Position Summary
At the start of the Fall 2024 Semester, Wesleyan will welcome its second cohort of African Scholars to campus. The Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) is hiring a Student Coordinator to support the incoming African Scholars in their transition to studying at Wesleyan and living in Middletown, and foster their success throughout their first year of study and beyond.
The African Scholars Student Coordinator will work closely with OISA professional staff to plan and implement support structures for the incoming cohort as well as second-year students from Africa who are part of the program. You must have a passion for supporting international student peers, specifically the incoming African Scholars, and dedication to helping them achieve belonging and success at Wes. This position is open to international and domestic student applicants.
We anticipate the African Scholars Student Coordinator will begin their employment the week of May 27-31, 2024. The role will require full-time on-campus work throughout Summer 2024 and then part-time work of approximately 10 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters of Academic Year 2024-2025.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
- Meet regularly with OISA professional staff members throughout the summer to discuss and provide progress updates on designing and planning support structures for the incoming cohort of African Scholars
- Implement and manage programs and events designed to ease the African Scholars’ transition, help them build community, and achieve learning outcomes which may include pre-arrival webinars, the second iteration of the Wesleyan Africans Thriving Together (WATT) mentorship program, a welcome dinner, and engagement with alumni from Africa
- Recruit and help train and onboard returning students from Africa to serve as peer mentors to the incoming African Scholars via the WATT program
- Collaborate with OISA campus partners, such as the Office of Advancement and the Gordon Career Center, to identify and recruit alumni from Africa for mentoring the African Scholars and implement career exploration events
- Liaise with the African Students’ Association and African Studies Department to identify, collaborate on, and promote activities and opportunities for the African Scholars to connect with members of the University’s African community and showcase their cultures more broadly at Wesleyan
- Perform outreach to the African Scholars and plan and facilitate check-in meetings throughout the academic year to stay abreast of their experience at Wes and address any challenges or needs they are encountering in consultation with OISA professional staff members
- Serve as OISA’s primary student contact for the African Scholars and students and alumni who engage with the group through WATT and other programmatic offerings
- Attend periodic meetings and serve as a member of the African Scholars Advisory Group
- Maintain accurate records and notes on planning and implementation of support structures for the African Scholars Program
- Conduct periodic formal and informal assessments of the African Scholars Program support structures and its participants’ experiences throughout the year
- Compile an end-of-year report with data about the African Scholars Program, including cohort composition, programs and events, attendance, logistics and costs, challenges, takeaways, and recommendations for the future
Desired Skills & Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Students who will be returning to Wesleyan for the Fall 2024 Semester and are available to work on campus throughout Summer 2024.
- Students who are graduating at the end of the Spring 2024 Semester or during the summer are not eligible for this position. Undergraduate and graduate students, international and domestic, are eligible to apply for the position.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as a team member
- Ability to plan, implement, coordinate, and assess programs and events
- Effective verbal and written communication skills to clearly disseminate information to linguistically diverse audiences
- Intercultural competency to sensitively engage with people of various cultural backgrounds
- Excellent time management and detail-oriented organizational skills
- Ability to facilitate meetings, information sessions, trainings, and events
- Knowledge of campus resources for Wesleyan students
- Students who are in good academic standing and good judicial standing
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior experience living, working and/or studying in Africa or a strong interest in and/or connection to African countries, cultures, and languages
- Experience in event planning and program design, implementation, and assessment
- Prior experience with orientation or other programs supporting people through the process of sociocultural adjustment
- Leadership experience requiring frequent engagement with a diverse stakeholder base and use of intercultural communication skills
- Digital competency and experience creating e-newsletters and posting on social media, specifically using Mailchimp, Facebook, and Instagram platforms
- Proficiency in one or more African languages
- Experience living in a foreign country and adapting to a different culture
Schedule & Availability
- Summer 2024 and Academic Year 2024-2025 – with potential for the student to be re-hired in following years.
- Tentative employment start date: the week of May 27-31, 2024
- Summer 2024
- Full-time, on-campus work.
- Daily shifts, Monday-Friday from 9am-12pm and then 1pm-5pm with a one-hour lunch break.
- Total of at least 35 hours per week.
- Academic Year 2024-2025
- Part-time, approximately 10 hours per week.
- The position is hybrid and some hours may be completed in-office or remote. Remote work must be conducted from within the United States.
- Department Location: Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) – Fisk Hall Room 105
Job Classification
The hourly pay rate is $17/hour.
Primary Supervisor & Contact
Morgan Keller, Director of the Office of International Student Affairs: mkeller@wesleyan.edu
Performance Evaluation
Weekly one-on-one meetings to discuss progress and address concerns.
Application Instructions
Apply via Handshake and submit a resume and cover letter. In you cover letter, please explain your interest in the African Scholars Student Coordinator position and why you believe you would do well in the role. Please limit your cover letter to one page and address it to “The OISA Team.”
PLEASE NOTE: The deadline is Monday, May 6, 2024 at 7:30 am EST.