About this fellowship opportunity
PLEASE NOTE: Extended Application Deadline is Tue, June 27th, by 5:00 PM (EST), 2023
The Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center is seeking three Presidential Research Fellows for the 2023-24 academic year to assist in the launch and management of the The NYC Climate Justice Hub, a learning partnership between New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
(NYC-EJA) and CUNY.
The primary goal of the Hub is to advance community-led climate solutions from a justice-forward framework. To achieve this goal, the Center for the Humanities will develop research teams, curriculum, fellowships, and student leadership training programs responsive to NYC-EJA’s member groups and campaigns. To familiarize yourself with NYC-EJA and their coalitional work accelerating just transition in NYC and NYS, please review their website, here.
The Hub is thrilled to announce three new Presidential Research Fellowship positions acting as NYC Climate Justice Hub Advocates at the CUNY Graduate Center (GC). These Fellowships allow the team to create professional development and funding opportunities for the GC and CUNY students in the climate justice (CJ) and environmental justice (EJ) sector; enhance capacity to support EJ/CJ research and activities at the GC and across CUNY; reinvest in CUNY talent and infrastructure; and sustain better systems for working collaboratively with intramural and extramural partners toward social, racial, and environmental justice aims.
The CUNY GC Presidential Research Fellowships offer opportunities for the next generation of leaders in higher education to gain vocational experience on the ground and in the field at CUNY— all while integrating intersectional CJ/EJ values into their approach to administrative work. Creating pathways for GC students to work with administrators to build out infrastructure for publicly-engaged scholarship at CUNY, and to learn the ins and outs of academic administration in departments such as communications, business, administration, and finance. Fellows report to Kendra Sullivan, Director, the Center for the Humanities and Co-Director, the NYC Climate Justice Hub and Michael Menser, Co-Director, the NYC Climate Justice Hub. The CUNY Climate Research & Action Team spearheading the development of the Hub at CUNY includes Dr. Denise Thompson, Dr. Ryan Mann-Hamilton, Aurash Khawarzad, Mariposa María Teresa Fernández, and Maithreyi Rajeshkumar.
Here are the three CUNY GC Presidential Research Fellowship positions currently open for applications:
- Research Teams Coordinator: CUNY GC doctoral student to work with researchers and the Center for the Humanities to build out systems that support high-level research project management; centralized data collection and dissemination systems; knowledge translation projects and newsletters; conversations across teams and disciplines; output tracking; and regular evaluation through the distribution and collection of open-ended participant surveys.
- Climate Justice Hub Cross-CUNY Curriculum Coordinator: CUNY GC doctoral student to work with instructors and institute directors at the Hub’s emerging network (John Jay, Baruch, City, the J-School, Brooklyn, LaGuardia, and the GC) to make connections between and across CJ classroom initiatives at CUNY to advance and enhance CJ teaching and learning through interdisciplinary conversation, service and experiential learning opportunities, OER resources, public syllabi, and structuring cross-CUNY resource sharing and networking.
- Climate Justice Hub Communications Coordinator: CUNY GC doctoral student to work with GC Communications and the Center for the Humanities to spearhead press and social media strategy, visual and oral storytelling, branding and identity, website development, op-ed placement, and general outreach, making sure the work of the CJ hub is legible to broad publics.
Each role has its own responsibilities, listed above. In addition, responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- 15 hours of work a week; at least 5 hours in person at the Center for the Humanities;
- Attendance at pertinent meetings, public events and programs, and research activities in the field;
- Completion of training session to prepare to work with NYC-EJA;
- The Fellows will liaise with CUNY and NYC-EJA partners and are expected to maintain a professional demeanor in their communications, timely communication with various stakeholders, excellent organizational and follow-up skills, and strong attention to detail;
- A monthly one page summary of activities submitted to Co-Directors and Hub Coordinator;
- Proficiency in Microsoft 365 suite (including Teams), Doodle, Qualtrics, Manifold, Canva, Monday, Slack and others preferred, but not required.
Application Deadline: Tuesday, June 27th, by 5:00 PM (EST), 2023.
Eligibility: CUNY Graduate Center Doctoral Students.
Compensation and Benefits:
• CUNY Graduate Center Presidential Research Fellows: NYC Climate Justice Hub Advocates requires fellows to work a total of 450 non-teaching hours during the academic year, approximately 15 hours per week.
• Compensation for the fellowship will be a minimum of $27,374 for the academic year.
• The Fellowship is paid in two parts: Fellows will be appointed to the Graduate Center payroll as Graduate Assistant Bs (GAB) at their own current rate (the minimum GAB salary is currently $13,215) and also receive a Provost’s Award in the amount of $14,159 that will be paid through the Office of Financial Aid. Note: if a candidate has prior Grad B service at a higher salary step, the appointment would be at the candidate’s current Grad B salary rate.
• The GAB title provides eligibility to purchase the low-cost NYSHIP health insurance as well as in-state tuition remission for fellows who are within their first ten (10) registered semesters of doctoral study. Fellows who are past their ten registered semesters of doctoral study may be eligible to receive in-state tuition remission at the Level III rate as per the 2017- 2023 PSC- CUNY contract (this benefit provides for this tuition remission for a maximum of four semesters past the student’s 10th registered semester).
HOW TO APPLY:
In order to apply, please submit:
1) a cover letter (no more than 1-2 pages) that includes:
- name of the fellowship you are applying for;
- describes your experience in or interest in contributing to CJ/EJ fields;
- describes how you envision the fellowship furthering your professional, scholarly, and/or organizing goals;
- describes and any prior relevant experience, noting either engagement with a NYC-EJA member group or campaign, or more broadly your experience working in collaborative research, finance, communications, or curriculum development;
2) a CV;
3) Contact info for two references; one academic reference and one nonacademic reference, preferably references who would indicate your engagement with CJ/EJ issues or related areas;
Application Due Date: June 27 2023.
We will reach out to finalists to schedule an interview during the week of June 26. The position begins on August 28, 2023.
Submit Applications to: [email protected]
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
