Graduate Community Fellows are a cadre of graduate students who work under the auspices of the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education on projects and assignments that enhance the life of graduate students in unique ways. Each Fellow works on specific assignments and reports to a staff person in the ODGE or in a partner organization.
General responsibilities
- Spend an average of 10 hours a week in duties as a Fellow during the appointment period
- Attend monthly Fellow Roundtables, and meet with members of the ODGE staff and the ODGE’s business partners as required
- Maintain project records as required
- Serve as a resource to other graduate students
- Submit a year-end report on progress to the supervisor and the Graduate Community Fellows Program Coordinator
Achieving Careers in Engineering and Sciences (ACES)
This Fellow supports the Office Engineering Outreach Programs (OEOP) in the MIT School of Engineering initiatives by working closely with, and reporting to, the OEOP Manager of Community Outreach Programs for the ACES Program. ACES is a mentorship program that introduces high school students in grades 9 – 11 to career paths in engineering and sciences. By bringing together high school students with MIT graduate students, the program will: 1) teach a variety of important life skills for high school, college, graduate school and beyond; 2) demystify college and graduate school; and 3) encourage students to set and reach for their career goals. This program focuses on increasing a student’s chances of viewing college and graduate school as an attainable goal and comfortable space for growth, development, and success.
The appointment period is October 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Outreach to a broad cross-section of the graduate student community to draw a large, diverse group of students into the project’s work
- Work with OEOP staff and the identified students to develop leadership workshops for Boston and Cambridge public high school students on college application preparation, financial aid, and other topics
- Manage the review of ACES applications and selection process with OEOP Community Outreach Staff, consisting of Manager and Program Assistant
- Develop syllabus of activities/workshops for seven Saturday ACES sessions
- Coordinate and direct ACES sessions, mentor meetings after ACES sessions and pre-program planning meetings
- Work with OEOP staff and the identified students to develop seminars focused on helping parents prepare their students for graduate school
- Develop and execute a marketing strategy for the workshops and seminars
- Recruit MIT graduate students to host and facilitate the on-site workshops and seminars, and to write evaluations
- Serve as liaison between OEOP, the MIT graduate community, and Boston and Cambridge high schools and/or community-based organizations
- Draw other graduate students into a leadership team to articulate revised action items for next academic year
- Ensure the highest level of ACES programming
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Creative thinking; ability to take initiative and self-motivate; willingness to work as a team and ability to work independantly. Must demonstrate strong communication (including interpersonal and writing) and organizational skills. Attention to detail and strong management skills. Interest in education and outreach. Access to a car or knowledge of public transportation in Boston and Cambridge preferred.
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Addir Fellows – MIT Interfaith Dialogue
This Fellow supports the Addir Fellows–MIT Interfaith Dialogue by working alongside and meeting weekly with the Coordinator/Director of the program. The appointment period is September 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Attend 3-4 weekly 1 hour small-dialogue sessions:
- Identify and, with coordinator, troubleshoot issues and dynamics that weaken the process of engaging in meaningful dialogue. While Addir Fellows have agreed to attend weekly small-dialogue meetings and monthly (Sept., Oct., Nov., Feb., Mar., Apr.) Addir Fellow dinners and community-wide events, the Graduate Community Fellow will build relationships with those who are having troubleliving up to these commitments, will assess why absences occur and encourage regular attendance.
- With group members, will help implement an established process and procedure for identifying areas and topics for small-dialogue meeting discussions.
- Be available to Fellows as a resource and link to coordinator.
- Prior to the weekly meeting, contact the fellow responsible for that week’s topic to ensure adequate preparation and communication with the rest of the group.
- Help provide snacks to enhance ambiance of weekly meetings.
- Establish him/herself as liaison and overall support to dialogue groups.
- Work with coordinator on communication and fund-raising activities with graduates of Addir.
- Work with coordinator to create plan for evaluating Addir Fellows program.
- Create/maintain web related ventures to enhance communication between fellows (current and Addir graduates).
- Work with coordinator to determine other projects to enhance overall programming.
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Willingness to work as a team; strong organizational and writing skills; ability to work independantly.
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Alumni partnership for diversity
This Fellow supports the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education’s diversity initiatives by working closely with, and reporting to, the Assistant Dean for Graduate Education. He or she also works with other offices on campus (undergraduate admissions and alumni in particular). The appointment period covers the spring semester. The work includes the following:
- Determine current practices for using alumni to recruit new students
- Examine where there may be room for collaboration
- Devise and implement a strategy to build relationships with underrepresented minority graduate alumni in the key cities that have been identified
- Produce a model to train alumni ambassadors that can represent MIT at local recruiting events and serve as mentors to current URM graduate students via MentorNet
- Partner with other Fellows on mutually beneficial projects
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Conference experience (participation in events as a student attendee is sufficient); willingness to work as a team; strong organizational skills; ability to work independently.
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Committee on Race and Diversity
This Fellow supports the Institute’s Committee on Race and Diversity (CRD), particularly on the design and execution of community-wide events that foster diversity and inclusion. Among the planned events for 2011-2012 are the annual MLK breakfast, a speaker series, an Institute-wide diversity summit, and an Institute-wide book group. The appointment period includes IAP through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Participate in CRD meetings (third Friday of the month in fall, second Friday in the spring, 9:00 – 10:30am)
- Under the supervision of CRD Co-Chair, Professor Emma Teng, serve as a resource in support of the Speaker Series and other CRD events and programs
- Suggesting other community-wide educational events
- Work with representatives from the Graduate Student Council on coordinating outreach to graduate students and faculty
- Work on the CRD website
- Update the diversity course list
- Work to connect with living groups in forming the book group
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Project management and organization experience; oral and written communication skills; web management experience, particularly Drupal, preferred; familiarity with social networking communications; ability to work independently and with a team approach.
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Community-wide Program on Violence Against Women
This Fellow supports the Community-wide Program on Violence against Women by working closely with, and reporting to, the Associate Coordinator of Technology and Culture Forum. The fellow will also work with Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) and the Program for Violence Prevention & Response (VPR). The appointment period is September 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Outreach to a broad cross-section of the graduate student community to draw a large, diverse group of students into the project’s work
- Outreach to graduate student communities at nearby universities, as appropriate, to collaborate on inter-institution events
- Ensuring the project focuses on particular issues of importance to the MIT graduate student community through coordination with the International Students Office, the GSC, Spouses & Partners @ MIT, ODGE, the Board of Chaplains, MIT Medical and other offices
- Meeting with faculty, graduate students, and outside guests (NGO leaders, survivors of violence, journalists) and others with expertise to develop panel discussions, interactive events, and to improve programs
- Overseeing development and updating of a website for the program
- Creating and maintaining a Facebook page on the program, including initiating and moderating discussion topics and linking to resources
- Tracking involvement and attendance at events and conducting follow-up interviews to assess impact
- Drawing other graduate students into a leadership team to plan and lead an action or service project related to the issue in the spring semester
- Using knowledge of graduate community, other MIT offices, and violence in
general to aid VPR in developing, implementing, evaluating, and refining
a violence prevention program for single graduate residences - Working with VPR to plan and carry out activities for Sexual Assault
Awareness Week, and work to increase student and community attendance at
events - Collaborating with WGS on potential programming and reading/discussion groups relevant to the End Violence campaign.
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Strong community-organizing skills; strong communication skills; experience with project planning; team focus.
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Graduate Accomplishments: Writer
This Fellow supports communications in the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education by working closely with, and reporting to, the ODGE Communications Officer. The appointment period is September 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Work with the Student Snapshots Videographer to identify grad students doing great research, that meet the ODGE selection criteria
- Maintain shared lists of graduate accomplishments (publications, awards, etc.)
- Work with the Communications Officer to elevate the visibility of the various accomplishments, including writing pieces for ODGE News
- Work with the Snapshots Videograher to interview graduate students about their work and life, focusing on the “whole person”
- Write a synopsis of the Snapshot student’s research and its implications (this will be a companion piece to the Videographer’s video)
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Excellent writing and interviewing skills; ability to meet deadlines; enjoys working on a team.
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Graduate orientation
This Fellow supports the Graduate Student Council’s initiatives by reporting to the GSC’s Financial Administrator, and working closely with the GSC leadership team. The appointment period is June 15 through October 15. The work includes the following:
- Help plan events and programs that best serve the vision and goals of GSC Orientation
- Assess and analyze the progress of event preparation progress and event registration
- Serve as a liaison between CAC, GSC Orientation chairs, and related MIT administrators
- Work closely with GSC web master to maintain and improve orientation website; update orientation calendar and incoming student sign-up system
- Spearhead creation and incorporation of orientation logo into all orientation publicity materials
- Work with the MIT COOP to select color schemes and designs for orientation t-shirts, both for incoming students and volunteers
- Design flyers, posters, and bookmarks for event publicity
- Record orientation events in text and pictures, assist with final orientation survey and report
- Convene focus groups to identify student needs, interests, and experiences
- Participate in documentation of event planning and good practices
- Aid the Graduate Student Council in communicating services and announcements to the student population
- Conduct the majority of this work during regular office hours held at GSC headquarters
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Web development; event planning experience; willingness to work as a team; strong organizational skills; ability to work independently.
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GSC Communications Fellow
This Fellow supports the Graduate Student Council’s initiatives by working closely
with, and reporting to, the GSC’s Publications and Publicity Board and the GSC Officers.
The appointment period is September 15 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Provide support for the Graduate Student News team including, but not limited to: developing layouts, copy editing, accruing written/graphical content from contributors;
- Develop templates for general GSC communication and publicity efforts;
- Prepare and update pertinent news items for display on the GSC website;
- Develop strategies for the website to maximize accessibility;
- Devise mechanisms to promote the GSC brand among the graduate student body;
- Assess the modes of communication to the graduate student community;
- Develop and implement methods to improve the communication channels between the GSC and the graduate student body;
- Foster communication channels between the ODGE and the GSC.
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Attention to detail; graphic design experience (preferred); excellent oral and written communication skills; willingness to work as a team; strong organizational skills; ability to work independently.
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Graduate School Clinic
This Fellow supports the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education’s diversity initiatives by working closely with, and reporting to, the MSRP & Recruitment Coordinator. The Graduate School Clinic is a workshop that teaches underclassmen at minority-serving institutions how to plan their undergraduate trajectories so as to be strong graduate school candidates come senior year. The appointment period is July 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Schedule Graduate School Clinics
- Present Clinics at targeted minority-serving institutions
- Edit Clinic materials as needed
- Train interested graduate students on conducting Clinics
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Willingness to travel; ability to work as a team; event planning experience; strong organizational skills
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Graduate Student Life Grants
This Fellow supports the Graduate Student Life Grants program by working closely with, and reporting to, the ODGE Communicatinos Officer. The appointment period is September 1 through June 30. The work includes the following:
- Assist with plans for marketing and promotion of grant activities, including website development, email notices, posters, poster sessions
- Maintain the wiki that documents all aspects of the grant process
- Serve as a member of the Grant Selection Panel
- Maintain a master list of grant project timelines; collect periodic reports from grant authors and assist with their publication for the Dean’s Selection Panel and, in edited versions, for the website
- Act as primary contact to grant authors and provide support as required
- Publicize the request-for-proposal process
- Create and/or implement a plan for evaluating projects; as needed, develop plans to integrate the best ideas into the ongoing work of the ODGE (or other Institute organizations)
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Demonstrated commitment to community building activities; experience in organizing events; strong communication skills; excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines; enjoys working on a team.
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MSRP/CONVERGE Alumni Engagement
This Fellow supports the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education’s diversity initiatives by working closely with, and reporting to, the MSRP & Recruitment Coordinator. He or she should be familiar with the MSRP and CONVERGE programs run by the ODGE. The appointment period is September 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Create and execute programming to promote the personal, academic and professional development of MSRP/CONVERGE alumni that are now graduate students at MIT
- Devise strategies to engage area program alumni who are not at MIT
- Partner with other Fellows on mutually beneficial projects
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Willingness to work as a team; strong organizational skills; ability to work independently; event planning experience.
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Programs for international students
This Fellow supports programs and events for the international graduate student population at MIT, by working closely with, and reporting to, the Associate Dean and Director of the International Students Office. The appointment period is September 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Plan, implement, and evaluate programs and events that support the international graduate student community
- Assist in creation of programmatic opportunities that facilitate interaction between international graduate students and their domestic graduate student colleagues
- Interact with departments, administrative offices, and student groups with which the ODGE partners or whose activities the ODGE funds
- Develop marketing tools for programs and events
- Convene focus groups and/or conduct internal surveys to identify international student needs, interests, and experiences
- Partner with other Fellows on mutually beneficial projects
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Strong organizational and writing skills; ability to work independently; creative thinker.
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Programs for women
This Fellow supports graduate student programs and events for women by working closely with, and reporting to, the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education. The appointment period will begin on August 1, and continue through the May 31, 2012. The work includes the following:
- Plan, implement, and evaluate programs and events that promote the professional and leadership development of graduate women students
- Assist in creation and stewardship of opportunities for graduate women to build and broaden networks of support to enhance the graduate experience
- 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 ODGE partners or whose activities the ODGE 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
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Strong organizational skills; strong communication skills; experience with project planning; enjoys working on a team.
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Resources for Easing Friction and Stress (REFS)
This Fellow supports marketing, programs, events, and assessment for the REFS (Resources for Easing Friction and Stress) Programs by working closely with and reporting to the Assistant Director of the Office of Student Citizenship, Director Student Mediation. The appointment period is September 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Assist in designing and implementing approaches to assess and document the successes and challenges of REFS programs
- Continue to populate REFS wiki with resources
- Assist with programs for REFS through the semester
- Partner with other Fellows on mutually beneficial projects
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Strong organizational and writing skills; ability to work independently; creative thinker; wiki development skills.
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Videographer: Black History Project
This Fellow supports communications for the Black History at MIT Project by working closely with, and reporting to, the project Historian and Project Manager. The appointment period is September 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Work with the project team to identify black students and other black members of the MIT community doing great work, that meet the Black History Project selection criteria
- Work with the project team to tape interviews with community members about their work and life
- Edit the video for publishing online at http://blackhistory.mit.edu
- Edit content previously videotaped for publication
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Excellent interviewing skills; familiarity with video and editing equipment; ability to meet deadlines; enjoys working on a team.
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Videographer: Student Snapshots
This Fellow supports communications in the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education by working closely with, and reporting to, the ODGE Communications Officer. The appointment period is September 1 through May 31. The work includes the following:
- Work with the Science Writing Fellow to identify grad students doing great research, that meet the ODGE selection criteria
- Work with the Graduate Accomplishments: Writing Fellow to tape interviews with graduate students about their work and life, focusing on the “whole person”
- Edit the video for publishing online (this will be a companion piece to the Graduate Accomplishements synopsis)
- Also note general responsibilities above
Skills
Excellent interviewing skills; familiarity with video and editing equipment; ability to meet deadlines; enjoys working on a team.
