A cover letter is required for consideration and must be attached as the first page of your resume/CV. The cover letter should address your specific interest in this position and should outline how your skills, experience and future goals are aligned with the position. 

Rackham Graduate School seeks part-time (10 -20 hours per week) temporary Program Assistants to provide assistance with Rackham Merit Fellowship (RMF) programming.

These positions run from May 2025 through August 2025.  Availability during the appointment period is critical. Personal commitments that would require absence for an extended amount of time may eliminate applicants from consideration.  

The Rackham Merit Fellowship (RMF) program helps to sustain the academic excellence and inclusiveness of the Michigan graduate community. In addition to providing financial support, we enhance the educational experience of our fellows by supporting their transition to graduate school, assisting them in building community, and developing programming to support their development. The summer programming will include in-person and virtual engagement for current fellows and a one-week in-person orientation program - RMF Connection (August 11 - August 16) for incoming master's and doctoral fellowship recipients.  In-person attendance during this week is critical and mandatory.  

PLEASE NOTE: Some late afternoon and early evening work may be required; possible weekend work may be required with advance notice. Schedule varies based on the needs of the program. 

Job responsibilities include but are not limited to: Work with the director to design and implement programming for Rackham Merit Fellows; work with administrators and faculty from across campus to facilitate workshops; and community building activities.

Facilitate communication between staff and participants; anticipate and resolve participant problems or concerns; monitor application system; maintain program participant information; and create and maintain RMF Connection Canvas page.

Additional duties include but are not limited to: attending weekly team meetings; drafting documents and program materials; assisting with the development of program evaluation tools; generating outcome summary reports.

• Graduate experience at the University of Michigan is required; more than one year is strongly preferred
• Familiarity with diversity issues in higher education and specifically the challenges faced by students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds
• Previous experience with orientation and student support programming
• Experience with delivering programming in hybrid formats, including familiarity with Canvas, Zoom, or other virtual platforms
• Ability to work as part of a team and capacity to work independently
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to maintain  confidentiality in matters of a sensitive and confidential nature
• Ability to handle multiple projects with excellent attention to detail and the ability to meet deadlines
• Strong organizational skills
• Knowledge of productivity tools including word processing, spreadsheets, presentation and electronic communication, social media, and calendaring software packages (Google, Microsoft, etc.)

• Previous experience in the Rackham Merit Fellowship program
• Reasonable knowledge of University and departmental policies and procedures, University organization, and University protocol 
• Research and scholarly interest in graduate student development and programming

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.