Graduate Students Find Professional Development and Academic Support From Division of Student Affairs

The Division of Student Affairs employs nearly 40 graduate students as graduate assistants each year.

Graduate assistantships fund graduate students' academic pursuits with partial or full tuition waivers, as well as a stipend for personal expenses. In return, graduate assistants work for the Division with staff members on various projects and initiatives gaining valuable professional development.

Graduate assistants within Student Affairs have the opportunity to advise student organizations, plan major campus programs, build communities in residence halls, contribute to strategic planning and assessment initiatives, provide direct service to students in need, and various other projects.

Kristin Wyninegar, campus life graduate assistant, said her graduate assistantship has not only helped pay for her education, but her assistantship has supplemented the material she's learned in class and practically applied it in a professional setting.

"Working in the Division of Student Affairs has allowed me to grow personally and professionally," Wyninegar said. "I have had the opportunity to challenge myself and gain a wider perspective of Higher Education while gaining insight from professionals in the field."

Graduate assistants can work with undergraduate students at almost every level of their lives on campus. Lori Lander, associate Dean of Students, said the Division of Student Affairs would not be able to support student's needs at the University of Arkansas without graduate assistant's help across the Division.

"Our graduate assistants are an integral part of the Division and without their dedication and passion we would not be able to support and provide exceptional programs and services for all students," Lander said.

On February 24, 2017, the Division of Student Affairs will host Graduate Assistant Interview Day. Qualifying applicants interested in working for the Division of Students Affairs to develop professional skills and learn more about Higher Education are encouraged to apply.

The application process will consist of video interviews, allowing candidates to show their passion, personality, and insight. Recruitment teams will review all interview submissions and determine the best fit of each application at the beginning of the interview process.

The process is designed to replicate a job interview for entry to mid-level jobs within the Higher Education profession, allowing each candidate the opportunity to continue to develop their interview skills.

For more information about the graduate assistant opportunities for the 2017-18 academic year in the Division of Student Affairs, please visit studentaffairs.uark.edu/gapositions, email RazorbackGA@uark.edu, or call 479-575-5004.

The Division of Student Affairs is made up of more than 15 different offices and countless professional staff members whose duty is to provide for students' basic needs, celebrate student successes, and educate students inside and outside of the classroom in hopes they will become, not only active members of the UARK community, but the global community. Student Affairs professionals guide students on their journey to personal, professional, and academic success.