What is a “triple A”?

AAA’s are Academic Administrative Assistants who provide professional, administrative support to individual faculty and the departments/programs. They are the College’s most valuable resource made available to faculty.

There are AAA’s housed within the academic buildings of Carnegie, Hathorn, Hedge, Olin, Pettengill (3), Pettigrew, Roger Williams. For a listing of who supports which department/program, click here.

What can an Academic Administrative Assistant do for you?

 Manage the daily operations of the office

• overseeing inventory of supplies and equipment
• troubleshooting issues related to classrooms and equipment
• answering faculty and student questions
• handling announcements, mailings, correspondence

Assist with faculty coursework

• formatting and printing of exams, syllabi, handouts, etc.
• placing course items on Lyceum
• exam collection and time stamping

Provide Departmental and Committee Support

• assisting with visits related to candidate recruitment
• monitoring appropriate departmental budget lines
• maintaining department/program webpages
• maintaining appropriate files

Assist with events

• scheduling meetings, conferences, symposia, poster sessions, etc.
• arranging invitations, announcements, travel and catering details, room reservations, and other relevant details related to the event

Oversee student workers (in some cases)

•  interviewing, training, scheduling, and supervising student workers

Assist faculty with scholarship projects

• scanning and copying of manuscripts, grant proposals, book chapters, etc.
• assisting with travel expense reports and grant proposals
• updating and formatting a curriculum vitae

Offer good cheer, a warm, friendly environment, and unwavering support!

What AAA’s should NOT be doing for you…

• Copying entire books and other course materials, such as DVDs or CDs. (There are laws about this! Check out the policy here: bates.edu/ils/policies/access-use/copyright/)
• Giving tours to potential department or program candidates or bringing candidates to their meetings during interview days
• Running errands for a faculty member that are of a personal nature (think dry cleaning, dog walking, grocery shopping, etc.)
• Checking out library materials for a faculty member under the AAA’s own BatesId
• Proctoring exams for students
• Photocopying or maintaining a faculty member’s personal documents or information

How to maximize use of your AAA…

• Effective and clear communication between the faculty member and the AAA is the key to a successful relationship.

• Be mindful of everyone a AAA supports. Don’t monopolize the AAA’s time with unreasonable expectations. They support many faculty members in multiple capacities.

• Be respectful and appropriate with your requests and their timing. As stated above, the AAA’s are the College’s most valuable resource available to the faculty. They work for the Dean of the Faculty’s Office, and we are happy to step in should there be questions about the feasibility or appropriateness of a task.

• Be clear in your expectations and your priorities. Communication is the key.

Helpful Resources on Campus…

General questions regarding AAA work: Jason Scheideman, Supervisor of the AAA’s, Dean of the Faculty’s Office: jscheide@bates.edu or 753-6982, 217 Hedge Hall

Anything related to copyright laws and policies: Chris Schiff, Music and Arts Librarian, and Copyright Guru, cschiff@bates.edu or 786-6274;