assistant professor

residence manager

academic advisor

administrative assistant

lecturer

Towson University

I think many higher ed institutions are good/headed in the right direction, and I feel that about Towson too.  It was the best job I had in my life and the job I have been most torn up about leaving.  

I started working with a department, and then I headed over to the enrollment services building for a different position (internal hiring/moving up the ladder is possible).  In both positions, the toughest, biggest downside, was having a bad manager.  When I got micromanaged too much... egh, it was awful, but, I had management even higher up support/help me, and 95% of the culture was awesome and supportive.  So if you can get past the one bad thing that will invariably be the thorn in your side, I cannot recommend a place more than Towson.

In my final position, I had a variety of interesting projects depending on what was needed.  Sure, there was a lot of routine things, but I liked doing those as they were necessary.  Students need to know what the topics of their courses are -- I help admins set up those topics in the system -- etc. and so on.  I got to work with a variety of people depending on what was needed.  I also got a bump in pay, and after some time they did an equity adjustment (they realized I was underpaid and so I got bumped up more).  What workplace looks at everyone's salaries and actually boosts them when people are underpaid?  Towson.  And the final amount I was at felt like I was fairly compensated.  The group I ended with put in a significant amount of effort to keep/improve the culture of the division (which impressed me).  

So overall, Towson is just a great place in my opinion.  There will be downsides to any job, but the lows of Towson were easily mitigated.  

- Liaison to the Department Chair, scheduled/maintained calendar, assisted the needs of faculty, counseled students on their curriculum, supervised part time secretary and student workers, maintained/collected/processed sensitive records regarding faculty hires and student records.  Computed/submitted adjunct faculty payroll, work studies and any independent study courses.  Answered/directed phone calls to faculty.  Effectively networked with the people throughout the campus expediting the needs of the faculty and students.   
- Time management can be challenging during peak times, which requires extra time at the office to meet deadlines.
- Department Chairs change, meaning new bosses could be in place for a while or only two or three years; requiring to learn and work with a new boss frequently.  Not all Chairs are pleasant and can be challenging to work along side.
- Faculty are great co-workers and busy people.
- The overtime necessary in peak times during registration period.
- The most enjoyable time in the work place is interacting with the faculty and students.

The directors/co-directors/assistant directors create an unwelcoming and hostile work environment where they treat anyone working under them as second-class people with the sole purpose of making their jobs easier. They are overpaid for what they do and deserve to have their salaries cut significantly due to their poor leadership/management skills, lack of compassion and overall human decency toward their employees, and unprofessional and child-like manner in response to any minor inconvenience.
In addition, the turnover rate for lower-tier employees is more than any other job imaginable (many reasons being the poor leadership). Year after year, there is no change with any of these issues and most employees simply put up with it due to the flexibility in scheduling and camaraderie that is built on the foundation of distrust toward any and all of the leadership that runs the entire operation. Any significant change that could be made should start from the very top and cascade all the way down the ladder, essentially starting over from scratch. This is the only resolution I see to make this a job that gives its employees a sense of pride in their work along with a work environment that is remotely enjoyable.

Towson University is an exceptional place to work.  Not only was I able to hone in on what "I wanted to do when I grew up" but I was able to form great professional relationships.  Administrators were always supportive when inquiring about advancement.  The University President is a wonderful example of leadership.  She is personable and knowledgeable of those working under her leadership.  The students are wonderful.  The most enjoyable part of my job was interacting with the students and working with one of the best departments and group of people that I've ever worked with.  I learned about so many various cultures of students and each one was willing to sit down with me to discuss their individual cultures.  I also enjoyed how students would come back to just say hi or get advice on academia or personal endeavors.  I appreciated Towson's commitment to help employees reach their ultimate professional best through additional training and workshops of which I participated in as much as possible.  My supervisor was also extremely supportive in my educational and professional goals.  All in all I had an extremely positive experience working at Towson University.

For a university that regularly solicits alumni donations, I see no reason that the necessary equipment needed to teach a class should unavailable. I was expected to provide my own teaching materials and over $10,000 of my own personal equipment every week to teach a class. 

With 6 months of advance notice, I provided the department a list of the needed equipment for the class a second time, but I was told that it had not been purchased and there were no plans to do so. The desire to keep the students best interest in mind over the desires of the department were what compelled me to bring my own teaching materials. 

Other faculty were extremely helpful and supportive, and even those in different departments gave me great advice and shared their resources, but seeing what the department funds are spent on in place of required materials and equipment for a class that is offered more than once is a bit short sighted on their part. 

I taught in one department, and previously worked in an entirely different department, with similar observations.

Overall the job is highly variable because it depends on your teaching load, research obligations and service. I had a 3/3 teaching load with the expectation of one publication a year. I had enough free time that I was able to average 3 publications a year. Faculty to faculty, I found the work culture was supportive. Because there are not major research collaborations happening at Towson, much of your work is individual. The university is trying to grow its research so I imagine if you want to do research you can find the support. If you do not want to do research, you will probably also be supported by your department given the fact that so few faculty conduct large research projects. The biggest issue with the University is the fact that there have been MAJOR departures recently in the upper-level administration which has led to some stepping into those positions who are not adequately trained. 

While I loved the time in the office where I worked, Towson itself didn't care about campus diversity. Those at the very top who were making all the decisions, always seemed to care more about the donors than the people who were working. When we brought up an issue, we were ignored, or told that there was "nothing we could do" despite us siting possible fixes based on what other schools in the system were doing. At one point I brought up an issue that other people had also brought up before, and i was lied to, told "we didn't know that was an issue!" 

That being said, the department I worked in was really great. The culture in the office was positive, and I felt like I was a part of something. Being able to work with students was a wonderful experience, and the students were the best part about working at TU. 

I wouldn't suggest working for Towson if you are part of a marginalized identity, such as LGBTQIA+ because they are a lot of talk without follow through. 

I worked for Campus Recreation Services in Towson University (Adventure Pursuits Department) from my sophomore year up until graduation. It was a great atmosphere, with friendly and energetic coworkers. The managers were the same, I was on good terms with the program coordinator. Until my final year I mostly worked at a computer in data entry. It was fun seeing patterns of who came often for the programs and when. The hardest and yet most enjoyable part of the job came in my final year, when I took on the job of Outdoor Trip Center Staff. I had to make sure equipment was maintained, that people going on trips were receiving and returning the equipment they needed, and that all data was recorded correctly. It was challenging because I couldn't always find everything, but the job of finding equipment was still enjoyable as I treated it as a scavenger hunt. I improved in working and communicating in a team setting and, through the Outdoor Trip Center, how to work with customers.

As a Senior Event Manager, my job responsibilities include:
 Planning, outlining, coordinating, and managing of mid to high level internal and external events. Daily tasks consist of staffing events, crowd control, tech needs, set-up needs, parking needs, writing contracts, working within event budgets, upholding weather protocol and safety procedures for outdoor events, communicating and interacting with our customer/guest, maintaining a high level of guest satisfaction and customer service that ensures repeat business. 
Work is not limited to set hours. Hours consist of weekends, evening, and manager on duty shifts. 

Previous and current events consist of:
 - Summer camps and conferences to include on campus overnight housing
 - multi level athletic and non-athletic events in SECU Arena 
- University Commencement Ceremonies in both the Spring and Winter Semester - total of 9 per year
 - High School Graduations - total of 21 in a 3 week period
 - Special Olympics Summer Games and events throughout the year
 - Speaker events
 - Concerts

I learned a lot about pre- and post production with video/film working with various athletic teams at Towson University. I learned how to set up a shoot, log video, edit, and basically all the ins and outs of college sports video production. A typical day would include filming a game or practice. I'd work with one person or a team of a few people, and we'd set up and shoot footage of a game or practice. During womens basketball games I would log the video a co-worker of mine was filming using a program called sportstec. Hardest part of the job was figuring out any issues we'd come across while setting up or while shooting as we had not known exactly how to deal with some of the issues. The most enjoyable part to me was filming football and lacrosse games from the video scoreboard camera. Capture fans in the stands and live game footage was exciting to me.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Assistant professor 1 salary reported	$52,500 per year
Residence manager 1 salary reported	$44,948 per year
Academic advisor 3 salaries reported	$61,217 per year
Administrative assistant 4 salaries reported	$42,500 per year
Lecturer 5 salaries reported	$49,647 per year

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