Temporary Student Services Assistant for Michigan Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Needed
Posted Thursday, January 19th, 2012
Temporary Position
Student Services Assistant II
Hiring Department
Rackham Graduate School Graduate Student Success Office
Location
1530 Rackham, 915 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070
Period of Employment
Immediately through September 15, 2012
Pay Rate
$27.75 per hour
Hours/week
40 per week
Shift/Hours/Days
Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Position Overview
The Rackham Graduate School is seeking a full-time temporary Student Services Assistant II who will, under the supervision of the Director of Graduate Student Success (GSS), develop and implement innovative programs that promote the academic success of graduate students, with a special interest in activities designed to advance underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as social, behavioral and economic (SBE) degree programs. The selected candidate will coordinate the Michigan Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), a large-scale five-campus project, currently in its final year, funded by the National Science Foundation based in the Rackham Graduate School as well as coordinate both grant administration and program activities across the five member institutions and be responsible for strategic recruitment planning and coordination with STEM and SBE programs. Programming will be evidence-based and focus on activities that facilitate persistence to degree completion of these target populations.
Administrative responsibilities include assisting with financial management and analysis; developing, planning and executing activities that promote the recruitment, retention and completion of the target graduate student population; reporting to the National Science Foundation (NSF); liaison to partner universities; and working closely with evaluators of the AGEP program.
Note
The position requires occasional travel, evening and weekend work.
Duties and Responsibilities
Program Development and Management (45%)
- Provide leadership for existing AGEP projects; coordinate and execute new project development to build upon AGEP successes to date under the direction of the Principal Investigators for the AGEP grants and Director for GSS.
- Collaborate with other researchers and program developers on long-range plans for the grants, acting as expert in recruitment and retention activity.
- Develop and oversee a work plan and timeline to meet project goals.
Collaborate with Principal Investigators to provide all project reports and proposals in a timely fashion. - Develop strong professional partnerships with faculty, staff and graduate students in graduate programs and departments at U-M and at partner institutions.
- Collaborate with staff in Graduate Student Success on projects and policies for intersecting activities.
- Develop budgets for AGEP programs, events, conferences and related activities.
- Train, plan, assign and oversee work activities of occasional (undergrad and grad) student employees and staff.
- Assist in the development of handbooks, brochures, and similar printed and web-based materials.
- Act as the M-Pathways research unit liaison.
Research and Evaluation (20%)
- Assist Graduate School staff with all assessment and evaluation efforts related to the grant.
- Oversee the development, writing and submission of related grant proposals.
- Participate in writing research reports and articles for publication.
- Present results of research at professional meetings and other forums.
- Assist in the development and execution of related surveys on student and faculty interests.
- Collect, analyze and summarize participant evaluation of program content to identify program areas in need of improvement.
Grant Administration (20%)
- Work closely with the leadership of the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), including the Principal Investigators and Director for Graduate Student Success at the Rackham Graduate School as well as with key faculty and administrators at the partner universities in Michigan and New York, to fulfill the purposes of the NSF grants.
- Monitor, implement and maintain accountability for the annual expenditures from the grant, ensuring compliance with NSF and DRDA regulations and required reporting.
- Ensure prompt and accurate financial procurement for all grant-related activity.
- Administer programs for postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars.
- Develop and maintain databases, filing systems and documentation for programs and events.
Project Coordination (15%)
- Oversee the planning and execution of regional, state and national meetings, conferences, site visits and related events.
- Partner with other departments, programs, units and student groups at U-M to develop and organize co-sponsored activities.
- Oversee development of an expanded website for Michigan AGEP Alliance.
- Work with staff in Graduate Student Success and other U-M offices to track and assess utility of varied recruitment efforts.
Department Qualifications
- Master’s degree in one of the STEM disciplines, or a related field in education or the social sciences; Ph.D. preferred.
- Six or more years of experience in recruitment, program development or research administration in higher education; experience in two or more of these areas preferred.
- Understanding, appreciation of, and strong personal commitment to the issues involved in diversity programming for students, particularly students of color and women in fields in which they are historically underrepresented.
- Ability to work closely with diverse individuals including representatives of state and national agencies and organizations, foundation staff, faculty, staff and student constituencies both at U-M and other universities.
- Knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the academic goals and issues in graduate education and of graduate student success topics from recruitment through career placement.
- Significant experience with research administration and related aspects of budget management; with public speaking, developing written resource materials and website content.
- Experience with the M-Pathways Student Administration and Financial system preferred.
- Understanding of and familiarity with the use and presentation of institutional, academic and administrative data.
- Reasonable, increasingly responsible experience as a successful member of a high-level support team in program development, management and coordination in a university setting, including staff work, program planning and administration.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise initiative, independent judgment, tact, diplomacy and a collaborative service-oriented attitude.
- Demonstrated organizational skills to plan, organize, manage and follow through on a large and diverse workload with excellent attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines in a timely manner.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, including the ability to exercise discretion and judgment in matters of a sensitive or confidential nature.
- Considerable knowledge of the University organizational structure, policies, procedures, and practices; and working familiarity with and appreciation of the diverse cultures of the schools, colleges, and units of the University.
- Must be willing and available to travel, as this job requires recruitment activities at universities and conferences across the United States and Puerto Rico that are best accomplished in person.
How To Apply
Please send your cover letter, current curriculum vitae, and contact information for 3-5 professional references to Dr. Mark Kamimura-Jimenez, Director of Graduate Student Success, at mkamimur@umich.edu. Calls will not be accepted. This position will remain posted until filled.