Graduate Student Staff Assistant

How to Apply

To apply, please submit the following materials outlined below via the applicant portal: cover letter, resume, and transcript. These documents must be submitted as one single .pdf file. To learn how to merge multiple documents in Adobe, check out this resource. If you encounter any issues submitting documents via the applicant portal, email Mateen Zafer, School of Public Health Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Program Manager: mzafer@umich.edu.

Applicants who do not submit the following documents will not be considered:

• Cover Letter
  • A cover letter is required for consideration for this position because it:
    • will help the selection committee better understand the larger context and impact of the experience that your resume reflects.
    • will allow the selection committee to understand your particular approach to the core focus area of the position: student engagement.
  • The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position, and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position. If you have previously held a staff position, internship, or student organization role tasked with engaging student communities, please highlight these experiences on your cover letter.
  • In your cover letter, please answer these questions:
    • What is your University affiliation and year in graduate studies?
    • Over the past year, we have made a significant effort to build a stronger connection with SPH students and have been largely successful in that work. In the coming year, we would like to leverage our success to build up efforts around student professional development and advocacy training. Please share your thoughts on what are the most pressing needs around student professional development in the DEI space and offer at least one idea for how we begin meeting that need.
• Current resume
• Current transcript
• If selected as a finalist, contact information (email and phone) for three professional references and a letter or e-mail from your academic advisor confirming that you are in good academic standing, not on fellowship support, and are approved for a 50% appointment (PLEASE NOTE: this information may be submitted separately and upon request.

Summary

The School of Public Health, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Team is hiring a Graduate Student Staff Assistant (GSSA) for the Academic Year 2024-2025. We are seeking a thoughtful and dynamic student with a commitment to contributing to a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all members of our community.

Application Deadline: Sunday, March 24 at 11:59 PM EST

Virtual Information Session: Friday, March 8th from 3-4 PM. Please use this LINK to learn more & RSVP. A link to the recording of this session will be added to this job post for those who aren't able to attend.

Mission Statement

A strength of the SPH community is its commitment to attracting, training and engaging students, faculty and staff from different backgrounds, cultures, values and perspectives. We seek to create an environment that invites and values the contributions of everyone so that we can fulfill our public health mission. Toward this end, we are committed to honest and respectful dialogue, treating everyone with dignity and respect, and managing tensions and different viewpoints with maturity, sensitivity and as growth opportunities. We view this approach to diversity as fundamental to achieving our educational, research, practice and professional development goals because it provides opportunities for us to expand our horizons, learn from each other and do our best work.

Course Description

Appointment Period: Fall 2024 and Winter 2025

Estimated FTE: 50% (20 hours per week)

Compensation: This appointment provides tuition, required fees, stipend (at the GEO negotiated GSSA monthly rate), GradCare health insurance and dental insurance (Option 1).

Location & Schedule: Hybrid Work Environment with flexible work schedule. One day a week in person at SPH I (1415 Washington Heights). Cubicle space for DEI student staff.

Responsibilities*

• As a member of the DE&I Team, your primary responsibilities will focus on fostering student engagement and DEI-related student professional development within the School of Public Health.
  • This portfolio may include:
    • Research and fact-finding on student needs, capacities, and interests
    • Planning or developing learning and training opportunities for students
    • Developing marketing plans and materials for student-focused programming
    • Liaising with SPH Student Organization DEI Leaders & SPH Student Life
• Attend bi-weekly 1:1 meetings with DEI Program Manager (DEI PM) and bi-weekly team meetings with DEI PM and DEI Program Assistant

Required Qualifications*

• Experience with issues in student development, leadership development, and/or equity issues in higher education
• Experience developing student engagement tools & programming
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, prioritization, and follow-through
• Ability to work collaboratively or independently, as the task requires
• Familiarity with the following software:
  • Online content creation tools (ex: Canva)
  • Microsoft and Google productivity tools including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation programs
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work and communicate effectively and professionally, in both written and verbal form, with the University community as well as external constituents

Desired Qualifications*

Preference will be given to doctoral students who have reached candidacy, as well as second year Master's students. The work described for this position must be considered academically relevant by the department or degree program in which the student is enrolled.

Contact Information

Questions regarding this position may be emailed to Mateen Zafer - mzafer@umich.edu.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of fourteen calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the fifteenth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

Decision Making Process

Dr. Whitney Peoples, School of Public Health DEI Director, Hitomi Katsumi, School of Public Health DEI Administrative Assistant, and Mateen Zafer, School of Public Health DEI Program Manager, will determine the final selection regarding this hire.

Every effort will be made to notify all applicants regarding a hiring decision by Friday, April 26, 2024.

Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed following the posting deadline and selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. References will be contacted for finalists.

GEO Contract Information

The University will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, familial status, parental status or pregnancy status, sex, gender identity or expression (whether actual or perceived), sexual orientation, age, height, weight, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, HIV antibody status, political belief, membership in any social or political organization, participation in a grievance or complaint whether formal or informal, medical conditions including those related to pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, arrest record, or any other factor where the item in question will not interfere with job performance and where the employee is otherwise qualified. The University of Michigan agrees to abide by the protections afforded employees with disabilities as outlined in the rules and regulations which implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Information for the Office for Institutional Equity may be found at https://oie.umich.edu/ and for the University Ombuds at https://ombuds.umich.edu/

Unsuccessful applications will be retained for consideration in the event that there are last minute openings for available positions. In the event that an employee does not receive their preferred assignment, they can request a written explanation or an in-person interview with the hiring agents(s) to be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time.

This position, as posted, is subject to a collective bargaining agreement between the Regents of the University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees' Organization, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO 3550.

Standard Practice Guide 601.38, Required Disclosure of Felony Charges and/or Felony Convictions applies to all Graduate Student Assistants (GSAs). SPG 601.38 may be accessed online at https://spg.umich.edu/policy/601.38 , and its relation to your employment can be found in MOU 10 of your employment contract.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.