Campus internEXP - Diversity Recruiting Intern

 **If you are interested in applying to one or more of these positions, you will need to view/attend an information session for the Campus internEXP program to qualify. Please register for an information session here. Once you have viewed/attended a session, you will gain access to apply within 2 business days.**

The College of Science at Virginia tech is one of 8 academic colleges, serving around 5000 students each year. We host 11 academic undergraduate programs ranging from economics to physics to biological sciences. 

The Coalition for Diversifying Science is a collaboration between the College of Science and university wide inclusion and diversity efforts and initiatives. Through partnership we work to coordinate a comprehensive program that advances the College of Science’s efforts to recruit, retain, and invest in students from populations who have been historically marginalized, under-served, and under-represented in science.

Position overview:

The Diversity Recruiting Intern would work within our coalition to form partnerships and complete projects which support the Virginia Tech Beyond Boundaries strategic plan in terms of recruiting a diverse population of undergraduate students. Our office is open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, though Jess, the supervisor for this position, works non-traditional hours. Our Diversity Recruiting Intern can expect that the majority of their hours would fall between 8 am to 5 pm. We are expecting 10 hours a week for $15 an hour for this position. This position is for Spring 2025 with a negotiable start date in January and an expectation to work through reading day in May. 

Job description:

• Analyze key demographic data of partner high schools, student ambassadors’ home high schools, and attendees to keystone events and College of Science information sessions
• Coordinate with College of Science faculty and SOAR to plan COS sessions of Black College Institute
• Create and sustain a timeline of recruiting activities for spring to “yield” admitted students to the College of Science
• Assist in developing a fall timeline of targeted recruitment of diverse students
• Benchmark other colleges’ onboarding of first generation college students
• Assist with writing the recruitment section of our NSF S-STEM grant proposal, a $2 million proposal $2 million for scholarships and support for data science students

Required Qualifications:

• Experiencing working with or supporting a diverse population of students
• Strong interpersonal communication and relationship building skills

Preferred qualifications:

• Knowledge of College of Science academic programs
• Basic Excel skills
• Ability to work independently
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training
• Professional writing skills

Necessary Skills Include:

• Communication and relationship building skills
• Creativity in solving problems and creating solutions
• Professional email communication
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively on a project
• Asking questions to further your learning
• Confidentially working with student data

Who you will be working with:

Our Diversity Recruiting Intern would work collaboratively with Jess Hoopengardner, our Director of Inclusion and Diversity; Sam Hannah, our Director of Recruiting; and our team of 4 student workers (with Jess Hoopengardner serving as your supervisor). Some pieces of the projects would need to be done independently and then brought to the group. This position would be mostly in-person work in our office in the North End Center, Suite 4300, with limited opportunities for hybrid work. The College of Science Dean’s Suite has around 30 employees working in a variety of areas to support the College as a whole. The office is a more casual environment where the intern would work either in an office with Jess or Sam, or at a desk in our front welcome area. 

Supervisor:

Jess Hoopengardner is the College of Science Director of Inclusion and Diversity, and has worked for Virginia Tech since August 2021. She graduated with a BS from Ohio State in Microbiology and then an MSEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana. This role allows her to combine her passion for science, diversity, and education all in one space. Jess grew up on a farm with over 300 goats (plus some llamas and an alpaca), and loves to get to know where students come from and their backgrounds too. 

Perks of Our Position

We work in a highly collaborative office environment, with recruiting, diversity initiatives, outreach, academic advising, advancement, and more support larger College initiatives. Any students interested in the behind the scenes of higher education and networking with a larger group of staff members will find an environment beneficial to those goals. We will work with our student intern to create a flexible working schedule that fits their classes and activities. We are located on campus next to Gilbert Place within walking distance of the new bus loop. We have a kitchenette area where our student interns can store their lunch or snacks, plus regular free food from events and an office Keurig. There is a Starbucks in the basement of our building too!