CLAS announces new graduate assistantships for PhD students

Opportunities will diversify and transform graduate career preparation
Wednesday, March 9, 2022

A poster advertising the graduate assistantships in writing, editing and engagement

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce a competition for five new Graduate Assistantships (GAs) in Writing, Editing and Community Engagement. These new graduate assistant positions will allow current doctoral students opportunities to participate with the college’s outreach, engagement, and writing missions in ways designed to diversify and transform graduate career preparation. Current students in years one through four of a doctoral degree program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply.

The initiative is a five-year pilot project.  For academic year 2022-23, CLAS will award the following five assistantships:

  • One (1) 50% effort Writing Research Assistantship for the Magid Center for Undergraduate Writing (more info)
  • Two (2) 50% effort Editing Research Assistantships to assist faculty who serve as editors-in-chief to selected prestigious academic journals (more info)
  • Two (2) 50% effort Community Engagement Graduate Assistantships for the Latham Science Engagement Initiative/Iowa Biosciences Academy (more info)

The Graduate Assistantships will be paid no less than the AY 2022-2023 CLAS minimum salary, tuition, 50% mandatory fees, and benefits as specified in the CLAS AY 2022-23 RA template and be held to all of the collegiate and institutional policies specified therein. CLAS will work with the departments of the GAs selected to insure a smooth transition of appointment.

TO APPLY:

Interested doctoral students are invited to submit the following to Gabriella McDermott by March 30 in a collated pdf:

  1. A bio sketch of no more than 500 words identifying the type of pilot project GA for which they are applying and outlining their qualifications for the role, their career objectives, and how the opportunity will contribute to their professional development
  2. A two-page CV

The Magid Center Writing RA and Latham/IBA Engagement GAs will be selected by the CLAS Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Outreach and Engagement in consultation with the Director of the Magid Center, the Director of the Latham Center/IBA, the Director of the UI Office of Community Engagement, and representatives from the CLAS Graduate Education Policy Committee.

The Editing RAs will be selected by the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Outreach and Engagement in consultation with the editors of the journals for which they will serve and representatives from the CLAS Graduate Education Policy Committee.

Announcements will be made on or around April 12.

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.