The Graduate Community Fellows program offers a sustained and systematic method of building graduate community at MIT, especially in the directions of interest for the OGE.
In addition, the Fellows have the opportunity to interact intimately with administrators, advocate for student interests, and gain valuable leadership experience.
— former Fellow
Graduate Community Fellows are a cadre of graduate students who work on projects and assignments that enhance graduate community in unique ways. Each Fellow reports to a staff member in the OGE or in a partner organization, and focuses on a specific project. Current open positions are listed in the section below.
As a cadre, Fellows meet regularly to coordinate efforts, and to pool their observations and reflections. They have the opportunity to advise the OGE about the needs of the graduate student community, and serve as an important conduit for informing the OGE about the graduate student experience.
To serve as a Graduate Community Fellow, a graduate student must meet minimal eligibility requirements and agree to the terms of appointment (below). Appointment periods for Fellow positions vary.
Open Positions:
CAPD – Graduate Professional Development
The Graduate Professional Development Fellows collaborate on professional development programs and initiatives within Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD) by working closely with, and reporting to, the Assistant Director and Associate Director of Professional Development. The goal of this position is to aid in the creation and delivery of new professional development opportunities for PhD students while exploring issues and best practices in graduate professional development. The Fellows will contribute to an array of programming seeking to catalyze growth within seven competencies: career advancement, communication, interpersonal skills, leadership and mentoring, personal development, social responsibility, and teaching, each of which are essential in order to rise in both academic careers and careers beyond academia. The Fellows will also serve as a vital point of connection to the MIT PhD student body.
Tasks & Responsibilities:
- Create and promote professional development programs and activities in collaboration with the CAPD Grad PD team, taking the lead on one event or workshop per semester.
- Contribute to the Grad PD’s social media, website presence and visibility on campus.
- Contribute to identification of the professional development needs of graduate students
- Contribute to support of Grad PD’s programs (Mentoring Circles, Professional Development Certificate programs)
- Assist with special projects to celebrate graduate students and their professional development accomplishments.
Skills & Qualifications
Strong organizational, presentation, writing, and interpersonal skills; experience managing or contributing to a social media presence; ability to meet deadlines; interest in professional development and exploration, passion for building community and helping fellow MIT PhD colleagues to grow and thrive.
ORSEL – Radius Program
Program Description:
At Radius, our mission is to challenge uncritical narratives of progress and to provide space for ethical reflection among scientists, engineers, and technologists. We do so through
- Public programming on ethical issues in our professional fields and at MIT itself;
- Individual student mentoring and the creation of communities of reflection;
- The Leitch Ethics Seminars, curricular opportunities for MIT students to consider ethics in their daily lives.
Radius is an affiliated program in MIT’s Office of Religious, Spiritual and Ethical Life.
Tasks & Responsibilities:
- Meet weekly with Director for purposes of coordination and supervision (10%)
- Assist with program design and development (35%)
- Meet biweekly with larger Radius team (director, Harvard Divinity School field ed student, and occasionally the ORSEL program assistant) for planning purposes.
- Each semester, take the lead on one or more public programs, including program design, logistics, and facilitation.
- Take charge of advertising and promotion for all public programs, particularly among graduate students.
- Attend Radius programs to assist with set-up, facilitation, and clean-up.
- Extend the conversation to the broader graduate community as an ambassador of Radius and ethical reflection (35%)
- Seek partnerships with other student groups and with graduate student residential life to build conversations about ethics at MIT.
- Recruit graduate student collaborators for Radius events and programs and attend planning meetings between these students and the Radius director.
- Attend other organizations’ events as an ambassador of Radius.
- Deepen and sustain the program (20%)
- Attend biannual meetings with the Steering Committee.
- Represent Radius at public events and tabling sessions.
- Work with Director to determine other projects to enhance overall programming.
- Participate in other tasks and special projects that may arise.
Skills & Qualifications
Strong organizational and writing skills; ability to work independently; comfort interacting with others in group settings; capacity for self-reflection; strong interest in ethics and/or social justice; some familiarity with graduate student community across disciplines; comfort with program’s affiliation with the Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life (ORSEL).
Applications
Applications for open positions should be submitted through this link. They will be reviewed as they are submitted; positions will be filled ASAP but some may not begin until the beginning of the next semester. Please contact gcf-admin@mit.edu with any questions.
Eligibility
- All graduate students who are registered and in good standing in a full time degree program at MIT for the current academic year are eligible to apply. (An international student who has full support in the form of an RA or TA is not eligible during regular academic terms – see Graduate Policies and Procedures for more information.)
- Fellows must be in the Boston/Cambridge area for the term of their position. A student in nonresident doctoral thesis research status, or thesis-in-absentia status, is not eligible to apply.
- Applicants must have been enrolled at MIT for at least one regular semester (fall / spring) prior to applying.
- Applicants on NSF GFRP who are on tenure are not eligible to work
- Renewal of a position is not automatic. Current or previous GCFs who wish to be renewed should speak with their supervisor.
Terms of position
- The typical Graduate Community Fellow position is often for two or more semesters and can continue into the summer term. See position descriptions for position-specific information.
- Graduate Community Fellows will receive $850 per month for 10 hours a week working on GCF tasks. Duties are outlined in each position’s description.
- You are only permitted to hold one graduate community fellow position at a time. Also please review MIT hourly employment guidelines for graduate students that can be found here
- A Fellow can be dismissed prior to agreed upon timeline for conduct considered detrimental to the Office of Graduate Education, or for failure to accomplish their responsibilities as a Graduate Community Fellow. Should one be dismissed, the payments will cease. If the OGE and GCF’s supervisor determine that the person accepted GCF payments during a time period in which the position responsibilities were not met, the OGE may pursue reimbursement of the payments from the Fellow.
Request a new position
MIT Offices interested in establishing a new graduate community fellow position should first reach out to gcf-admin@mit.edu for instructions on how to develop a proposal. All proposals must include a position description detailing the role, responsibilities, and a list of specific, concrete tasks. Supervisors must regularly meet with their fellow for mentoring and advising as well as report annually on progress. Supervisors may also anticipate some meetings with the program administrator and other supervisors throughout the year.
