Job: Graduate Program Coordinator

Deadline to Apply: Open until filled, apply as soon as possible

How to Apply

Please apply online here

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Job Summary

The Department of Political Science is one of the top tier political science departments in the world with a diverse intellectual community dedicated to excellence through research and teaching. The Graduate Program Coordinator serves as a critical member of our highly skilled student services team. This person is responsible for providing a broad range of services to our approximately 110 graduate students and the faculty who teach and advise them.  The Political Science Department depends on our staff to work successfully in a team environment as well as work independently with minimal supervision. An enthusiastic and welcoming personality is very important, as are strong customer service and critical thinking skills. The Political Science Department is always looking for new and improved ways to support our constituents and the Graduate Program Coordinator is integral to our administrative team in the creation, evaluation, and implementation of those efforts.

Responsibilities*

The Graduate Program Coordinator’s primary responsibilities are to support all aspects of the graduate program, which include but are not limited to:

Graduate Program Administration – Assist the faculty Director of Graduate Studies and the Academic Program Manager in tracking graduate student milestones and progress to degree. Act as the primary department liaison with the College of LSA, Rackham Graduate School, the English Language Institute, International Institute, and administrative teams for our joint programs in Public Policy and the School of Social Work.  Works with Undergraduate Program Coordinator and Director of Graduate Studies on finalizing GSI assignments.

Graduate Admissions and Recruitment – Handle all administrative aspects of the admissions process including application material prep, communicating with prospective students, answering questions from applicants and members of the Admissions Committee, and coordinating with administrative staff from the Ford School of Public Policy and the School of Social Work on joint-degree applications. This includes managing a pool of approximately 400 applicants annually, assisting faculty and graduate students with access to applications through the online application evaluation tool, and pulling reports on prospective students as needed. Organize all logistics of a three-day recruiting visit to campus for 20-25 admitted doctoral students, including accommodations, meals, air and ground travel, event itinerary, and faculty-student meetings.

 Event Planning and Management – Fully responsible for all aspects of planning and executing the logistics of major departmental graduate program events, including: a reception for graduating doctoral students; an annual three-day department conference featuring 10-12 visiting undergraduates and faculty advisors (Emerging Scholars Conference); annual three-day recruitment weekend for admitted graduate students; new doctoral student orientation and welcome activities; and an annual conference for 3rd year doctoral students’ research presentations.

Awards and Fellowships – Responsible for processing applications for all departmental awards and assisting students and faculty with nominations for various awards from other University of Michigan units including but not limited to the Rackham Graduate School, the Center for Political Studies, and the International Institute. This includes sending calls and reminders throughout the year regarding award deadlines, facilitating the selection committee process and decisions, and communicating awards decision results.  Also responsible for processing all graduate department financial aid awards through the student financial aid system in Wolverine Access.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion: Works as part of a highly collaborative staff and, as such, plays a significant role in our department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.  In particular, this person will be involved in brainstorming and executing plans to increase diversity among our graduate applications and eventual admitted cohorts; evaluating event programming to ensure questions of inclusivity and access are considered at all times; engaging our large alumni community; and reviewing processes and procedures to ensure all students in our program receive equitable support and resources.

Required Qualifications*

Associate degree and at least 4 years of relevant experience. Some experience in student services or in an administrative staff role in higher education; ability to work as a member of a team; outstanding interpersonal communication skills; ability to produce accurate work with strong attention to detail; ability to exercise discretion and good judgment; demonstrated high quality customer service skills; ability to prioritize multiple projects simultaneously and successfully meet deadlines.

Desired Qualifications*

Fluency with M-Pathways or equivalent software for student administration, financial, and HR functions; experience using LSA’s Management Reporting System and/or Business Objects; familiarity with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA); experience working in an academic department in collaboration with faculty administrators.

A successful candidate will be a critical thinker, an innovative problem-solver, and will demonstrate the initiative to suggest, develop and enact improvements to our programs. This person should be flexible and comfortable with the reasonable level of change that accompanies and enables our department’s success. An interest in a career in student services and higher education is expected.

Additional Information

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitments to serve the diverse people of Michigan, fulfill the College’s Guiding Principles, and sustain the excellence of LSA. 

To learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion visit http://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/about/diversity--equity-and-inclusion.html

To learn more about LSA’s Guiding Principles visit http://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/faculty-staff/human-resources/lsa-staff-guiding-principles.html

Additional Information

Salary Range: $40,000-$53,000, higher salary may be offered, based on selected candidate’s experience.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Mission Statement

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.  The University of Michigan is committed to foster learning, creativity and productivity, and to support the vigorous exchange of ideas and information, not only in the classroom but in the workplace by:

Creating a work environment in which people treat each other with respect and dignity, regardless of roles, responsibilities or differences.

Providing support, direction and resources enabling us to accomplish the responsibilities of our jobs and to reach the goals that are set for professional and personal growth.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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