ISSS, Graduate Assistant - Programming & Communication

Working Title: ISSS, Graduate Assistant - Programming & Communication

State Role Title:Graduate Assistant

Position Type:Graduate Assistant

Position Status: Part-Time

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt: Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Center for Global Engagement

Department: 100148 - CGE Administration

Pay Band:N/A

Pay Rate:Stipend

Specify Range or Amount:

Is this a JMU only position?N/A

Is this a grant-funded position?No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position?N/A

Beginning Review Date:

About JMU:

Situated in the heart of Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

ISSS seeks a graduate student with significant global experience to support the ISSS Student Team in engaging the JMU international community by creating, facilitating, and marketing programming that supports, meets the needs of, and highlights the strengths of current and prospective international students at JMU.

This is an academic year appointment. The start date for this GA position will be training which may begin as early as August 10th, 2026. This position requires you to be available for training between August 10th and 19th. Most hours of this assistantship take place between 8am and 5pm, Monday - Friday. Periodically, this position will help with programming during weekend hours. This position will work 20 hours per week.

Duties and Responsibilities:

*Programming - work alongside ISSS staff to create and run programs and activities for international students (e.g., welcome back events, grocery trip for graduate students, social events, cultural programming, etc.) throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. The GA will attend most programs to engage with students and encourage connection and engagement between students and the ISSS team.

*Marketing - work with ISSS Associate Director to promote ISSS programming, celebrate international holidays and cultural events, and share information, events, etc. pertinent to the international student community through the ISSS social platforms; create graphics and text for social media content and emails; and build an online community for international students through the ISSS Instagram account (@intldukedog).

*Orientation - work with ISSS staff to plan orientation schedules, content, and activities; engage with new students to create a welcoming environment and excitement for their JMU journey; participate in and lead activities, sessions, and excursions.

*On-demand Projects - work with the ISSS team to execute projects that are responsive to needs that appear during the semester.

*Administrative - work with the ISSS team to create resources for cultural adjustment (e.g., pre-arrival information, orientation guides, etc.) and for awareness of the international student community to the JMU community.

*Assessment - work with the ISSS Associate Director to conduct assessments of student needs and program/services.

Qualifications:

*Strong leadership, organizational, and critical thinking skills.

*Effective communication, interpersonal, and listening skills.

*Collaborative spirit that allows for development of strong working relationships with colleagues and departments across campus.

*Ability to work independently and take initiative.

*Proficient in Microsoft Office, social media platforms, Canva; comfortable using different software/technologies

*Attention to detail.

*Enrolled full-time as a JMU graduate student for the 2026-27 academic year.

*Student employees must maintain a minimum GPA that keeps them in good standing with their academic program.

*Demonstration of a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity both in learning and in practice.

*Demonstration of strong interpersonal, leadership, customer service, and administrative skills.

*High ethical standards and strong work ethic.

Additional Posting Information:

Examples of specific duties:

*Collaborate with ISSS Student Team to create a slate of programming that meets the needs of current international students at JMU. GA may do outreach and polling of current international students to inquire about programming preferences, needs, etc.

*Support the ISSS Student Team in facilitating programming, including marketing, managing RSVPs, event set-up, in-event photography and videography, in-event sharing to social media, in-event presence for networking and connecting of and with international students, post-event clean-up; in some cases, running certain events.

*Manage the ISSS Instagram account (@intldukedog). Create content, post content through posts and stories, respond to DMs, etc. Collaborate with ISSS Student Team for content and programming-specific marketing.

*Attend weekly one-on-one meetings with the ISSS Associate Director

*Attend weekly ISSS Student Team meetings (Wednesdays at 10:30am-12:00pm)

*Create visuals for weekly content of ISSS emails

Conditions of Employment:

Students may apply to a graduate assistantship prior to being accepted into a graduate program. However, to be eligible to receive an assistantship upon entry into a graduate program, the following criteria must be met:

The student must be conditionally or unconditionally accepted into a graduate program. Students who are provisionally accepted will not be eligible until they achieve conditional or unconditional acceptance into their program.

The students must have an official transcript on file indicating completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or agency

After receiving an assistantship, the student must maintain at least a 3.0 graduate GPA in order to retain or reapply for the assistantship.

These are minimum criteria. Graduate program coordinators have the right to impose additional criteria if they see fit.

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 a student with a disability and need assistance please contact the Office of Disability Services at (540) 568-6705 or disability-svcs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the Office of Disability Services, located in the Student Success Center, Suite 1202 and they will be happy to assist you.