Democracy Fellow

Working Title: Democracy Fellow

State Role Title: Institutional Employment / Federal Work Study

Position Type: Institutional Employment

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: 14.00

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:

Located in the heart of Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 20,000 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

General Information:

The James Madison Center for Civic Engagement is a high-profile and high performing unit in the Office of the President seeking to hire undergraduate Democracy Fellows to promote and support the university's civic engagement mission (see: www.jmu.edu/civic).

Democracy Fellows are the working heart of JMU's civic engagement efforts. Fellows work in teams to develop programming for campus in support of voting, civic discourse, and civic leadership, including work on democracy and immigration issues, voter education, leadership through difficult conversations, and more. The Madison Center is home to several significant programs at JMU, including Constitution Day, the Better Conversations Together program, and Dukes Vote. Democracy Fellows also have the opportunity to be on stage and in private networking meetings with high profile speakers and campus leaders during major events. Fellows receive hands-on leadership and project management training and mentoring by the Madison Center's faculty and staff. Fellows must have a commitment to non-partisanship when representing JMU and the Madison Center.

Applicants can apply for one of two Fellowship tracks - democracy or facilitation. Democracy track fellows will work primarily on voter education and registration efforts, public issues education, Dukes Vote podcast, and immigration and refugee issues. Fellows in this track will also organize events for civic education week, Constitution Day, VA250 commemoration, the Civic Leadership in the Commonwealth publication. Fellows in the facilitation track will focus on leading the Center's civic discourse initiatives including facilitating Better Conversations Together deliberative forums, Dukes Discourse, our campus pluralism and interfaith dialogues, and the civic leadership minor. All Fellows will work on the broad scope of Madison Center programming but will receive in-depth training and mentoring in their specific track.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Oversee Dukes Vote voter registration drives, classroom visits, campus events like the town hall series, educational tabling, election day programming, and other events with campus and off-campus partners.

Serve as student ambassadors during high-profile events at JMU.

Create resources for addressing barriers that keep young people from having access, sharing their voice and participating in civic and political life.

Facilitate a variety of dialogue programming on campus, including Better Conversations Together (https://www.jmu.edu/civic/programs/bct-overview), Dukes Discourse, and campus pluralism initiatives.

Conduct research and writing for social media, educational primers (see: www.sites.lib.jmu.edu/civic), podcasts, and the new civic engagement minor.

Assist with organizing and facilitating civic engagement events, workshops and forums for JMU students, faculty and staff, and community partners.

Outreach to student organizations and help strengthen JMU's civic engagement partnerships.

Conduct research that leads to conference proposals and present work to local, state and national audiences.

Attend (in-person) all-staff and project meetings weekly to connect, bring ideas and grow as a team.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Exceptional oral and written communication skills

Exceptional research skills

Ability to work independently

Ability to complete assigned work on time

Ability to collaboratively work as an effective member of a diverse team

Commitment to nonpartisanship and appreciating differences when representing the Madison Center

Knowledge of the value of civic engagement, voting and civic discourse

Additional Posting Information:

All Fellows will participate in a training and orientation retreat August 18-19 and are expected to work an average of six hours per week during the academic year.

The required cover letter should describe your interest in the Democracy Fellows program, what skills, knowledge, and experience you bring to the program, and which track you would prefer to join and why.

Conditions of Employment:

Students must be degree-seeking students, enrolled on at least a half-time basis (6 credits for undergraduate and 5 credits for graduate).

Students must have a 2.0 or better cumulative GPA.

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 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.