrative assistant to the deans and assistants to executive vice president resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "travel arrangements," "provides administrative support," and "payroll." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an administrative assistant to the dean is likely to be skilled in "phone calls," "scheduling appointments," "financial aid," and "alumni," while a typical assistant to executive vice president is skilled in "financial reports," "svp," "evp," and "direct reports."

Assistants to executive vice president make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $62,845. On the other hand, administrative assistant to the deans are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $42,084.Most assistants to executive vice president achieve a similar degree level compared to administrative assistant to the deans. For example, they're 4.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Administrative assistant to the dean vs. Staff assistant

A staff assistant is a company employee who is tasked to support and help staff members to adequately fill their roles and assuring that the organization is running efficiently. Working under an administrative supervisor, an assistant's tasks include answering phone calls, scheduling meetings or appointments, and booking the necessary travels. Moreover, an assistant should have excellent skills in written and verbal communication and is highly organized with minimal supervision. An assistant may be able to work in a wide variety of settings, which includes healthcare facilities and government offices.

Staff assistants typically earn lower pay than administrative assistant to the deans. On average, staff assistants earn a $7,584 lower salary per year.According to resumes from administrative assistant to the deans and staff assistants, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "travel arrangements," "scheduling appointments," and "provides administrative support. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "phone calls," "financial aid," "alumni," and "faculty contracts" are skills that commonly show up on administrative assistant to the dean resumes. On the other hand, staff assistants use skills like customer service, patients, data entry, and office procedures on their resumes.The professional industry tends to pay the highest salaries for staff assistants, with average annual pay of $50,475. Comparatively, the highest administrative assistant to the dean annual salary comes from the education industry.In general, staff assistants hold similar degree levels compared to administrative assistant to the deans. Staff assistants are 3.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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