The problem of this study was the status of administrative assistants in higher education with special emphasis on (1) the role of the administrative assistant, (2) the internship aspects of the position, as perceived by college and university presidents throughout the United States, and (3) the professional qualifications held by persons filling positions as administrative assistants.

M. Tech. (Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / Administrative staff members are important human capital in higher education because they perform diverse duties that are essential to the day-to-day operations of universities. As a result, their job satisfaction and organisational commitment are imperative to universities. However, there is a paucity of research focusing on the job satisfaction and organisational commitment of administrative staff members in the South African higher education sector. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect of overall job satisfaction on the organisational commitment of administrators at a university in Gauteng. To achieve the aforementioned objective, a quantitative survey approach was used to examine the relationship between overall job satisfaction and organisational commitment among 383 administrative staff members. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the levels of both job satisfaction and organisational commitment, results of which were significant, revealing that the administrative staff members were satisfied and committed to the university. Statistics using Spearman’s rho correlation analysis showed that there was a significantly strong correlation between job satisfaction and affective commitment; and significantly moderate correlations between job satisfaction and moral imperative and indebted obligation. However, weak correlations were found between job satisfaction and continuance commitment. Regression analysis revealed that job satisfaction contributed positively to the prediction of affective commitment, moral imperative, indebted obligation and continuance commitment. The findings suggest that managers at the university could enhance the commitment of the administrative staff members by increasing the levels of job satisfaction. The levels of job satisfaction of the administrative staff members at the university could be enhanced through job design, career advancement opportunities and the introduction of fair and transparent policies and rules. Organisational commitment could be improved through the provision of job security, equitable salaries and conducive working conditions.