Program Coordinator
Position Overview
The Program Coordinator for Research Support and Graduate Recruiting assists with research services, supervises and monitors the coordination of graduate program recruitment and admission services including scholarships and fellowships, and supports graduate program outreach and units. This position must coordinate research initiatives, internal funding competitions, and research events and must analyze and generate research data and reports.
The School of Engineering (SoE) has over 600 graduate students, with a goal for continued growth to 800 students. There are 28 graduate degrees in five departments and one program. The Dean's Office is a service-oriented organization with students, faculty, alumni, and industry employers, as well as the University of Kansas, as constituents. This position must know and understand the requirements of all graduate degree programs within the School for use in graduate student recruitment. This position must provide enrollment management efforts for both domestic and international graduate students and applicants. This includes working with the departments to provide support of applicant generation, inquiry cultivation, and pre-and post-admit communications. This position works closely with the Program Coordinator for Graduate Academic Services. This in-person position reports to the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs.
The School of Engineering (SoE) has over 600 graduate students, with a goal for continued growth to 800 students. There are 28 graduate degrees in five departments and one program. The Dean's Office is a service-oriented organization with students, faculty, alumni, and industry employers, as well as the University of Kansas, as constituents. This position must know and understand the requirements of all graduate degree programs within the School for use in graduate student recruitment. This position must provide enrollment management efforts for both domestic and international graduate students and applicants. This includes working with the departments to provide support of applicant generation, inquiry cultivation, and pre-and post-admit communications. This position works closely with the Program Coordinator for Graduate Academic Services. This in-person position reports to the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs.
Job Description
Research Services Support (55%)
- Coordinate the internal funding competitions, track and report use of these awards to secure future external funding.
- Coordinate research initiatives, and report participation in the initiatives and analyze data to determine their effectiveness.
- Coordinate meetings and School research events, such as junior faculty mentoring lunches, research visioning events, and proposal writing workshops, in consultation with the SoE event planner.
- Coordinate the Undergraduate Research Fellows (UGRF) Program, develop the programming, and stimulate external competitive graduate fellowship applications.
- Coordinate the First-Year Dean’s Fellowship Program, develop graduate student professional development programming, and stimulate external competitive graduate fellowship applications.
- Analyze proposal, award, and research expenditure data supplied by the KU Office of Research and provide the data and analysis to the SoE and the departments on a regular basis.
- Provide help preparing research reports, analyzing documents, scheduling, organizing meetings, and supervising undergraduate student assistants.
- Manage marketing campaigns to promote programs and faculty, staff, student, and alumni accomplishments and manage, update, and create web content for the graduate recruitment and research sections of the SoE website in collaboration with the School’s public relations and web development staff.
- Coordinate the Faculty Research Portfolio in collaboration with the School’s public relations and web development staff.
Graduate Program Recruitment and Admission (35%)
- Serve as the point of contact for graduate student recruitment. Develop and organize SoE recruitment events, in support of departments, with a commitment to academic excellence; coordinate a School presence at local, regional, and national prospective student events, which may include some travel.
- Work with the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs and departments to develop a strategic plan to recruit and support domestic and international graduate students.
- Coordinate SoE scholarships and fellowships for graduate student recruitment.
- Advertise undergraduate research opportunities, including Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs, to expand recruitment efforts.
- Collaborate with the Engineering Career Center and faculty to promote graduate school as a post-graduation opportunity.
- Serve as the liaison for recruitment during the application process. Coordinate the admissions process and work with departments on communication to prospective and admitted students.
- Develop and organize orientation programing for new graduate students working with the Program Coordinator for Graduate Academic Services.
- Co-advise the Graduate Engineering Association (GEA) Graduate Ambassador Fellowship program, which includes selecting, training, and supervising fellows.
Graduate Program Outreach and Unit Support (10%)
- Organize an SoE Open House to recruit prospective graduate students and advertise it regionally.
- Work with departments to manage travel arrangements for graduate student recruiting.
- Other duties as assigned.
Position Requirements
- A few work-related trips and occasional local weekend or evening events are required for this position.
Required Qualifications
- Master's degree OR Bachelor’s degree and three years related experience.
- Excellent communication skills as demonstrated in application materials and previous work experience.
- Experience working independently, as part of a team, and managing multiple projects and deadlines as demonstrated in application materials.
- Experience with data analysis.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree and one year related experience
- Experience working with STEM faculty, staff, and/or students.
- Experience in building a recruiting and marketing plan and carrying it to completion.
- Experience building relationships, both within an organization and in working with external constituents.
- Experience with university-level student recruitment.
Additional Candidate Instructions
A complete online application consists of the following:
- Cover letter describing how the required and preferred qualifications are met.
- Resume/CV
- Contact information for three professional references.
- Application review begins Tuesday, September 3, 2024 and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants is received.
Contact Information to Applicants
Suzanne Shontz, shontz@ku.edu
Advertised Salary Range
$50,000 - $55,000 commensurate with experience
Work Schedule
M-F 8-5
Application Review Begins
Tuesday September 3, 2024
Anticipated Start Date
Sunday October 13, 2024