Project Management and Research Assistant

The A. Craig Baird Debate Forum seeks a graduate student to support our goal of expanding debate’s programming on campus during the 2024-2025 academic year. The ideal candidate will be an engaged scholar-teacher who is interested in translating their skills from graduate education into event planning and scholarly research with a goal of expanding advocacy related to debate. We hope students who apply for this position can translate their expertise in humanities, social science, education, or business into public events that enable them to apply for careers outside traditional academic lines. With project management and event planning as two highly desired skills from potential employers, this assistant will complete the year-long position with a portfolio of different events to showcase multiple skills. The graduate assistant will work with the Coordinator of Forensics and Head Debate Coach to develop four events: an intercollege debate tournament on October 19th and 20th, an invited lecture during the Spring semester, and two public debates with one in the fall and one in the spring. This position is open to a graduate student who has experience with competitive speech or debate, but this background is not necessary for a successful candidate. Ideally, applicants will have strong skills in communication, experience with event planning or project management, and the capability to organize and complete long-term goals. The Coordinator and staff of the A. Craig Baird Debate Forum will provide mentoring. This is a 50% graduate research assistant appointment that will run from August 2024 through May 2025. 

The A. Craig Baird Debate Forum focuses on advancing the educational and research mission of the University of Iowa by encouraging engaged-student learning, cross-disciplinary exchange of ideas, and engagement with our local and global communities. We serve UI students, UI graduate students, and the greater community.

Duties include but are not limited to: 

• Working successfully with a team of staff, students, and campus visitors.
• Assisting with developing four events (intercollegiate debate tournament, invited lecture, and two public debates —including helping to plan, choose sites, work with guests, promote the event, and host. (Note: These events require availability on occasional evenings and weekends.)
• Occasionally overseeing social media, including Twitter and Facebook, for the team.
• Assisting in the design of posters and digital flyers for public announcements about A. Craig Baird Debate Forum events and opportunities.
• Producing videos, press releases, and other ways of reporting on the Forum’s work.
• Maintaining digital photography and publicity archive.
• Keeping agendas and notes and following through with tasks.
• Assisting with managing team logistics for travel to tournaments, including writing up short press releases outlining the team’s success at a competition.
• Expanding our website’s resources when programs need to advocate for debate’s expansion or retention.

Qualifications required:

• Good standing in a MA or PhD program in the humanities, social scientific field, education, or business.
• Exemplary writing, research, and communications skills, including writing for non-academic audiences.
• Ability to conduct research and synthesize information.
• Ability to move a project forward—helping participants stay on a timeline and meeting deadlines. 
• Ability to balance work on several sub-projects.
• Attention to current trends in social media and communications technology and familiarity with posting to multiple social media platforms.
• Confidence in event coordination.
• Ability to both work independently and to collaborate well with others.
• Creativity and eagerness to learn and experiment with new technologies and methods.

Qualifications preferred:

• Experience in documenting events with photos and videos.
• Comfort and experience with some of the following programs:
  • Adobe Suite products, including Illustrator and Photoshop
  • Film editing in iMovie
  • Doodle
  • Drupal
• Excellent proofreading skills.
• Familiarity with email marketing campaigns.

Apply:

To apply,  please send the following documents to the Coordinator of Forensics (Paul Bellus, paul-bellus@uiowa.edu) and the Head Debate Coach (Dr. Tyler Snelling, tyler-snelling@uiowa.edu).

• Cover Letter. This 1–2-page document should state your interest in the position and describe experience with organizing projects. The letter should also clarify where the student is in their studies and the anticipated date of graduation.
• Current CV or resume.

Application deadline: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis beginning on May 1st until the position is filled. Candidates may be asked to participate in an hour-long zoom interview if needed to award the assistantship. 

Please direct questions or inquiries to Paul Bellus (paul-bellus@uiowa.edu) and Tyler Snelling (tyler-snelling@uiowa.edu).

The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preferences.

Persons with disabilities who need assistance or accommodations with the application or interview process may contact University Human Resources/Faculty and Staff Disability Services, (319) 335-2660 or fsds@uiowa.edu.  For jobs in UI Health care, please contact UI Health care Leave & Disability Administration at 319-356-7543.