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Ben Mitchell

Ben Mitchell
Mechanical Engineering '06

Ben Mitchell grew up in a devout household in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan where emphasis was placed on helping others. He traveled with his father to places such as Kenya and Peru on short-term medical missions. When he was in Kenya, a missionary explained that engineers have the greatest potential to influence the largest number of people. During high school, Ben participated in a youth mission trip to Tijuana. A result of the mission trips, his family decided to adopt three Vietnamese children when he was a junior.

All of these experiences had a great influence on Ben’s outlook on life. He decided to major in mechanical engineering and enrolled at Lake Superior State University. Near the end of his senior year, he decided to volunteer for the Peace Corps to help others.

His two-year commitment began in the fall of 2007 and took Ben to Burkina Faso in western Africa. He resides in the village of Tansila, population 3,000, approximately 10 km from the Mali border. His host organization is the local cotton growers union. It works cooperatively with other villages to improve and expand their production techniques. He serves as an agribusiness advisor as a part of the Small Enterprise Development program which helps create market linkages and assists with the advancement of business skills.

		FLSA Designation NON-EXEMPT
Date Issued:	1994-05-30	Department:	Human Resources Office
Title: Administrative Assistant

Function and Responsibility
Under general supervision of the Director of Employee Relations to provide administrative and secretarial assistance to the Director and the Vice President for Business & Financial Operations.

Duties and Responsibilities
Supervise, plan and direct work of student assistants. Answer inquiries about University policies, procedures, rules and regulations, retirement programs, benefits and contract provisions to provide consistent application. Modify and issue revisions of same. Manage telephone and visitor contacts; read and refer mail. Draft, type, and edit correspondence as required. Prepare responses to routine inquiries. Schedule appointments, meetings, and conference room usage. Order, prepare and distribute routine office forms. Maintain tickler file for follow-up activities. Take and transcribe minutes of meetings as assigned. Establish and publish completion dates for assigned projects for personnel following assignments. Make travel arrangements and initiate reimbursement. Prepare time sheets for the offices. Order and maintain office supplies. Establish and maintain office files, including personnel records system. Perform clerical duties as assigned. Coordinate the completion of campus-wide student employee payroll authorizations following work assignments; process payroll changes in student records; maintain student employee files; and follow-up on completion of student employee evaluations. Prepare advertising and posting of vacancies and disseminate recruiting materials. Maintain mailing list for advertisements. Process applications and reply to all applicants and inquiries received. Maintain applicant logs and flow charts in accordance with EEO/AA requirements. Prepare appointment letters for offers of employment. Assure completion of necessary payroll and employment paperwork. Schedule pre-employment physicals, TB tests, etc. Enter new employee and benefit information on the computerized payroll system. Update system as changes occur and edit benefit listings. Pro-rate vacation and sick leave accruals if necessary. Assist Director with planning and execution of employee training programs, new employee orientation programs, and University-sponsored social events. Maintain seniority list for ESP membership. Maintain and distribute quarterly overtime equalization reports and overtime sign-up lists. Assist with data collection and research for special projects as assigned. Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Associate degree in office administration or related field and five years of office experience required; supervisory experience and knowledge of personnel record keeping preferred. Proficiency in word processing and spreadsheet and/or database programs; excellent writing skills. Ability for, and inclination toward decision making; ability to deal tactfully with the public; and ability to maintain confidentiality of the offices.

Physical and Mental Demands
Adequate physical fitness to be able to sit and concentrate for long periods of time; use of fine motor skills to operate computer; problem solving ability; ability to understand and work with numbers; ability to see, hear, and speak with or without the use of aids to perform normal office tasks.