Frederick Douglass Institute-Graduate Assistantship

Graduate Assistantship- Half Time

The Frederick Douglass Institute

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

The Frederick Douglass Institute of the West Chester University of Pennsylvania invites applications for Graduate Assistantship for the 2025-2026 academic year. 

This application is a half-time Graduate Assistantship position available to Graduate Students admitted to a master’s level program. Qualified students will be awarded a half-time graduate assistantship (6 credits) each for the Fall and Spring semester during the 2025-2026 academic year. The Graduate Assistantship comes with a corresponding 6 credits Tuition Waiver for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters respectively.

Responsibilities of Frederick Douglass Institute Graduate Assistants 

Graduate Assistants at the Frederick Douglass Institute (FDI) assist the Director of the Institute in the planning and implementation of all FDI events. These events may include but are not limited to:

1. attend our Monday in-person staff meeting from 12:00-1:00 PM. That is where we come together and brainstorm for upcoming programs and events. It is our chance to link up and produce creative ways to serve FDI. It is also an opportunity to address issues that need to be improved.
2. In keeping with policy, FDI office is open Monday – Thursday from 10Am- 3PM. You must work 10 hours within these hours in the office. Maintain a welcoming atmosphere in the FDI office.
3. Attend Board Meetings (Prepare agenda with Director and take minutes/email out to board)
4. Support FDI Director on annual program data analysis and report.
5. Participate in hosting visiting middle and high school students.
6. Participate in the planning of the DeBaptiste Lecture series as well as attending the day of the event.
7. WCU FDI and Wells Fargo Educational Outreach Academy.
8. Support student conferences within PASSHE FDI Collaborative.
9. Assist FDI annual multicultural read-in programs.
10. Assist the Planning of Dr. Patricia Grasty Gaines (PGG) College of Education/Social Work, and FDI student scholarship award.
11. Support campus-wide lecture events and FDI educational bus trips.
12. Design, edit and produce the institute's public relations materials for each event (brochure, event flyers, program notes, etc.).
13. Work collaboratively with the WCU Information Services staff to develop, expand, and maintain the FDI website.
14. Inform the campus community by disseminating FDI multicultural events on campus both sponsored and supported by the institute.
15. Organize FDI files, distribute folders, and mailings.
16. Support faculty/staff (or Board members) who are working on various projects or programs for the FDI.
17. Any additional responsibilities assigned by the FDI Director and requests from faculty/staff working on FDI specific assignments.

Other Expectations of FDI Graduate Assistants

Graduate assistants are expected to attend regular board meetings, help to prepare agendas and minutes, and assist with ideas and plans for the development of programs and expansion of the institute into the campus community. 

In addition to satisfactory fulfillment of assistantship duties, satisfactory work performance and excellence in academic and scholastic performance are necessary to maintain the assistantship. Graduate assistants are bound by the Student Code of Conduct. Findings from the Office of Student Conduct may be disclosed to The Graduate School and could result in revocation of the assistantship. Graduate Assistants must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average per semester.