Graduate Assistants (GA) support Scholarly Communications activities in the Library by assisting with administration of the Affordable Course Materials Initiative, including creating promotional and training materials, preparing Open Educational Resources for dissemination, and supporting related research. In consultation with the Scholarly Communications Librarian, GAs will work on projects based on the students’ learning objectives and how the assistantship would meet the applicant’s career goals as well as unit needs. Students who successfully complete projects in Scholarly Communications gain important transferable skills and exposure to professional software applications and data management strategies that help prepare them for further study or careers in a wide range of fields, including English, Psychology, Public Administration, Criminal Justice, and Education.

Position Details

The Scholarly Communications Graduate Assistantship spans the 2022-2023 academic year during the Fall and Spring semesters with the possibility of renewal for the 2023-2024 academic year. Graduate Assistants are expected to work 20 hours/week for a total of 280 hours/semester. The successful applicant will be awarded a $4,500/semester stipend and maintenance fee waiver (nine hours per semester) for the fall and spring semesters.

Information about graduate assistantships, including compensation, eligibility, and requirements to remain eligible is available on the Graduate School’s Opportunities of Assistantships and Internships page

Duties and Qualifications:

• assist in scholarly communication and Affordable Course Materials Initiative (ACMI) projects by
  • completing routine administrative tasks including data collection and project management
  • formatting and copyediting Open Educational Resources prior to publication,
  • assisting in the design and creation of assessment tools, and
  • creating outreach materials;
• collaborate on the creation of instructional materials related to scholarly communication topics such as publishing, open access, and copyright;
• conducting research and writing narratives for grant applications;
• and developing Buzzfeed quizzes, blog posts, and other outreach initiatives.

Required qualifications include:

• Ability to work with a group and independently and produce high quality, thorough, and accurate work;
• Strong organizational, analytical and problem-solving skills as well as demonstrated initiative and adaptability;
• Working knowledge of office productivity suites, such as Microsoft Office and Google Drive;
• Effective written and oral communication skills;
• Ability to develop and execute project plans;
• Ability to prioritize and follow written instructions within a multitask environment; and
• and ability to work 20 hours/week during Special Collections’ hours of operation.

Preferred qualifications:

• Knowledge of or interest in issues of access and equity in higher education;
• Knowledge of or interest in Open Educational Resources and affordable course content;
• Demonstrated web development and/or video editing skills and experience.

Application

Interested parties should apply by submitting a cover letter, resume, and application via UT Vault to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Scholarly Communications Librarian, Rachel Fleming, at Rachel-Fleming@utc.edu review of applications will begin Friday, May 1, 2022.

The cover letter should provide:

• A description of the applicant’s relevant experience and expertise
• What the applicant hopes to gain from the assistantship, including learning objectives and how the assistantship would meet the applicant’s career goals.
• A description of how they would like to positively contribute to the project goals of advancing open and affordable course materials programs in the UT System

We encourage all applicants to think broadly about what they hope to accomplish in their practical experiences.