Director of Conference Services

Location

Mishawaka, IN | United States

Job description

Bethel University has an immediate opening for Director of Conference Services.

Reporting to the Vice President for Administration and Finance/CFO, the Director of Conference Services provides complex and diverse administrative duties in support of the day-to-day operations of the University. This position handles the planning, execution and outcomes of both internal and external groups related to key institutional events. These events include: Bethel Gala, Founder's Dinner, Graduation, Building Dedications, Board of Trustee events, Go2BU, Special Events, summer camps (overnight and day), external group events, and works with departments such as Admissions, Alumni and Student Life to support their events. Duties also include securing event sites, room reservations, set-up needs, audio-visual support, IT needs, catering, decorations, hotel accommodations, travel plans and event staffing. The Conference Services office creates and processes invoices, purchase orders, and other budget forms.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

1. Embrace, support, and promote Bethel University's Christian mission and philosophy of Christian higher education
2. Provide leadership, supervision and direction for personnel assigned, including student workers
3. Provide support for events, including, coordinating, and implementing event logistics; researching and assisting with vendor selection including negotiating contracts with vendors; preparing event budgets, processing, and reconciling expenses, preparing financial reports and insurance coverage
4. Research, compile, and analyze data to create reports, proposals, event request policies and other support for administration leadership
5. Schedule and coordinate event planning meetings with all necessary participants both internally and externally. Act as primary liaison between intercampus departments necessary to execute events, including Audio/Visual, IT, Student Life, Facilities, Dining Services and more
6. Oversee responsibility for preparing event attendee materials including attendee lists, name badges, place cards and contact lists as well as assemble updated binder and event materials needed to support the event
7. Schedule and facilitate dorm placements over summer months
8. Coordinate scheduling of events, meetings, and various reservations throughout campus locations
9. Oversee and maintain the university's master event calendar and room booking system
10. Aid all university departments in executing events. Work internally to develop brand messaging and programming strategy for university fundraising, advancement, and recruitment events
11. Process necessary invoices and maintain invoice log for monthly financial reconciliation
12. Serve on administrative committees as assigned

COMPETENCIES

• Strong customer service orientation with excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to take initiative and organize and complete activities and projects with minimal supervision
• Ability to handle public contact with courtesy, clarity, and diplomacy
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations and information with absolute discretion
• Ability to maintain calm and courteous demeanor and to work productively amid competing priorities, complex problems, and tight deadlines
• Strong technical aptitude for use of business operations software applications and proficiency with MS Office applications

EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION AND SKILLS REQUIRED

• Bachelor's degree in business management is preferred. Three to five (3-5) years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience in a development setting or event planning preferred
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, complex environment under limited supervision

About Bethel University

The mission of Bethel University, affiliated with the Missionary Church denomination, is to be a community of learners building lives of commitment for leadership in the Church and world. Bethel's liberating academic programs challenge the mind, enlarge the vision, and equip the whole person for lifelong service.

Launched in 1947, Bethel is urban-situated in the northern Indiana region hosting 250,000 residents, seven colleges (including Notre Dame), the 2nd largest shopping district in the state of Indiana, 15,000 businesses, 50 parks, and beautiful riverwalk developments in South Bend and Mishawaka. Resort venues on Lake Michigan are 45 minutes away. The university community is composed of about 1,500 traditional and adult/graduate students from 35 states, 90 students born outside the United States, and 225 full-time employees. Bethel also hosts more than 8,000 guests annually to arts productions, 25,000 annually in conference services, and many thousands of community members in support of 40 national athletic championships.

Outside organizations recognize Bethel's quality: it is ranked as a Top Tier Midwestern College for 15 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report; ranked No. 7 in the Midwest on the Washington Monthly "Best Bang for the Buck Colleges" list; No. 1 on Christian Universities Online 2016 list of "Top 50 Christian Colleges and Universities Exceeding Expectations." Bethel has also been named to Money Magazine's "Best Colleges for Your Money 2018" list.

Bethel's 20,000 alumni occupy 49 states and 64 world areas, and enjoy a medical school acceptance rate double the national average, 100% job placement rate in Nursing whose program was ranked No. 7 in the United States, a Top 4% finish nationally in competitive math performance tests, and 100% pass rate every year on the national performance standard for a unique academic major in American Sign Language.

Alumni professional achievements include the No. 1 rated School Superintendent in Indiana, the No. 1 rated School Principal in Indiana, a Top 1% pediatric surgeon in North America, the former Executive Director of the largest Youth for Christ district in the nation, the Chaplain of former President Barack Obama's childhood school, the lead in "South Pacific" off Broadway in Chicago, a laboratory director in sustainable energy, MLB All-Star Team representatives (Cleveland Indians Justin Masterson; MLB pitcher for the San Diego Padres Eric Stults), a senior Midwest manager for Blue Cross / Blue Shield, and among others the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Midwest Region, Don Clark.

Faculty accomplishments from Bethel include: an average of more than 100 scholarly presentations and performances each of the last five years, reaching every corner of the United States (California, Oregon, New York, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Texas, etc.) and across the globe (e.g. Kenya, Greece, Israel, Jamaica, France, etc.), including elite sites such as Oxford, Cambridge, Aberdeen, and Carnegie Hall. Academic disciplines are deepened by Bethel projects on suffering, shame, the logic of forgiveness, Islam, mentoring, culture shock, health care among the Amish, eating disorders, home births, monotone mathematical triangles, top predator conservation, adolescent readers, capitalism, gene segregation, Great Lakes fisheries, social-linguistic patterns among the LGBT deaf, deviance in American political allies, ecological imagination in American fiction, Russian education, Latino values and education, theater sound and stage design, leadership pressure, the ethics of a Library Bill of Rights, non-violent resistance, simulation learning in Nursing, Shakespeare, depression in cancer patients, race-based tension, art exhibits in every medium, choral and instrumental productions of great variety, and more.

In recent years, Bethel saw the strongest series of financial ratios in 25 years (as defined by the U.S. Department of Education), increased admissions visits by 60% and applications by 20%, doubled the number of fully online students and saw surges in programs like Math-Engineering (+24%), Christian Ministries (+53%), Biology (+118%), Kinesiology/Pre-Physical Therapy/Sport Management (+177%), and total Graduate Program increases of +47%. Students of color moved from 19% to 28% of the total population, with increases in retention and graduation rates.

Traditional college-age students now rank mentoring as one of the most prominent traits of the environment, seen in part by a shift from 5 in 10 to 7 in 10 residential students voluntarily engaged in small group or one-on-one coaching by faculty-staff, and through alumni surveys showing very high faith-integration retention after their Bethel years (e.g. understanding Biblical texts, feeling equipped for the essential questions of life, strong critical thinking skills, etc.).

Also during this time, $12M was applied to endowment, scholarships, and facility upgrades such as Academic Support Services Center, School of Nursing Simulation Lab, renewal of the largest lecture hall named for Brian & Paqui Kelly (Notre Dame head football coach), new entrances for the East campus and Athletic Park with three additional intramural fields, a new Softball stadium, and refreshed Weight Room, added a Kindergarten Lab School, refreshed Art Gallery, Acorn restaurant, Wi-Fi network and phone systems, and more.

Work culture at Bethel also thrives, now meeting or exceeding industry average scores on 47 of 55 variables annually tracked by Best Christian Workplaces, who surveys 15,000 workers in Christian organizations annually. The employee experience at Bethel now leads national norms, to a statistically significant difference, in commitment to excellence, an environment for creativity and innovation, solving problems through supervision, the habit of receiving and using input, and demonstrating spiritual gifts throughout the workplace.

Bethel University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, disability, national or ethnic origin in employment opportunities, in keeping with applicable state and federal laws. In keeping with the mission of the institution, Bethel University seeks applicants with a strong commitment to the values and lifestyle of evangelical Christianity and who profess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As a Christian institution, we require faculty and staff to adhere to the University's Lifestyle Covenant and to enforce a religiously based statement of responsibilities for all University employees. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Bethel University, as an educational institution operating under the auspices of the Missionary Church, reserves the right to prefer employees on the basis of religion (Title VII, Sections 702-703, United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended).

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