Call for Applications: Doctoral Fellows

Call for Applications:
Doctoral Fellows 2023-2024 Cohort
(15 hours/week)
DUE: March 1, 2023, 11:59 pm

About the Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies program (CUNY BA)

CUNY’s BA for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies, the University-wide, individualized degree program (like Gallatin at NYU), seeks to increase student access to high-impact opportunities and allow students to create their own area of specialization outside of traditional majors. Interdisciplinary work represents the future of knowledge, allowing students to and “think outside the box,” and in some cases, to consider the world’s great problems. The interdisciplinary approach encourages students to draw on different disciplinary perspectives, integrate their learning, and to explore a topic that is too broad or complex to address with a single discipline.¹ See sample majors, called areas of concentration, on the program website.

Like an honors program, students receive additional support, such as an assigned Academic Advisor, exclusive access to scholarships, and the opportunity to build relationships while working directly with faculty mentors and the CUNY BA community, which includes staff, faculty, student leaders, campus coordinators, and allies. The cohort of Fellows provides vital support to the program, in areas such as recruitment, admission, advisement, community-building, assessment, communications, event planning, student leadership development, peer mentoring, and academic- and professional-skill building.

The Doctoral Fellows Program

Created in 2019, the Fellows program gives doctoral students the opportunity to build skills helpful to future program administrators or faculty leaders (such as department chairs.) The CUNY BA Fellowship requires fellows to work a total of 450 non-teaching hours during the academic year, approximately 15 hours per week.

Areas of Focus

Fellows work in conjunction with the Senior Fellow, their peer cohort of doctoral students, and CUNY BA staff to assist the program in five major areas:

• • Recruitment and admissions to conduct outreach to prospective students, families, and guidance counselors; connect to campus advocates to educate faculty, staff, and students on the opportunities in the program; represent the program at admissions events SEMICOLON create recruitment materials; respond to student inquiries, lead events and information sessions, and assist the Coordinator of Admissions with campus relationship building and to build national recognition for the program
  • Communication strategies to engage the CUNY BA community, including current and prospective students, faculty mentors, alumnx, and allies. Projects include creating events flyers, student resources (e.g., orientation and handbook materials), writing press releases and student stories; creating content for social media, newsletter, and the program webpage, in conjunction with staff and the webpage administrator
  • Student leadership development to advise the Student Leadership Council (SLC); oversee the peer mentor and campus ambassadors’ programs, including recruitment/SLC elections, training, and guidance. Create relevant student development programs
  • Academic enrichment to build a slate of regular events and academic and professional workshops, focusing on increasing access to Kuh’s (2008) high-impact opportunities, for example, on study abroad, research skills, building a college narrative, writing a personal statement, and applying to national prestigious fellowships, etc. Build or update student resources, such as the undergraduate research guide
  • Community-building and program support to assess the program, gather data from CUNY campuses; work on grant-writing opportunities, staff development, process improvements, and large-scale events such as Commencement and the Student Showcase.

Depending on their disciplinary alignment, Fellows may be called upon to provide direct student support, for example, helping students craft their areas of concentration, find faculty mentors, and develop research opportunities/capstones. Fellows will be called into other projects, as required, and will assist with large-scale events, such as the Student Showcase, Commencement, and receptions.

_{¹ based on Klein and Newell’s 1997 definition of interdisciplinarity (Handbook of the Undergraduate Curriculum)}

Eligibility

CUNY BA seeks new Fellows from across disciplines and campuses. Students with interdisciplinary research interests and administrative and advising experience are especially encouraged to apply. To be eligible, applicants must be Level III by the start date of the appointment. (Students holding one of the Graduate Center’s five-year fellowships may apply, but should note that the CUNY BA Fellowship would replace their multi-year fellowship for the years that they serve as a CUNY BA Fellow.)

Applicants should:

• be familiar with the CUNY BA program
• understand the value of interdisciplinary studies
• demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student development
• display exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills
• have administrative experience and institutional knowledge
• have successfully taught undergraduates at CUNY
• possess a range of skills useful to the development of co-curricular programming, such as outreach, communications, information gathering and presentation

Learning Goals

Fellows in the program will have the opportunity to set learning goals and to learn about

• University processes, such as program development, budgeting, and relevant literature on best practices
• Project management
• Technologies used (for example, to develop the webpage, surveys, and data tracking)
• Facilitation and presentation skills

Compensation and Benefits

• The CUNY BA fellowship requires fellows to work a total of 450 non-teaching hours during the academic year, approximately 15 hours per week.
• Compensation for the fellowship will be a minimum of $28,374 for the academic year.
• The Fellowship is paid in two parts: Fellows will be appointed to the Graduate Center payroll as Graduate Assistant Bs (GAB) at their own current rate (the minimum GAB salary is currently $13,215) and also receive a Provost’s Award in the amount of $15,159 that will be paid through the Office of Financial Aid.
  • The GAB title provides eligibility to purchase the low-cost NYSHIP health insurance as well as in-state tuition remission for fellows who are within their first ten (10) registered semesters of doctoral study.
  • Fellows who are past their ten registered semesters of doctoral study will be eligible to receive in-state tuition remission at the Level III rate as per the 2017-2023 PSC- CUNY contract (this benefit provides for this tuition remission for a maximum of four semesters past the student’s 10^th registered semester).

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional or volunteer experience in one or more project areas: recruitment, admission, advisement, community-building, assessment, communications, events planning, student leadership development, peer mentoring, academic advisement, academic and professional-skill building, or willingness to learn

Application Instructions:

To apply online, you will need:

• a cover letter (no more than 1-2 pages) describing your experience, your interest in the Fellowship, and your prior relevant experience, particularly around the types of projects outlined for 2023-2024.
• a CV (no more than 4 pages)
• a list of three references (academic or professional)
• Applicants have the opportunity to share portfolio material, such as work samples, projects, or other relevant examples of work (optional).