Graduate Assistant Job Description
The Women in Math, Science & Engineering (WiMSE) Learning Community provides ongoing support for female undergraduate students in STEM majors. The members benefit from interactions with peers facing the same opportunities and challenges, academically and socially. WiMSE offers its residents faculty interactions, academic support, research opportunities, and a close-knit living environment, all of which will contribute to persistence in their chosen fields. The Office of First Year Programs and Learning Communities (FYP&LC) supports Graduate Assistant positions to provide undergraduate enrichment/administrative support for some of our interdisciplinary Learning Communities. LC Graduate Assistants serve under a Faculty Director as part of a support team ensuring each student gets the most out of their experience.
Learning Communities are a proven pedagogy that can provide intentionality and integration amongst undergraduate students’ curricular, co-curricular and residential experiences. They become a foundation for a creative and holistic approach to education. They help first-year students in their transition to college and encourage all students to become engaged on campus; they enable students to have regular one-on-one or small group interaction with faculty, advisors, staff, and peer mentors; they emphasize undergraduate research and experiential learning and they develop intentionality and interdisciplinary habits of mind that encourage students to become life-long learners. Each Learning Community has unique attributes and traditions that develop based on their theme.
Essential Duties:
1. Plan, implement, manage and evaluate Learning Community events, activities, and field trips, including all related budgeting, scheduling, marketing, and recruitment; assuming greater responsibility until students become proficient in programming and organizational skills
2. May instruct, co-instruct, or support credit bearing FYE (first year experience, UNIV 1810), service-learning (UNIV 1840), and/or sophomore seminars (typically UNIV 3820); assist in the development of curriculum; plan and implement class activities; supervise group projects, and assess student learning
3. Advise and mentor students utilizing individual and group strategies; holding office hours weekly throughout the Fall and Spring semester within the Learning Community’s Residence Hall
4. Provide advisement to Learning Community student groups/committees; set individual and group performance standards; manage work-flow; evaluate individual and group performance, and provide regular oversight and feedback
5. Assist in the development of Learning Community marketing and public relations efforts; ensure that all print and electronic materials are professional in appearance, current and accurate; organize and deliver individual and group presentations; write articles for university and/or program newsletters, blogs, websites, etc.
6. Act as a liaison between the Learning Community, key students, faculty, and staff stakeholders from across the university; send periodic updates, coordinate meetings as needed, and give public presentations as needed
7. Connect students with relevant faculty, programs, and events occurring across campus, encouraging engagement and student professional and personal development
8. Communicate regularly with the LC Faculty Director and staff in the Office of First Year Program and Learning Communities
9. Must attend and/or promote Learning Community Support Team meetings and Learning Community Team Planning meetings as well as key LC events throughout the year; and ensure that individual Learning Community activities do not conflict with LC-wide activities
10. Prepare a report on responsibilities completed in position at the end of each semester and prepare and/or contribute to Learning Community Annual Report submitted to FYP&LC at end of the academic year
11. Complete other duties as assigned
Commitment: 20 hours per week; schedule will vary based on availability and programmatic needs. Weekend and evening hours are required in order to lead or attend related courses, events, and activities.
Qualifications: Strong written and verbal communication; demonstrated supervisory/advisory experience; strong leadership, organizational and programming skills; demonstrated commitment and experience with creativity and innovation; demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office programs; must be reliable and have a strong work ethic; and must be actively enrolled in a STEM graduate program at UConn. For opportunities in Dr. Govoni’s laboratory, please contact her directly (Kristen.Govoni@uconn.edu). LC Graduate Assistantships are 1-year appointments with no guarantee of reappointment the following year.
Preferred Qualifications: 1+ years experience supervising college students; experience with event coordination and event management; related professional experience; enrollment in a STEM UConn PhD (preferred) or MS program; teaching experience.
Application Process: Interested candidates should send a letter of interest; resume/CV; and names and contact information for three professional references to: Melissa Foreman, Program Director, Learning Community Program, Office of First Year Programs and Learning Communities at Melissa.Foreman@uconn.edu. Applications will be reviewed beginning March 29, 2018. The University of Connecticut is an EEO/AA employer.
For more information, contact: Melissa at melissa.foreman@uconn.edu