Graduate Assistantships

Contact Information

Student Success Center

Dr. Delores Sarfo-Darko Farmer

Mahoney, Student Success Center, Room 3
Phone: (973) 290-4468
dfarmer@steu.edu

What is a Graduate Assistantship?

A limited number of Graduate Assistantships are available for qualified students who are accepted and enrolled for a minimum of six credits in a graduate degree program at Saint Elizabeth University. Students must apply for a graduate assistantship by the annual deadline specified for the fall and spring semesters, in order to be considered for an award.

The Graduate Assistantship positions at SEU are intended to provide support to students who need financial assistance as determined through the filing of a FAFSA, and who are working no more than 20 hours per week in any other type of employment. In addition, these positions will provide opportunities for students to enhance their professional development.

Students who meet all the requirements for an assistantship may be selected for interview on a competitive basis by academic and administrative departments that have been allocated assistantship positions. Students are assessed according to their ability to demonstrate that an appointment will benefit the department but also enhance the awardee's professional development.

Requirements and Application

To apply:

The student must be a matriculated graduate student (registered in each semester for a minimum of 6 credits).
If the student has completed at least one semester, they must have attained a minimum GPA of 3.0.
The student must have filed a FAFSA (Free Application Financial Student Assistance) for the academic year of the application, to provide evidence of financial need.
The student may not be working more than 20 hours per week for any other employer.
The student must submit a completed application, including a resume and two letters of recommendation by the appropriate deadline to the Experiential Learning Center.

Graduate Assistantships are made on a semester basis. If the student maintains good academic standing, and obtains a satisfactory evaluation in their assistantship in the fall semester, the award may be renewed into the spring semester upon recommendation of the supervisor. Renewals are not possible for the spring into fall semesters, since departmental allocations may change from one academic year to the next.

The Graduate Assistantship award is a tuition waiver for one graduate course for the semester for which the student will work a total of 150 hours over the course of the 15-week semester.

Graduate Assistants are responsible for maintaining consistent professional conduct and demeanor including attendance in a work schedule mutually determined by the supervisor and the graduate assistant (GA) prior to the first day of work. The supervisor and GA will create an agreed upon set of GA duties and responsibilities. Any changes to the agreement must be approved by the supervisor.

GAs are not required to be in attendance over official breaks, on holidays or when the University is closed. All GAs are expected to conform to the expectation of service. GAs should dress and conduct themselves in accordance with the professional standards of the assigned site. Among those standards are the respect for and protection of confidential information and the appropriate use of information technology. The GA should notify the supervisor in the case of an expected absence or lateness, and should exercise good judgment in instances of reported illness.

In the rare case when there is a conflict between the supervisor and the GA, mediation should be sought through a conversation with a next level supervisor such as the department chair or director. If mediation is not successful at this level, all of the parties should consult with the appropriate Vice President to pursue mediation. Failure to meet expectations for professional behavior and reasonable expectations of service may result in a forfeiture of the award. The decision of the Vice President is not subject to appeal.

Graduate Assistants must continue in good standing in their degree program, maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.0 and continuous six-credit enrollment. In addition, GAs must meet the requirements outlined in the job description and fulfill the duties as delineated and endorsed by both the GA and the supervisor. Failure to meet these standards, or resignation of the GA from their position, will result in removal of the tuition waiver and the GA will be billed by SEU for the tuition.

Graduate Assistants may not informally exchange assignments or accept the offer of another assignment in a different office or unit once an assignment has been accepted.

Supervisors of GAs are expected to give constructive feedback on a regular basis, either verbally or in writing so that the GAs understand their progress. Supervisors are also expected to conduct a formal performance assessment of the GAs based on the written agreement established at the beginning of the assignment and any feedback which has occurred during the assignment.

The purpose of the assessment is to provide formative feedback to the GA for the purpose of professional development as well as evidence that the GA has satisfactorily completed the assignment. Offices will use the standard Performance Review provided by the Human Resources Office.

Supervisors can recommend a GA for renewal of an award from fall into the spring semester of an academic year. To do so, the supervisor must submit both the recommendation and the performance review. In these cases, GAs will receive a renewal as long as they meet all other criteria.

Graduate Assistantships

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