Health Promotion Facilitator Graduate Assistantship
Position Summary: Student Health and Wellness has a vision to cultivate optimal health and lifelong well-being for every student at the University of Connecticut. Within Student Health and Wellness, the Health Promotion team’s mission is to mobilize the UConn community to cultivate the conditions that foster student wellbeing, empower students, and address health inequities—amplifying the voices of our oppressed communities.
The Health Promotion Facilitator is a graduate assistant who will deliver health education to students, as well as provide support for campus wide health promotion initiatives led by the Wellness Coalition. This position will report to a Health Promotion Manager. For the 2022-2023 academic year, the Health Promotion Facilitator will be primarily responsible for delivery of alcohol and other drug education programs and contributing to advancing the efforts of the Alcohol and Other Drug Collaborative, a committee in the Wellness Coalition. Specific populations served include, but are not limited to first year students, residential life staff and students, student organizations, fraternity and sorority members, and students sanctioned to complete educational interventions as a result of a student code violation.
Appointment Type & Schedule: This is a one academic year (fall and spring academic semester) graduate assistantship position, working 15-20 hours per week. A successful candidate must be able to work their hours over at least three work days each week. Hours must be worked Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Individual must be able to work 1-2 evenings per week. The appointment begins August 22nd, 2022 and concludes May 19th, 2023.
Position Responsibilities:
• Facilitate individual educational interventions including Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) and MAPP (Marijuana Abuse Prevention Program), a brief motivational interventions focused on alcohol or cannabis use concerns, respectively;
• Conduct needs assessments through focus groups, surveys, meetings with student stake holders;
• Coordinate scheduling, prepare materials, and administer assessment for requested educational programs;
• Provide preventative health education workshops to student groups, including fraternity and sorority members and other student organizations;
• Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate new educational programs with the goal of improving student health by enhancing knowledge, developing skills, changing the campus environment, altering attitudes, and modifying behavior;
• Document educational interventions, and program design, implementation, & evaluation in standard applications including Microsoft Office, Campus Labs, and Pyramed;
• Maintain and assist with the development and dissemination of wellness publications including written documents, brochures, website updates, and educational campaigns;
• Supporting and assisting undergraduate staff, as needed;
• Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year university or college;
• Currently enrolled in a graduate program at UConn in public health, social work, higher education, or related field;
• Works well as part of a team, e.g. respects others’ opinions, shares workload as appropriate, and demonstrates flexibility;
• Projects positive attitude toward students, professional staff, and other offices; treats students, staff, and other offices in a caring and respectful fashion; mindful of individual, cultural, and ethnic differences.
• Possesses effective oral and written communication skills;
• Experience presenting and/or facilitating to groups;
• Demonstrated passion and commitment to supporting students struggling with substance use;
• Experience developing educational materials and health messaging media, like Canva;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality consistent with applicable laws and regulations;
• Ability to organize and prioritize work, exercise good judgment, complete tasks in a timely manner, and work autonomously when needed;
• Creativity, initiative, compassion, and flexibility;
• Ability to apply professional boundaries with undergraduate students and professional staff;
• Ability to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate programs to meet the needs of an ethnically and culturally diverse university campus;
• Is responsive to constructive feedback; consults with supervisor as necessary when crises or situations beyond the norm arise;
• Enthusiastic, motivated, takes initiative.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Knowledge of health promotion theories, research, and program assessment;
• General knowledge of, or the ability to learn quickly, current and emerging college age student health problems and existing methods of prevention/early intervention;
• Ability to assess needs and establish or recommend program goals and develop plans to achieve goals;
• Experience developing, implementing and coordinating health promotion programs;
• Experience collecting and analyzing data pertinent to health promotion program planning and assessment;
• Demonstrated ability to apply concepts of harm/risk-reduction to community-based programs;
• Experience in community organizing around health and wellbeing issues.
Compensation & Benefits: Stipend consistent with UConn Graduate Employee Union (GEU) rates and successful candidate’s level of education. Stipend rates can be found here. See the GEU contract for other generous benefits provided, including paid time off, tuition remission, and subsidized health insurance through the Connecticut Partnership Plan.
How To Apply: Submit your resume, cover letter describing your interest in the position and specific qualifications, and a list of the names and email addresses for three (3) professional references who can comment upon your education and/or job-related experience. Documents should be emailed to Monique Griffin at monique.griffin@uconn.edu
Application Deadline: Submit application by March 28th for priority consideration. Applications submitted after that date may be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
For more information, contact: Monique Griffin at Monique.Griffin@uconn.edu