The Advising Fellow Program provides vital academic support to students in the Master’s in Liberal Studies (MALS) program at the Graduate Center (GC). The Advising Fellows provide individualized academic support to the master’s students, guiding them in choosing courses, managing their work loads, meeting academic challenges, and enlisting faculty mentors to supervise their theses. The Advising Fellows are advanced doctoral students who have already successfully navigated their own Graduate Center course requirements and who are able to share their knowledge and experience with MALS students. Selected for their communications skills, willingness to collaborate, and academic judgment, the Fellows are accessible to students and open to learning more about the MALS program in order to provide the best possible advising and guidance.

Each advising fellow is responsible for advising approximately 80 students on their program of study, course selection, process for finding a thesis/capstone advisor, and other academic matters. Advising fellows hold late afternoon and evening office hours at the GC to meet with their advisees and are available for additional meetings with students by appointment on Zoom. In addition, Advising Fellows support the MALS student community by developing programming about academics, careers, networking, and writing, as requested.

MALS is looking to appoint an additional advising fellow for the academic year 2023-2024. The position is funded in part through a Graduate Assistant B appointment. The remainder of the funds will be paid through as Excellence Fees dispersed through the Office of Financial Aid. The official Graduate Assistant B appointment begins with the first day of the Fall semester and runs through the day before the first day of the following Fall semester, but all required service is performed during the academic year. The Advising Fellows work 150-180 hours during each 15-week semester (300-360 hours for the academic year; 10-12 hours per week). The compensation is dependent on the excellence fees budget but expected to be $26,000. A modest amount of additional summer work, with additional compensation, is possible, but summer availability is not required.

The Graduate Assistant B appointment program provides eligibility for the low-cost NYSHIP health insurance and for in-state tuition for doctoral students within their first 10 registered semesters of study. Fellows past 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 additional semesters past the student’s 10th registered semester).

Please contact Anne Ellis at aellis@gc.cuny.edu and copy Rosa Maldonado at rmaldonado@gc.cuny.edu if you have questions regarding tuition remission.

Appointments are for one year, and there is no presumption of renewal. The existence of the Advising Fellows Program for subsequent years is subject to an annual review and the anticipated availability of funding from Excellence Fees.

 

Application Specifics and Requirements:

To be eligible, applicants must be Level III by the start date of the appointment. Advising fellows are expected to demonstrate deep institutional knowledge of the Graduate Center, its administrative structures that relate to students, and its academic programs and faculty. Students with interdisciplinary research interests and coursework (especially those who have completed one of the interdisciplinary PhD certificates) and advising experience are especially encouraged to apply, as are students who have previously completed master’s degrees. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate are essential to the position.

Application Instructions: To apply, please send a statement of interest (no more than 1–2 pages), noting any interdisciplinary coursework and advising or related collaborative work experience, a CV, and a letter of reference from a faculty advisor (which can be sent separately) to the

Liberal Studies Program Office (liberalstudies@gc.cuny.edu) with “Advising Fellows Application” in the subject line. Inquiries about the program can be sent to David Humphries (dhumphries@qcc.cuny.edu), the Acting Executive Officer of the M.A. Program in Liberal Studies. Applications must be received February 27th, 2023 to be considered