Assistantships

Diversity Assistantships

The Adler School of Professional Psychology’s diversity assistantship program is designed to support our commitment to a more inclusive and diverse learning environment. We view diversity as an essential component of the educational experience of our students and an important indicator of our success in ensuring the relevance of the School. 

The diversity assistantship program provides selected individuals with leadership, collaboration, planning and programming experience related to recruitment and mentorship of underrepresented populations as identified in the School’s Diversity Excellence Plan. Diversity Assistants will be responsible for working with the School’s diversity committee as well as various departments on campus (i.e. admissions, student affairs, academic affairs, training and community engagement) to increase the pipeline of diverse applicants, ensure success of underrepresented students, strengthen the diversity of training and community engagement experiences, and provide programming that supports an inclusive environment.

Terms of Employment and Compensation

The diversity assistant position provides selected doctoral students with a 50% tuition waiver renewable for up to 4 consecutive years. The diversity assistants are expected to commit a minimum of 15-20 hours per week during the fall, spring and summer semesters. Students must remain in good standing, maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 at the Adler School, and receive a positive review and recommendation from their supervisor to be eligible for renewal.  Recipients of this assistantship are not eligible for additional scholarships from The Adler School for 2012-2013. Any individual who is awarded both the assistant and a scholarship will be required to choose which one they will accept.

Primary responsibilities will include:

• Participate as an advisory member on the Adler School Diversity Committee.
• Establish relationships, pipeline programs and collaborations that recruit and enroll students from underrepresented populations.
• Provide leadership to and advise students in the planning of diversity and cultural events sponsored by the School’s student organizations.
• Work with diversity committee to establish and facilitate a mentorship program for new students from underrepresented populations.
• Meet regularly with supervisor and/or mentor to provide updates, monitor performance, and seek guidance.
• Return all phone and email messages within a reasonable time-frame. (24-48 hours)
• Perform other duties as identified with supervisor to enhance professional development and/or support success of diversity initiatives.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible, applicants should meet the following criteria:

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Be admitted into a doctoral program at Adler School for fall 2012 admissions. Awards will not be held for students who defer admission or fail to enroll by the specified registration deadline. (Applicants who are awaiting an admissions decision should still submit assistantship application and materials by March 1^st deadline)
• Demonstrate personal characteristics such as motivation, leadership potential, and commitment to diversity based on personal essay, previous experience, interview and references.
• Priority will be given to applicants who belong to an underrepresented racial/ethnic minority group (African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Pacific Islander) or members of other underrepresented populations such as LGBTQ or individuals with disabilities.

Application and Selection

The following items should be submitted to the Adler School Office of Admissions by March 1, 2012 in order to be considered:

• A completed diversity assistantship application, signed and dated
• An updated copy of your resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• References - Please provide names, titles, phone number and email for three individuals whom may be contacted to provide a reference for you.
• Essay – Please submit a statement (approximately 500 words) describing your experience with diversity and why it is important to your education.

A flexible, holistic, and individual approach to awarding assistantships will be based on your assistantship application materials and all materials submitted for your application for admissions to the school. Once materials have been reviewed, a select number of individuals will be invited for an interview (phone or in-person) as the final step in the selection process. Award recipients will be notified in writing by April 1, 2012.