Working Title: Post-Graduate Fellow, Democracy Beyond Barriers

State Role Title: Education Support Specialist II

Position Type: Part-time - Wage / Part-time Salaried

Position Status: Part-Time

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt: Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Office of the President Unit

Department: 100191 - JMU Center for Civic Engagement

Pay Rate: Hourly

Specify Range or Amount: $20.00 per hour

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 01/27/2025

About JMU:

JMU is a publicly funded university with a beautiful campus and a supportive community that is committed to preparing students for the future. JMU offers several perks to all employees including:
• A Tuition Waiver Program that allows employees to have tuition waived for undergraduate and graduate level courses taken at JMU.
• Free Access to the University Recreation Center (UREC): Employees can enjoy facility access and program registration privileges at UREC and University Park. This includes the climbing wall, equipment centers, and group exercise studios.
• A variety of voluntary benefits such as Pet Insurance, Identity Theft and Legal Protection Plans, and several other supplemental benefits.
• Holiday Breaks: The university is granted 12 holidays a year.
• Talent Development Trainings: The Talent Development department offers a wide variety of personal and professional trainings, eligible for all employees to join.

Visit our Benefits site to learn more about the benefits that James Madison University offers to part-time employees!

General Information:

The Madison Center for Civic Engagement, a nonpartisan, high-performing and high-profile administrative entity housed in the Office of the President, invites applications for a post-graduate fellow focusing on democracy, immigration and refugee work to begin in February 2025. The post-graduate fellow will be the key personnel working to identify and create programming around barriers to democratic participation in civic life and will also serve as the Madison Center’s liaison to the campus and local community regarding immigrant and refugee issues.

The goals of the “democracy beyond barriers” work are to:

expand the electorate to include greater voice from historically marginalized groups;

educate the campus and broader Harrisonburg/Rockingham communities on immigration issues;

help remove barriers to deeper democratic engagement; and

collaborate with the local immigrant and refugee communities on civic learning and democratic engagement opportunities.

More details about this program can be found here: https://www.jmu.edu/civic/programs/immigration.shtml

The Fellow will oversee a team of 2-3 Democracy Fellows to develop and execute programming and events, social media, and presentations and workshops related to this area. The Fellow will report to the Associate Director of the Madison Center.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Plan and implement “democracy beyond barriers” related civic engagement programming and events, and with outreach to JMU students, faculty and staff, and community members;
• Create resources to address structural, motivational and technical barriers that keep young people and people from historically marginalized groups from having equitable access, voice and participation in civic and political life;
• Research and prepare written, audio and visual content about immigration and issues facing immigrant and refugee communities in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond for distribution at events and through the Madison Center’s various communications outlets;
• Assist with voter education and engagement efforts in local immigrant communities;
• Support the Madison Center’s planning for VA250 celebratory event and assist with the Madison Center’s other major programs, including the Common Good in the Commonwealth speaker series and Better Conversations Together program;
• Assist with compiling and editing historical and primary source materials – including documents, audio and visual materials – related to immigration policy;
• Assist with organizing experiential learning opportunities, including alternative breaks, to better understand the challenges faced by immigrant and refugee communities;
• Supervise and mentor a team of undergraduate Democracy Fellows and assist the associate director in supervising Democracy Fellows;
• Participate in national higher education and civic engagement conferences on behalf of the Madison Center; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Demonstrated passion for supporting and collaborating with new immigrant communities and underrepresented populations, especially as it relates to building capacity for effective democratic engagement
• Demonstrated project management skills specific to creating and executing events and programming
• Demonstrated ability to create social media related to immigration and refugee and civic engagement issues
• Commitment to nonpartisanship when representing the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement
• Demonstrated experience leading and/or supervising a collaborative team
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently, organize the work of self and others, meet deadlines, and work with a high degree of accuracy
• Ability to work collaboratively as a member of a diverse team.

Additional Posting Information:

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

This is a part-time wage position working up to an average of 29 hours per week over the course of a calendar year with no benefits.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.