Assistant Director, Doctoral Program

About the role

Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,654 full-time undergraduates and 5,072 graduate and professional students. The School of Social Work offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program.

Responsibilities

• Primary contact for prospective students: Distribute promotional materials to potential applicants. Respond to questions from prospective students. Meet with potential students to determine fit for the program. Selectively refer talented prospective students to appropriate faculty for further communication.
• Working closely with the Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program and SSW faculty, serve as the administrative contact for PhD admissions, communicating in-person, by phone or by email with several applicants per week.
• Manage applications: Communicate with applicants regarding submission materials, including missing documents, and all other aspects of the application process.
• Distribute electronic applications to faculty reviewers. Manage the logistical elements of the review process of candidates. Prepare acceptance letters for the Assistant Dean of the Doctoral Program’s signature. Coordinate campus visits for accepted students.
• Conduct an annual testing process in Slate at the start of each admissions cycle. Coordinate and run virtual open houses to educate accepted students about the doctoral program curriculum, schedule and logistics. Send decision letters through Slate.
• Oversee recruitment process: Work with the SSW marketing team to regularly update promotional brochure for the PhD program and update webpages to highlight program features and student accomplishments.
• Develop registration materials for doctoral students. Register students from other grad schools in SSW courses in EagleApps. Assist students in navigating the program to ensure requirements are satisfied: advise on requirements; provide and collect program forms. Assist students in cross-registration at BC and in the Boston Area Graduate Consortium.
• Work with the Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program to coordinate the interviews of finalists with faculty. Conduct degree clearance. Attend the university Commencement Coordinators meetings to facilitate participation of doctoral students in the Commencement ceremony. Plan all aspects of Commencement reception for doctoral graduates, their families and faculty, including working with event management, and serving as the host of the event.
• Forecast tuition cost for all students on fellowships. Forecast and apply tuition funds for Summer, Fall and Spring. Apply stipends for all students on fellowships and inform university of health insurance eligibility. Pay for health insurance in Institutional Awards database.
• Select recipients of endowed fellowships and coordinate payment of the fellowships. Mentorship: Coordinate the logistical elements of the matching process of new students with faculty mentors. International students: Troubleshoot visa issues with students by certifying enrollment for visa extensions and working with OISS to satisfy additional requirements. Assist new students with paperwork to obtain visas.
• Manage PhD course schedule: Work with the Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program and doctoral faculty to develop the course schedule and communicate the new schedule to the Associate Dean and Director of the MSW Program. Responsible for creating new courses and updating existing courses in EagleApps.
• Organize co-curricular activities to provide specialized trainings for current students: Plan an annual faculty research lunch to help students and faculty learn about research interests at the start of each year. Work with faculty and Research Services to conduct trainings on methodologies, statistics, etc. Organize professional development lunches with guest speakers on topics such as conference presentations, publishing, working with the media, etc.
• Coordinate all aspects of the Area Statement: In consultation with the Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program, inform and advise students regarding the area statement process. Oversee the logistical elements of the entire process of area statement. In conjunction with the Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program, meet with new faculty to discuss the area statement review process. Create documents in Canvas to educate faculty and students about the area statement process. Manage the logistical elements of the review and revision process. Coordinate scheduling of oral defenses. Communicate successful defenses to student services and marketing. Coordinate all aspects of the Dissertation process: Coordinate the administrative aspects of the processing of doctoral dissertations. Provide quality assurance and adherence to dissertation guidelines. Attend all dissertation defenses, organize refreshments, and answer questions about procedures as needed. Participate in annual meetings with BC libraries to review ProQuest policies and embargoes. Advise students on the program’s rules regarding the composition of dissertation committees. Create documents in Canvas to educate faculty and students about the dissertation process. Send data to Survey of Earned Doctorates – NORC.
• Communicate with faculty about available funds for paid research assistant opportunities. Coordinate the recruitment of current students for RA positions. Coordinate the matching of current students with faculty for research internships.
• Communicate with MSW faculty about potential teaching internships for second-year doctoral students. In conjunction with the Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program, coordinate the matching of current students with faculty for teaching internships. Communicate with faculty about paid teaching assistant opportunities. Coordinate the recruitment of current students for these positions. Communicate with the Associate Dean and Director of the MSW Program about doctoral students who are eligible to serve as adjunct faculty.
• Coordinate all calls for nominations for Mentor Awards and Emerging Scholar Awards, as well as Call for Papers for Book Awards. Communicate with faculty reviewers and support the Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program in the selection of award recipients. In consultation with the Assistant Dean for Doctoral Program, select recipients of endowed fellowships.
• Provide support and oversight for the logistical aspects of the annual Graduate Research Symposium. Schedule and attend monthly meetings with symposium committee members. Coordinate facility and meal reservations with event planning. Work with marketing to design and distribute call for proposals, promotional materials, etc. Coordinate logistics of proposal review with faculty reviewers. Manage all communications with graduate student presenters. Oversee the recruitment and management of event volunteers. Manage symposium budget.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social Work or related field.
• At least 3 years of experience in higher education administration, preferably in a doctoral program.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Experience with student affairs and academic advising.
• Experience with online databases and systems such as Slate, EagleApps, Institutional Awards, FileMaker, FolderWave, Canvas, etc.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong technology skills to perform tasks in various systems.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Experience with student affairs and academic advising.
• Experience with online databases and systems such as Slate, EagleApps, Institutional Awards, FileMaker, FolderWave, Canvas, etc.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong technology skills to perform tasks in various systems.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.

Benefits

Full-time equivalent hiring range: $64,100 to $80,100; salary commensurate with relevant experience.

Pay

Full-time equivalent hiring range: $64,100 to $80,100; salary commensurate with relevant experience.

Schedule

Full-time equivalent hiring range: $64,100 to $80,100; salary commensurate with relevant experience.