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; details about all current positions are found on the “Current Fellow positions” page.
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:
Starting Immediately
Career Advising & Professional Development (CAPD) – Programs for Women
This Fellow supports graduate student programs and events for women by working closely with, and reporting to CAPD.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
- Plan, implement, and evaluate programs and events that promote the professional and leadership development of graduate women students, including the annual Path of Professorship workshop.
- Assist in creation and stewardship of opportunities for graduate women to build and broaden networks of support to enhance the graduate experience; past examples include Mens et Manus et Salus and a celebration of graduate women.
- Assist in designing and implementing approaches to assess and document the success of programmatic efforts.
- Interact with departments, administrative offices, and student groups with which the OGE partners or whose activities the OGE funds.
- Develop marketing tools for programs and events.
- Convene focus groups to identify student needs, interests, and experiences.
- Partner with other Fellows on mutually beneficial projects.
Skills and Qualifications:
Strong organizational skills; strong communication skills; experience with project planning; enjoys working on a team. Background in science or engineering. Candidates should be interested in holding the position for two years.
Office of Graduate Education (OGE) – Experience Grants
This Fellow supports the administration of the Graduate Student Experience Grants and the Graduate Residential Community Grants programs. The position reports the Sr. Program Administrator, Graduate Student Experience in the Office of Graduate Education (OGE).
Tasks & Responsibilities:
Experience Grants (85%)
- Serve as the primary contact for the programs and provide support as needed.
- Manage the marketing and promotion of grant activities, including website development, email notices, and posters.
- Evaluate grant applications and provide feedback for funding decisions.
- Prepare materials for the Graduate Residential Community Grants committee and present at committee meetings.
- Communicate with grant authors for project related updates and reminders.
- Maintain a master list of grant processes; update and maintain forms, documents and the grants database.
- Develop an annual report that highlights grant utilization and outcomes.
- Suggest updates to the overall grants process to improve program marketing and administration.
Program Support (15%)
- Collaborate with the GCF, Program Development to plan activities for the GCF program.
- Provide support to OGE sponsored community programs as applicable.
Skills and Qualifications:
Demonstrated commitment to community building activities; experience in organizing events, preferably at MIT; strong communication skills; excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines; enjoys working on a team.
Office of Graduate Education (OGE) – GCF Program Development
This Fellow supports the administration of the Graduate Community Fellows (GCF) program. The position reports the Sr. Program Administrator, Graduate Student Experience in the Office of Graduate Education (OGE).
Tasks & Responsibilities:
Graduate Community Fellows (85%)
- Serve as the primary contact for the GCF program for applicants and current fellows; promote engagement in the GCF Slack channel.
- Manage the marketing and promotion of the program, including website development, email notices, and posters.
- Develop and maintain onboarding materials and processes for new fellows.
- Plan 4-5 events for the fellows throughout the academic year to promote community building.
- Maintain a master list of processes; update and maintain forms, documents and the GCF database.
- Develop an annual report that highlights program outcomes.
- Suggest updates to general processes to improve program marketing and administration.
Program Support (15%)
- Collaborate with the GCF, Experience Grants to advertise the program and provide support as needed.
- Provide support to OGE sponsored community programs as applicable.
Skills and Qualifications:
Demonstrated commitment to community building activities; experience in organizing events, preferably at MIT; strong communication skills; excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines; enjoys working on a team.
Office of Minority Education (OME) – Supporting Women of Color
The Graduate Community Fellow will collaborate with the Office of Minority Education (OME) staff in the development and implementation of a new program to support the continued success of undergraduate Women of Color at MIT. By working closely with, and reporting to, Program Assistant, Academic Success, the fellow will help develop and strengthen each cohort by identifying and conducting workshop for undergraduate women of color in order to better understand their concerns and needs. In addition, the fellow will research best practices and proven strategies for women of color initiatives that have worked at similar institutions. All of this data will be used to strengthen the CRWN initiative, including strengthening the identity of the program, branding and marketing the program, and fully implementing the program.
The fellow will also assist with administrative duties, such as selecting students for the program, program operations, and other duties as appropriate. The fellow will contribute to an array of programming that will enhance the growth and success of undergraduate women of color including their belonging, health and wellbeing, academic and career advancement (including graduate school), identity, communication skills, interpersonal skills, leadership and mentoring, personal and professional development, networking, social responsibility, financial responsibility, etc. All are essential for the holistic development and success of our women of color undergraduates.
Tasks & Responsibilities:
- Assist with identifying a faculty mentor to the CRWN program
- Interview key campus stakeholders to gather information and knowledge regarding which programmatic components are essential for this program
- Assist in establishing a critical tie to women of color graduate students by helping to select a core group of grad mentors; developing a graduate education curriculum in collaboration with OGE GradDiversity and the Grad Catalyst program.
- Research (including a literary review) best practices and proven strategies for success of Women of Color programs
- Assist in the development of the program identity/name, brand, marketing materials, and social media presence
- Assist in the development of the program components, the curriculum, workshops, format, application materials, etc.
- Assist in the selection of each cohort of students to participate in the program, and
- Assist with other related duties as needed
Skills and Qualifications:
Strong organizational, presentation, writing, and interpersonal skills; ability to meet deadlines; interest in program development and management; passion for building community and helping undergraduate women of color students grow and thrive; experience or interest in managing or contributing to a social media presence; etc. Women of color graduate students are encouraged to apply.
PKG Center – Community Engaged Learning
The PKG Center for Public Service is the epicenter of public service at MIT. It is a small collegial and welcoming office. The PKG Center’s overarching goals are to tap and expand MIT students’ unique skills and interests to prepare them to explore and address complex social and environmental challenges. We educate students to collaborate ethically and effectively with community partners to engage in meaningful public service, today and in their lives beyond MIT.
The Graduate Community Engagement Fellow will work closely with the Assistant Dean for Community Based Programs to support the development of community engaged learning initiatives at the PKG Center. The fellow’s projects will focus on research and programming that supports PKG’s efforts to provide technical assistance for community engaged learning across MIT through partnerships with faculty, graduate students, and DLCs.
Tasks & Responsibilities:
- Conduct a landscape analysis of community engaged learning at MIT
- Research existing faculty efforts with community engaged learning at MIT
- Create inventory of existing community engaged classes
- Develop list of faculty/graduate students who are eager to explore community engaged learning models and pedagogy
- Integrate the data related to community engaged learning at MIT into existing PKG Airtable databases
- Research existing community engaged learning at peer institutions
- Support the development of community engaged learning workshops and communities of practice for faculty and graduate students
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.
