Job Description:

Description

Position Title:                  Undergradute Research & Fellowships Coach, Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

Reports to:                       Associate Director of Research & Fellowships, Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

Grade/Classification:     MR07/Exempt, full-time staff position

 

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville invites applications for the position of Undergradute Research & Fellowships Coach in the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URF).

The University: The University of Tennessee is the state’s flagship research institution, a campus of choice for outstanding undergraduates, and a premier graduate institution. Enrolling over 30,000 students, the campus is located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and beautiful East Tennessee. As a land-grant university, it is committed to excellence in learning, scholarship, and engagement. In all its activities, the university aims to advance the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich and elevate society. The university values intellectual curiosity, pursuit of knowledge, and academic freedom and integrity.

 

The Division: The Division of Student Success at UT works to engage each student scholar’s experience by supporting their unique strengths and goals. It collaborates with UT faculty and staff to help each student scholar maximize their individual strengths and understand how their strengths contribute to their academic dreams, career paths, and personal well-being.

 

The Department: URF manages multiple programs that support undergraduate research, from travel grants and research grants to on-campus symposia and workshops. URF also manages the application process for national and international competitive awards—open to undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni—including the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, Gilman, Truman, CLS, and NSF-GRFP, among others. Staff includes a Director, a half-time Faculty Director, 4 additional full-time employees, 1 part-time employee, and several student employees.  URF is committed to diversity and inclusion and helping students explore how research and fellowships can guide or enhance their other UT experiences.

Position Summary: The Undergraduate Research & Fellowships Coach will provide proactive and intentional support to UT students seeking information about programs/experiences that span URF's scope of activities, from undergraduate research to nationally competitive fellowships. The URF Coach will focus on increasing URF's direct outreach to and collaboration with first-year students and students underrepresented in research and fellowships. The URF Coach will have primary responsibility for the office's initial "intake" research and fellowships coaching appointments, leveraging their coaching skills and knowledge of URF and UT resources to co-develop tailored, executable plans to help each student move to the appropriate next step in their research and fellowships journey in ways that reflect the students' unique strengths and goals.

Position Responsibilities:

Academic Coaching and Professional Development

·       URF Coach will have primary responsibility for the office's initial "intake" research and fellowships coaching appointments.

·        To support their professional practice and development, when possible, the URF coach will engage in sponsored professional development with campus and national organizations, such as TennACADA, the Council on Undergraduate Research, and the National of Fellowships Advisors, to ensure depth and breadth of expertise in relevant areas of student success and high-impact educational practices.

·       Review student academic transcripts in preparation for student meetings to better assist students.

·       Hold regular 1-on-1 student appointments (5-10 per day) with a diverse pool of students interested in potentially pursuing undergraduate research and/or fellowships. Glean student goals, interests, and strengths; share information about relevant undergraduate research and nationally competitive fellowships in an approachable way; and make concrete suggestions about potential next steps, including initial conversations about how students can begin to improve their competitiveness for targeted opportunities. Appointments ideally should result in a co-developed, tailored, executable plan to help each student move to the the appropriate next step in their research and fellowships journey in ways that reflect the students' unique strengths and goals. Refer as appropriate.

·       Provide 1:1 and group advising to URF's undergraduate research grant recipients as they participate in Faculty Research Assistants Funding (FRAF), Advanced Undergraduate Research Activity (AURA), and the Departmental Research Assistants (DRA). 

·       Make clear referrals/hand-offs within the office -- especially to URF Assistant Directors for Fellowships and for Undergraduate Research -- when student is progressing to the more advanced stages of their research and fellowships journeys.

·       Make referrals to other campus services/offices as appropriate.

·       Engage in proactive, upbeat student follow-up and maintain detailed records, such as in Salesforce, Banner, Slate, and other software, to document coaching sessions and communication with students.

·       Assist in case management for first-year students in need of additional academic support (Vol Success Teams).

Strategic Student Outreach and DSS/Campus Engagement

·       Under supervision of the Associate Director and with additional support from office leadership, liaise on behalf of URF with DSS programs such as the UT Success Academy, Academic Success Center, Honors & Scholars, First-Year Programs, and Veterans Success Center, in addition to relevant areas outside DSS, such as Student Disability Services, Pride Center, Multicultural Student Life, and relevant grant-funded programs at UT such as summer REUs, with the goal of making undergraduate research and fellowships more visible, accessible, and 'normalized' among our diverse undergraduates.

·       Offer URF's "Getting Started in Undergraduate Research" seminars that are held monthly in the early evening as a DSS Express program.

·       Contribute significantly to URF's promotional efforts (social media, website updates, flyers, etc.).

·       Oversee biweekly URF student newsletter, with significant support from Director, ADs, and Office Coordinator, as well as DSS Comms.

·       Offer and organize URF Overview Sessions for DSS and campus partners, class visits, and for student organizations and other cohorts upon request; follow up with attendees.

·       Participate in campus-wide outreach activities, including requests from DSS and campus partners, Admissions browse sessions, Orientation programs, and tabling sessions.

·       Participation in DSS's various committee work, initiatives, and professional development opportunities, as appropriate and/or assigned.

·       Engagement with UT community through professional development activities and service to the campus community.

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

  

·       Under the supervision of the Associate Director, serve as the key manager for the Gilman Scholarship Application Support that URF provides in the fall and spring semesters to approximately 100 students; the Gilman Scholarship makes study abroad experiences accessible for students with limited financial means.

·       As manager of URF's Gilman support, provide info sessions to promote the Gilman scholarship across campus, teach a cohort of Gilman applicants how to compose competitive essays, arrange writing retreats for students, give feedback on application drafts, provide 1:1 advising to applicants, and track student progress from intake through submission.

·       Serve as primary contact for OneStop/Financial Aid and Programs Abroad with all matters that involve the Gilman Scholarship.

Support of Major URF Activities/Programs

·       Provide assistance when possible in the planning and execution of major URF programs, such as Discovery Day, EUReCA, and fellowships-focused student events and activities, as needed.

·       Provide application/endorsement support during major fellowships deadlines.

·       Collect and maintain students data, design and delivery student surveys, and share with URF leadership as appropriate or requested.

Contribute to URF reports

Qualifications

Qualifications:

Education

Required: Bachelor’s degree Preferred: Master’s degree

 

Experience

Required:

Relevant student-facing professional experience (by date of hire) working in a college/university setting

Preferred:

Master's degree in education or related field

Two years of relevant student-facing professional experience

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Required:

·       Knowledge of the diverse populations on a university campus and the various opportunities and potential needs presented by a diverse student population

·       Skill in translating students' stated ideas, goals, and strengths into concrete plans of action

·       Presentation skills needed to speak effectively 1-on-1 and in group presentation settings (e.g., visiting a student organization)

·       Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion and work effectively and professionally 1-on-1 and in diverse groups

·       Computer skills needed to collect, organize, and share data (e.g., using Microsoft Office suite and university-specific systems)

·       Ability to remain organized, composed, upbeat, and detail-oriented under the pressure of deadlines and high-volume times of year

·       Ability to conduct effective student outreach campaigns using multi-modal approaches

·       Ability to write clear, error-free text

·       Ability to advise students about their writing and to give constructive feedback on written materials composed by students

·       Ability to take direction and work as a collaborative team member, but also work independently as needed

Preferred:

·       Knowledge of student academic success and the support services and co-curricular opportunities that exist on an R1 university campus

·       Ability to use Banner, Canvas, Salesforce, or similar higher education student software system

·       Ability to make website updates such as in WordPress

Salary:  Minimum $49,000 and accompanied by a university benefits package.

Application Process: A review of all applications begins immediately. For full consideration, applicants must apply electronically through the Taleo system including submission of cover letter, resume, and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of three references.

Job: Student Services

Primary Location: US-Tennessee-knoxville

Organization: Undergraduate Research

Schedule: Full-time

Job Posting: Jul 22, 2024, 7:38:13 AM Apply Now