Office of the First-Year Experience Graduate Assistant

General Responsibilities:

The Graduate Assistant is a 20 hour per week para-professional staff member within the Office of First-Year Experience (OFYE) at Lehigh University and reports directly to the Assistant Dean and Director of First-Year Experience.  The Graduate Assistant works to advance the OFYE mission of providing support and resources for the academic and social transition of new students and their families to Lehigh University.  The Graduate Assistant will help plan and implement various programming efforts, supervise student staff, and help accomplish the goals of the OFYE.

Specific Responsibilities during the Academic Year:

Camp Hawk

• Assist in the development of goals and outcomes for the Camp Hawk retreat for first-year students
• Create the weekend itinerary for Camp Hawk
• Select, train and supervise the Camp Hawk Counselors (CHCs), Returning Camp Hawk Counselors (RCHC’s), and Coordinator of Camp Hawk (CCH) in coordination with OFYE professional staff
• Create a marketing strategy in coordination with the Director to encourage student registration for Camp Hawk
• Collaborate with the Office of Student Engagement to arrange logistics
• Create and maintain a budget for the Camp Hawk program
• Assist in the assessment of the program and creation of an assessment insight
• Coordinate logistics and facilitate Camp Hawk: Snowed In – a one-day program in February based off the fall Camp Hawk program

PreLUsion

• Plan and implement the Discover Lehigh PreLUsion program in fall
• Select and train Discover Lehigh PreLUsion leaders
• Implement the social events that occur during PreLUsion
• Conduct an assessment for the individual programs as well as the overall PreLUsion experience
• Oversee the PreLUsion budget for Discover Lehigh and the overall social events for the program
• Assist the Director with preLUsion coordinator communication and logistics of overall preLUsion programming
• Update and maintain the preLUsion text on the website and for the Welcome Kit in May
• Update the PreLUsion Planning manual and google drive for coordinators
• Create and maintain the PreLUsion program registration
• Conduct a training session for all PreLUsion student leaders in August
• Represent the OFYE at the preLUsion check-in
• Distribute family schedules and answer questions to family members

NavigateLU

• Participate as a NavigateLU Faculty/Staff Collaborator
• Meet with individual first-year students to aid in their transition
• Assist the director with logistics, data analysis, and communication to first-year students

Orientation

• Plan and implement the Faux Friday event during Orientation in collaboration with Associate Director and summer intern
• Assist with Orientation Coordinator and Orientation Leader selection processes
• Attend the OFYE staff selection meetings as well as select other staff meetings
• Facilitate spring and August training sessions with the Orientation and OFYE staff
• Identify faculty and topic areas for symposium presentations that occur during Orientation
• Organize all correspondence and accommodations for symposium presentations, including a follow-up thank you email/letter to participants
• Collect feedback from symposiums and share back to faculty presenters

Publications & Outreach

• Review and edit various Orientation publications as needed
• Create and publish monthly emails sent to all first-year students and transfer students
• Assist with posting information on OFYE social media accounts

Other responsibilities

• Be knowledgeable of campus resources and able to refer students as necessary
• Be available to new students to answer questions and provide guidance
• Attend weekly staff meetings, 1:1 meetings with the Director, and semester staff retreats
• Perform other duties as assigned

• Possess a bachelor’s degree
• Enrolled in a graduate program at Lehigh University
• Work effectively with diverse populations of students and external business clients
• Exhibit a high level of creativity, ability to take initiative and work both independently and collaboratively
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Possess basic computer skills (knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Power Point)
• Availability to work part-time in the summer is required

Important Dates

• Late May/Early June Internship start date required
• Fall 2020 Graduate Assistantship Start Date: August 3, 2020
• PreLUsion Leader Training: August 16, 2020
• PreLUsion: August 17-19, 2020
• Lehigh Symposium & Faux Friday: August 21, 2020
• Camp Hawk: September 11-13, 2020 (tentative)