Student Organizations - Development
Office/Department:  Student Leadership and Involvement / Student Life
Supervisor:  Hannah Dow, M.Ed.
Number of positions:  1

Mission Statement:  We foster belonging through the personal growth and development of an engaged citizenry by providing welcoming experiences and spaces.

Functional Areas:  Student Leadership and Involvement, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Off-Campus Life, Facilities and Event Management.

Students who participate in this experience will gain an understanding of student affairs as a profession and the influence student affairs has on contemporary higher education through the following tasks and activities:

• Educational Programming
• Leadership Training
• Supervisory experience with student employees
• Advisement of student organization
• Event Programming
• Staff training: planning and implementation
• Teambuilding: planning and implementation
• Participation in departmental committees and projects
• Writing and presenting performance evaluations
• Collaborative projects with various university departments
• Attendance at office, departmental, and divisional meetings
• Student development theory to practice
• Managing change
• Communication within an organization
• Writing goals, learning outcomes, and action plans
• Budget planning and maintenance

Students who participate in this experience will be exposed to the purposeful application of the following student development, career development, counseling, and/or organizational theories:

• Psychosocial Developmental Theories: (Chickering, Erikson)
• Cognitive Developmental Theories: (Perry, Kolhberg, Belenky, Gilligan)
• Typology: (Jung, Myers-Briggs)
• Counseling Theories: (Reality Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy)

Students assigned to this site will be able to participate in the following assessment and/or evaluation projects:

• Program/event surveying/evaluation
• Research projects as deemed necessary
• Evaluation of student employee performance

Students who participate in this experience will be evaluated and provided on-going feedback in the following ways

• Weekly one on one meetings with direct supervisor
• Mid-year and End-of-year formal evaluation with supervisor
• As requested by student or as deemed necessary
• Facilitator evaluations and feedback from student participants in programs, as appropriate

Specific expectations of students assigned to this site include:

• Supervision and evaluation of Program Assistant student employees (Club House and SLI front desk workers)
• Meet bi-weekly with supervisees
• Co-lead staff meetings
• Create and implement evaluation on student employees
• Assist with the hiring and onboarding of any vacancies
• Direct student organization support, including:
• One on one advising with various student organizations as needed
• Communication with student organization student leadership
• Collaborating with faculty/staff advisers
• Other opportunities as created or suggested
• Assist the Student Organization Annual Registration Process which includes Constitution review
• Confirming student leader officer positions
• Communicating, teaching, and supporting student organizations
• Support the Student Leadership Framework implementation
• Collaborate with the Coordinator for Student Life, Student Organization to create educational workshops for current and incoming student organization leaders
• Partner with the Graduate Assistant for Student Leadership to develop new leadership learning opportunities
• Plan, evaluate, and facilitate leadership development opportunities for student organizations as it relates back to the Student Leadership Framework
• Serve as a key contributor in supporting students through the “Start an Organization” process
• Serve as a member of the Explore Madison Committee
• Planning, organizing and creating engaging programs focused on increasing involvement on campus
• Serve as a member of the Destress Fest committee, a department wide effort in Student Life
• Planning, organizing, and implementing programs with the support of other graduate assistants
• Assist in the planning, organizing, and implementation of the Adviser Welcome and Adviser Celebration
• Help plan and implement Student Org Night (Fall and Spring)
• Other duties within reason of the assistantship, including:
  • Develop skillset in operating a campus engagement platform
  • Attend and support Student Life sponsored events
  • Communicate consistently and honestly with supervisor
  • Maintain a positive attitude about job responsibilities
  • Work to be an effective team member
  • Request assistance and support when approaching new situations
  • Gain an understanding of policies and procedures
  • Create and maintain a schedule designed to meet assistantship requirements
  • Support the mission of Student Leadership and Involvement, Student Life, Student Affairs and JMU
  • Perform designated tasks in a timely, organized and professional manner
  • Plan and facilitate one-on-one meetings with designated staff members
  • Attend sponsored events (including nights and weekends)
  • Attend conferences, workshops, and professional development meetings as deemed appropriate

Contact Person 

Hannah Dow, M. Ed.
Coordinator for Student Life, Student Organizations
Student Leadership and Involvement 
The Union 320 
knq5sl@jmu.edu