MFA Graduate Assistantship

I'm pleased to announce that for the first time the MFA program will offer a Graduate Assistantship to a student registered in the MFA program. The assistantship is available immediately for a student enrolled in the Fall 2010 semester. If you would like to apply for the position, you can submit the application downloadable from the Grad Studies web site along with the requested documentation (c.v./resume and letter of reference) to the Division of Graduate Studies (not to me, and not to the MFA office). There are also a number of other assistantships available, listed below.

The responsibilities of the MFA GA include:

• Collaborate with the Coordinator to promote the program via:

o The MFA blog (by creating and posting program news, features, and information designed for the consumption of students, faculty, and potential students)
o The MFA web site (by creating and posting tools, documents, and up-to-date information for the consumption of students and faculty and features, news, and up-to-date information for potential students)
o Classroom visits to upperclassmen
o Promotional literature
o The annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference (not a requirement)
o Online and print MFA program guides and listings
o Other venues that the GA might help to identify

• Assist with the planning and operation of on-campus workshops during the academic year (at least five offered per year), including the Spring Literary Festival

• Assist with the program’s assessment process (especially collecting documentation and preparing it for committee review)

• Assist with the planning and operation of the August/January residency

• Assist with other program communications such as pre-residency mailings to students and faculty

• Assist the Coordinator with establishing community connections for workshops (for teachers, general public, young adults, etc.), which are planned as part of the long-term mission of the program
The GA might also have the opportunity to assist with some editorial tasks of Sentence: a Journal of Prose Poetics and Kugelmass: a Journal of Literary Humor—this would not be expected of the GA, it would be an option.

The MFA GA will be required to work in the MFA office for 10 hours each week--this is not a teaching assistantship. Compensation is $1950 for the semester. Note that the assistantships that involve teaching receive more compensation ($2400 or $4800) and require a greater commitment of time (15 hours or 25 hours per week and registration in ENG/WRT585 Apprenticeship in Teaching College Writing) than the MFA assistantship.

Other Available Assistantships:

Academic Assistant (grading and research for faculty)
Art
Biology
Business
Earth and Planetary Science
English (teaching assistants)
Education (working with the Ed.D. and Counseling programs)
Education (working with the MAT and MS programs)
History/Debate (assisting the debate team)
Math
Nursing
Writing
Labs:
Math Lab
Tutoring Lab
Positions are subject to change without notice.


Send your application and supporting documentation (c.v./resume and letter of reference) as soon as possible to: Graduate Studies, Western Connecticut State University, 181 White Street, Danbury, CT 06810 or fax to (203) 837-8326. Graduate studies will forward the applications to me as they arrive. I hope to have the applications reviewed and a GA selected by the residency. Since I will be reviewing the applications, your leter of reference should be from someone other than me. If you do not have a letter of reference to provide immediately, you may submit the other materials with a note that the letter is to follow.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at 203-837-8876 or the Division of Graduate Studies at
(203) 837-8243.