Administrative Professionals Week 2026: Five Reminders for Those Who Support Senior Leaders in Higher Education

A Message from Stuart Schmidt

NAPAHE's Executive Director

Each year, Administrative Professionals Week gives organizations across the country an opportunity to recognize the vital work of administrative assistants, executive assistants, chiefs of staff, office managers, receptionists, and support professionals.

At NAPAHE, we believe this week tells the story of our members.

Our community is made up of professionals who support presidents, chancellors, provosts, vice presidents, deans, and governing boards across higher education. You work behind the scenes in roles that demand discretion, judgment, agility, and an extraordinary understanding of institutional culture and leadership dynamics. More often than not, you do this work quietly, without fanfare, and without a desire for recognition.

Administrative Professionals Week is a moment to pause and say what we all know to be true:

Your work matters. Your role matters. And you matter.

Earlier this year, at NAPAHE’s Annual Conference, we reflected on five touchstones that define this profession and guide the work you do every day. As we celebrate Administrative Professionals Week, we return to those five reminders, both as recognition and as affirmation.

Reminder 1: Know Who You Serve

Administrative professionals in higher education are not “just support.” You are strategic partners and trusted advisors.

You anticipate needs before they’re voiced. You stage the right conversations at the right time. You help leaders navigate complex environments where context, timing, and institutional memory matter. Long before decisions are public, your insight and judgment shape outcomes.

Aligning for Impact

Take time to reflect on what keeps your leader up at night. When you align your work with those priorities, you move from task management to institutional impact.

Reminder 2: You're a Trusted Advisor

You may support a president, chancellor, provost, vice president, dean, or board—but in reality, you serve something much bigger.

You serve an office, an institution, and ultimately the students and communities whose lives are shaped by higher education leadership. Knowing who you serve means understanding your leader’s priorities, pressures, communication style, and decision‑making rhythm—and translating those insights into clarity and execution.

Building Trust

Trust is built through consistency, clear communication, thoughtful preparation, and the ability to offer perspective when it’s most needed. Your voice matters, even when it’s offered quietly.

Reminder 3: Keep Your Secrets Secret

Confidentiality is not simply a responsibility of the role—it is the foundation of your credibility.

You hold sensitive information, early drafts, difficult conversations, and moments of uncertainty. Leaders trust you because you protect that trust. In many ways, your influence comes not from formal authority, but from the confidence others have in your discretion and integrity.

Making Space

Your professionalism creates safe spaces for leadership to be honest, reflective, and effective. That work is invisible, although essential.

Reminder 4: Have a Life Outside of Your Role

This profession is service‑oriented by nature. Many administrative professionals spend their days absorbing urgency, solving problems, and supporting others—and it can be easy to put yourself last.

Administrative Professionals Week is also a reminder that sustainable excellence requires boundaries. Rest, renewal, relationships, and interests outside of work are not indulgences: they are necessities.

Creating Balance

Protect moments that refill your cup. A rested, supported professional is better equipped to think strategically and lead with clarity.

Reminder 5: You're Not Alone

Supporting senior leaders can feel isolating. That is why NAPAHE exists.

NAPAHE is a professional home for those who lead from behind the scenes, a community built by and for administrative professionals in higher education. Through conferences, webinars, affinity groups, discussion boards, and peer connections, NAPAHE provides spaces to ask honest questions, share best practices, and support one another through the complexities of the work.

Building Your Network

Your network is an asset. Engage with it. Lean on it. And if you’re new to NAPAHE (or are considering joining), know that there is a place for you here.

Administrative Professionals Week is not just about appreciation: it’s about recognition of a profession that quietly anchors our institutions every day. The work you do enables leaders to lead, institutions to function, and missions to move forward.

At NAPAHE, we are committed to supporting you through community-building, professional development, connection, and advocacy, not only this week, but throughout the year.

To our members: thank you for your expertise, integrity, and commitment to higher education.

To those considering joining us: you belong here.

Happy Administrative Professionals Week.

Don't Miss Our Administrative Professionals Week Webinar

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 11:30 AM Central Time

Join NAPAHE and AAC&U for a special virtual program hosted in recognition of Administrative Professionals Day. This collaborative webinar honors the vital leadership, expertise, and care administrative professionals bring to higher education—often under intense pressure and behind the scenes.

Designed for professionals navigating confidential, fast-paced, and complex leadership environments, this session explores how building strong professional communities can reduce isolation, amplify leadership impact, and sustain energy. Experienced higher education leaders will share practical strategies for fostering collaborative teams, supporting well-being and self-care, and intentionally building networks of support both within institutions and across higher education.

Celebrate Administrative Professionals Day by investing in connection, leadership, and community. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn alongside peers from across the nation and gain actionable insights that support both your humanity and your institution’s mission. This event is complimentary and open to current and prospective NAPAHE members.

National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education

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