Graduate Assistant - Student Union - Programming & Events - Fall 2026

Description

As the center of student life on campus, the Elliott Student Union (ESU) is a welcoming space dedicated to providing facilities, services, and programs while supporting educational life in an environment that fosters community and enhances the campus experience.

Examples of Duties

• Fully support the ESU’s mission and assist in executing it across various phases
• Plan, coordinate, schedule, and attend events and traffic-generating programs sponsored by the Elliott Student Union and Union Bowling Center, including signature events such as Welcome Experience, The Union Birthday, Holiday Market, and Bowling with The Bests
• Manage event logistics, including making reservations in 25Live, confirming set-up arrangements, and working closely with guest artists, vendors, sponsors, student organizations, Union partners, academic departments, and other offices to ensure successful event execution and an enhanced student experience outside the classroom
• Evaluate events to assess successes and identify areas for improvement to strengthen future programming
• Create and maintain partnership databases to document collaboration history
• Oversee concessions inventory management
• Collaborate with the Elliott Student Union Marketing team to support event promotion and marketing initiatives
• Supervise and schedule Program Assistants
• Assist in Union Operations, including opening, closing, supervising the facility, supporting frontline service areas (Information Desk, Union Bowling Center, The Mule Post, Union Cinema, etc.), answering phones, and working cooperatively to provide seamless, high-quality customer service
• Partner with other Graduate Assistants and full-time staff to plan monthly and semester-based student employee trainings
• Perform other duties as assigned
  
  

Education

Typical Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree Required
• Currently admitted to a UCM graduate degree program
• 3.0 or higher graduate level GPA if previous graduate level courses have been taken
• 2.7 or higher undergraduate level GPA if no previous graduate level courses have been taken
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Attention to detail
• Budget-related skills
• Communication skills, including oral, written, and/or nonverbal
• Human Relations/ Interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and meet deadlines
• Efficiency at Google Suite
• Knowledge of a University environment
  
  

Supplemental Information

GA Type: Student Affairs

GA Hour Expectations: 20 hours a week

Start Date of Position: 08/10/2026

End Date of Position: 12/11/2026

Total Stipend for Semester: $4,950.00

Working Days & Hours: Varies - 20 hours per week

Scholarship: Students filling a Graduate Assistantship (GA) position are eligible to receive a graduate tuition waiver, a graduate non-resident tuition waiver (if applicable), and a graduate mandatory fees waiver. The scholarships are in the form of a waiver and the funds are not deposited into the student’s personal account. Instead, the student’s bill is reduced by the amount of the scholarship awarded. If the maximum amount of the scholarship is not used, the remainder is not paid to the student in any form and unused scholarship money cannot be carried over to another semester. The scholarship is applied to graduate level courses only; courses taken for undergraduate credit are not eligible to be covered by the GA scholarship. The non-resident fee scholarship only applies to classes taken on the UCM Warrensburg campus. The maximum scholarship amounts are based on the size of assistantship held. For a full (20-hour per week) assistantship, the scholarship covers tuition costs and mandatory fees up to 12 credit hours of graduate coursework per semester. Graduate assistantship positions less than full will be prorated accordingly.

Special Working Conditions

• On-call/standby work required
• Irregular work hours, including evenings and weekends
• May assist with facility opening and closing during inclement weather
• Ability to work in stressful conditions
  
  

Additional Compensation:

• Parking permit
• On-campus housing (if available)
  
  

Special Instructions

Full-time staff & 12-month faculty benefits-eligible position: Benefits include competitive salary; health, dental, vision, life insurance, AD & D, long-term disability; 3 weeks paid vacation per year; 3 weeks of accrued sick leave per year; 13 paid holidays; retirement; and generous education assistance for an employee, spouse and dependent children taking classes at UCM.

9-month faculty benefits-eligible position: Benefits include competitive salary; health, dental, vision, life insurance, AD & D, long-term disability; 3 weeks of accrued sick leave per year; 13 paid holidays; retirement; and generous education assistance for an employee, spouse and dependent children taking classes at UCM.

Part-time benefits-eligible positions: Benefits include generous education assistance for the employee.

Temporary, adjunct, student employment, or graduate assistant positions: Benefits are not included.

Completed UCM online application for employment required. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

A review will begin immediately and continue until filled unless indicated otherwise.

NOTE: A background check is required for the selected candidate of all staff, faculty, adjunct, and temporary positions and any job offer is contingent on the results of this check. Student employees and graduate assistants do not require a background check to be conducted prior to employment.

The University of Central Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Our faculty and staff are the university’s most valuable asset, and our goal is to provide a robust Total Rewards Program designed to help them maintain a happy, healthy, and productive lifestyle.

Highlights from UCM's total rewards package for full-time employees include:

• 30.25% (staff) and 6% (faculty) defined retirement contribution, paid by the university;
• Voluntary Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA) programs (403(b) and 457(b)) that allow eligible employees to make additional pre-tax contributions to a retirement plan;
• Employees can earn up to full tuition (15 credit hours) for themselves per academic year. Full-time employees are also eligible for up to $175 towards non-credit courses each fiscal year. Employees can earn up to full tuition for their dependents;
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans that begin on the first of the month following your date of hire. Basic dental and vision insurance paid at 100% by the university;
• Available Health and Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts;
• University-paid basic life insurance (including accidental death and dismemberment) and short-term and long-term disability insurance coverage;
• Generous leave accruals that begin accruing on your start date, plus 14 paid holidays per year.
• The UCM Childcare Center on the Warrensburg campus can provide faculty, staff, and students quality care for their children ages six weeks to 10 years.
• The Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC) is free for all employees and is located on the Warrensburg campus.
• An Employee Assistance Program is available to all employees and their immediate family members to help assist with personal challenges you may face in your daily life;
• UCM offers an Employee Discount Program through Working Advantage.
  
  

To learn more about the wonderful benefits available as a University of Central Missouri employee, visit our benefits page!