About State University of New York at Fredonia:

The State University of New York at Fredonia is a comprehensive, selective, public, residential, liberal arts university located in beautiful Western New York, just minutes from Lake Erie. Founded in 1826, the university is among the most storied in the State University of New York system and is the first in the SUNY system to be awarded the SUNY Shared Governance Award. It is home to a world-renowned School of Music and over 100 degree programs in the liberal arts, natural and social sciences, education, mathematics, and business. Fredonia also features cutting-edge programs in the emerging fields of technology, service, and communication and is consistently ranked among the top public, master's granting universities in the North by U.S. News and World Report.

Fredonia is known for its strong academic programs, attractive architecture and grounds, rich campus life, and commitment to student engagement and success. Students enrolled in advanced degree programs will demonstrate their achievement of the following learning goals/outcomes as part of their degree work:

• Discipline-Specific Work,
• Research and Creative Activities,
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration,
• Experiential Learning,
• Professionalism and Ethics,
• International Awareness and Engagement, and
• Critical Citizenship and Applied Learning.

Job Description:

The State University of New York at Fredonia invites applications for a part-time (10 hours per week) Graduate Assistant position with the Writers@Work series, a cross-disciplinary professional writing series housed in the English department. This position will be filled on an as-needed basis in accordance with campus and department policy.

The Department of English is a community of learners who bring different backgrounds and knowledge to their exploration of texts, in both words and images. Together, we work to understand how these texts respond to and shape their cultures and societies, explore ethical issues, and provide aesthetic and intellectual experiences for their audiences.

The Department helps students develop their abilities in interpretation and communication, reading and writing. It fosters their understanding of and respect for both individual and cultural commonalities and differences. It helps future English teachers develop the ideas and practices that will make them effective in the classrooms of an increasingly complex and diverse society.

At the undergraduate level, we offer a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Bachelor of Arts in English Adolescence Education that leads to initial certification in New York State, and minors in English, Creative Writing, and Writing and Rhetoric. At the graduate level, we offer a Masters of Arts in English Literature, a Masters of Arts in English Adolescence Education that qualifies candidates for professional certification in New York State, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Professional Writing.

Rewards & Benefits

• Competitive compensation plus benefits including dental and vision coverage (benefit plan eligibility is dependent on FTE; must be 50% or more);
• Paid leave provisions including sick and holiday leave; impressive educational benefits including tuition-free study plus supplemental tuition aid;
• A rich array of services, programs and benefits to help employees advance in their career and enhance the quality of their personal life, including professional development programs and services, employee EAP and wellness programs, discounted membership to the on-campus fitness center, and access to the Campus and Community Child Care Center.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to Professor Natalie Gerber of the English Department, the Graduate Assistant will be assigned duties as indicated below:

Digital- and print-based writing and publicity:

• Update the series' website (http://home.fredonia.edu/writersatwork), ensuring dates, details, and publicity (print, video, etc.) are up to date and links are working
• Help the series explore online meeting capabilities for bringing the series to audiences beyond campus
• Help the series develop a web-based and social-media campaign to promote the series to a broad-based audience
• (Potentially) Research, write, and produce both text and image for digital and print flyers, public-service announcements, news stories, listserv language, and other purposes, with publicity materials to be developed no later than four weeks prior to each residency (excepting the first fall residency each year)
• (Desired not required) Help record, and successfully edit new and existing video footage into appealing, short promotional videos capturing the spirit of the series and the messages of the writers for a broader audience
• Develop new networks, particularly among area secondary schools, to publicize events and utilize as recruitment opportunity for our writing programs at Fredonia
• Work with the W@W team, the department chairperson, associate chairperson, Office of Marketing and Public Relations, the Alumni Association, Career Development Office, and with Admissions (as desired/welcomed) to share and publicize these materials both before and after events
• Repurpose these materials to populate the www.fredonia.edu/writing site
• Actively collaborate with other interns and staff, keeping the supervisor informed

Public speaking and persuasive speaking:

• As desired, introduce alumni writers at various events
• As directed, call or visit various educational, governmental, and social organizations, developing new possible networks for a broad audience
• As directed, call or contact alumni writers to solicit their participation

Project Management

Maintaining digital documents:

• Update and organize all digital documents required for the series' smooth functioning (publicity, logistics, budgets, grant reporting, etc.)
• Ensure back-up of digital copies to prevent loss of organizational memory

Committee planning:

• Communicate with all committee members
• Help to coordinate regular meetings of the W@W committee members, both setting meeting times and reserving spaces
• As needed, collaboratively draft and distribute agendas and core documents prior to meetings
• Arrive early at these meetings to set up technology and pull up needed documents
• Take minutes at these meetings
• Convert these minutes into task lists, assigned by name and associated with a specific timeframe, and distribute these to committee members
• Communicate effectively and quickly with all committee members
• Keep track of committee achievements, with year-end report to Carnahan Jackson Humanities Fund in mind

Event planning and hosting:

• Make timely reservations for academic rooms for all talks, workshops, interviews, and events, completing any necessary paperwork
• Make timely reservations for catering for events, working with FSA
• Make timely reservations for meals with students, working with FSA
• Make timely reservations for any needed technology/equipment for events, including recording equipment
• Make lodging reservations on campus or off for alumni writers (as needed)
• Make any required reservations for travel, whether for use of campus vehicle or for plane travel
• Check all reserved spaces to ensure they are properly set up and equipped prior to event start time

Supporting assessment:

• Design and implement effective system to track attendance at various events and to differentiate among various communities (faculty/staff, campus students and their majors, community members, and area schools/organizations/etc.); maintain these records in an electronic database for repurposing for grant applications and year-end reports

• Create, distribute, collect, and analyze brief quantitative and qualitative assessment vehicles; maintain these records and summarize outcomes for various grantors and reports.

Liaising to alumni writers:

• Handle all aspects of communication with alumni writers, ranging from initial invitation to final handwritten thank-you card
• Build and regularly update a detailed schedule for each residency and distribute this schedule to all concerned parties
• Be available as an on-campus liaison for as much of the residency as possible, attending events, going in advance to ensure set up and perhaps to deliver food and to check equipment

Budgeting:

• Work with department secretary to ensure accurate billing and proper payment via right account

Grant writing and reporting:

• Help draft grants seeking ongoing and special-projects funding for series
• Draft and file requests for financial support from specific departments or programs on campus (e.g., MLW Fund)
• Draft year-end Carnahan Jackson Humanities Fund report

Outcomes:

• Network extensively with alumni.
• Gain experience in a profession through experiential opportunities.
• Practice advanced skills and knowledge in a professional setting.
• Practice effective use of written, oral, and digital literacies in order to communicate effectively in a variety of professional settings.
• Develop a sense of professional conduct informed by the ethical codes and practices of one's discipline.
• Practice ethical decision-making in one's academic and professional work.
• Make relevant connections between community events (local, regional, global) and one's creative and intellectual academic work.
• Establish meaningful connections between one's classroom and non-classroom based work.
• Mentor others in recognizing the dynamic social implications of one's professional work and research.
• Build on foundational knowledge attained through previous academic work.
• Gain advanced knowledge and training in a given discipline.
• Prepare for professional employment or advanced study in one's field.
• Practice effective use of written, oral and digital literacies in order to communicate effectively in a variety of professional settings.
• Participate fully in a society of scholars and professionals through creative and intellectual discovery and creation of new knowledge and practices.
• Develop the means for lifelong practice of collaborative learning and mentoring.
• Graduate assistants are expected to know, understand, and follow all university policies.

Requirements:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Enrollment in a Fredonia post-baccalaureate or M.A.program with good standing;
• Must have completed at least 9 graduate credits by the end of fall 2020;
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively, and in a collegial and professional manner, with students, faculty, and staff;
• Demonstrated commitment and ability to work with a diverse group of students, faculty, staff and constituents in support of campus and department mission.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Relevant professional and/or academic experience; knowledge of and experience with web design - Drupal and/or editing; previous service to campus life and organization of activities.

• Reliability and rapid communication are essential; graphic design, social media, and video production skills are pluses

• Interest in grantwriting, higher education, or nonprofit arts administration

Additional Information:

Fredonia prides itself on an outstanding workforce. To continually support organizational excellence, the university conducts background screens on applicants.

An Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer, Fredonia provides for, and promotes, equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment, without discrimination.

Pursuant to University policy, the University is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, or domestic violence victim status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the University community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law, or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.

The University's policy is in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations prohibiting unlawful discrimination and harassment. These laws include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as Amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, and the New York State Human Rights Law. These laws prohibit discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor's Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@goer.ny.gov.

Application Instructions:

Interested candidates shall apply and submit the required documents listed below by clicking on the APPLY NOW button. Names and contact information for three professional references are required as part of the application process.

• Cover Letter
• Resume/CV

Note: After submitting your Resume/CV, the subsequent page gives you instructions that enable you to upload the additional, required documents.

Please see the FAQ for using the online application system. Please contact us if you need assistance applying through this website.

URL: www.fredonia.edu/department/english/