Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant Job Application

This application is for students attending The University of Southern Mississippi at the Hattiesburg Campus who are seeking a Federal Work Study position with the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center. If you are a non-USM student, please refer to our jobs page.

The Administrative Assistant helps support the day-to-day operations of the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center's Hattiesburg bureau by keeping the newsroom organized, welcoming, and running smoothly. This role is ideal for students who are dependable, detail-oriented, and comfortable helping with a wide range of administrative and logistical tasks that support both staff and student teams.

As the administrative assistant, you'll help manage front desk responsibilities, answer the main phone line, greet visitors, and make sure messages and questions get to the right person. You'll also assist with office logistics such as sorting mail, organizing materials, monitoring supplies, running routine errands, and helping maintain a professional newsroom environment. This role also supports center events, printing and promotional material coordination, and other operational needs that help the newsroom function efficiently.

Your work will help create a more organized and effective workspace for the center while giving you hands‑on experience in office coordination, communication, and newsroom support. It is a strong fit for students who are interested in operations, administration, communications, or media support work. Administrative assistants are expected to work 20 hours per week during the semester.

• Serve as the first point of contact by answering the main phone line, greeting visitors, taking messages, and directing questions to the appropriate staff member.
• Help maintain a professional, organized newsroom by keeping common areas tidy, monitoring supply levels, and assisting with storage organization.
• Run routine center errands, including trips to the campus post office, delivery or pickup of materials, and distribution of promotional items.
• Assist with operational tasks, including sorting mail, organizing documents, preparing administrative materials, and supporting staff as needed.
• Help coordinate graphic design and print production requests by tracking needs, communicating deadlines, and assisting with pickup or distribution of finished materials.
• Support center events by helping with setup, check‑in, hosting needs, breakdown, and cleanup.
• Track promotional materials and office supply inventory and report low‑stock items to supervisors.
• Help organize materials, signage, equipment, or supplies used for outreach, events, and newsroom operations.
• Attend weekly editorial meetings, held virtually and in person in College Hall on the University of Southern Mississippi's Hattiesburg campus, Fridays at 9 a.m., when scheduled or required.
• Complete other duties as assigned to support the center's daily operations.

The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center is a student‑powered newsroom at The University of Southern Mississippi, dedicated to reporting what matters in Southeast Mississippi’s underserved communities. We produce high‑impact, professional journalism that’s published across the state — and train students to do the kind of work that reach top stories in real‑world newsrooms.

This role is ideal for students who are organized, dependable, and interested in the behind‑the‑scenes work that keeps a newsroom operating efficiently. As the administrative assistant, you’ll serve as a key point of contact for visitors, community members, and students while helping coordinate the daily operations of the center. You’ll support staff and student teams through office management, communication, event support, and administrative coordination.

Your work will help create a welcoming, organized, and professional environment that allows the center’s journalism and community engagement efforts to succeed. Along the way, you’ll gain practical experience in office administration, customer service, communication, event coordination, and organizational management while building skills that are valuable across a wide range of careers.