George Mason University Volgenau School of Engineering Diversity Associate

The George Mason University Volgenau School of Engineering (VSE), Office of the Dean, seeks a motivated, people-oriented, and highly organized Diversity Associate to provide student-focused educational and programmatic support to the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason's academic and culturally inclusive environment.

About the Position: The Diversity Associate will become the first supporting team member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team, headed by the Chief Diversity Officer. This person will be integral in building the Computing and Engineering Diversity Resource Information Center (CEDRIC) and collaborating with academic departments and the Volgenau School of Engineering student support teams (advising, career services, and global programs). The Diversity Associate will play a critical role in the development, implementation, and management of academic support programming, leadership programming, and career development initiatives to increase the retention and graduation of undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented racial minority groups in the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Additionally, the Diversity Associate will help to build the capacity of all students as allies in a welcoming community, and will aid in the coordination of efforts to increase awareness of internal and external scholarship funding opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. The chosen candidate will support precollege recruitment and outreach for prospective engineering students as a part of ensuring access and affordability in public higher education. The Diversity Associate will serve as the school liaison to multiple stakeholders such as students, internal and external higher education colleagues, corporate partners, and alumni. The Diversity Associate will assist in development of diversity and Inclusive Excellence marketing materials and monitor social media platforms in collaboration with the Volgenau School of Engineering communications team.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Knowledge Base: * Serve as a secondary subject matter expert in regards to issues around DEI in STEM higher education for VSE and university panels, committees, taskforces, and commissions; * Provide student retention strategies and best practices for faculty, Engineering Living Learning Communities, student organizations, etc.; * Offer connecting support to students seeking on/off campus resources as needed for their academic and personal development and success - including but not limited to scholarships, emergency housing support, mental health resources, community assets, etc.

Relationship Management: * Assist in the management of diverse student relationships on behalf of the CDO and the School; * Support all aspects of student engagement from project design, budget management, marketing development, student leadership development, program assessment, research and identification of emerging issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as benchmarking to national standards; * Setup, interact, and assist VSE cohorts as established through programming such as Break Through Tech; * Interact with the full scope of the CDO's contacts, internal and external, in order to advance the CDO's mission on behalf of the School; * Convene meetings and networking events as needed.

Communications and Media: * Draft communications on behalf of the CDO; * In concert with the marketing team, interact with Media and others to ensure best exposure for the CDO and the School; * Provide back-up to the CDO on correspondence, including prioritizing items and ensuring timely responses; * Assist with accurate and professional preparation of speeches, blogs, correspondence, white papers, presentations, and other materials.

Background Research: * Conduct research on markets, networks, competition, etc.; * Evaluate data; * Prepare informal reports and feedback as needed on various topics such as new initiatives, special studies, or investigations that require analysis.

Special Projects: * Manage and execute special projects as assigned; * Work with other members of the CDO's team to ensure accuracy, coordination, and prioritization of projects; * Work with other members of the CDO's team to ensure Dean's events are well conceived, managed, and executed.

Required Qualifications: * Knowledge of issues affecting diverse students, including issues of disparities in educational background, family education history, class, race, gender, age, disability, sexuality, and immigration status; * Cultural sensitivity and humility across a spectrum of diversity broadly defined; * Master's Degree with 1-2 years of relevant work experience, e.g. Bachelor's degree with 5-8 years of relevant work experience; * Ability to work independently as well as part of a team; * Demonstrated oral, written, and analytical skills, exhibiting fluency in area of diversity and inclusion; * Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism; * Proven ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks accurately under pressure; * Demonstrated advanced writing skills, the ability to proofread, and strong copy-editing skills; * Excellent computer skills with working knowledge of all applications in Microsoft Office, database expertise, and e-mail and network applications; * Ability to review, chart, and provide basic data analysis with Microsoft Office, Google Analytics, Qualtrics/Survey Monkey, etc.; * Excellent organizational and prioritizing skills.

Preferred Qualifications: * Experience in STEM education; * Experience with Engineering & Computing Diversity Societies; * Experience with financial aid/scholarships/fellowships and other supports for historically marginalized groups (African American, Hispanic, Indigenous, Women, and Persons with Disabilities); * Experience working in a high-volume, fast-paced office; * Excellent interpersonal and verbal communications skills including the ability to work effectively with and relate well to staff and external constituents at all levels of the university.

Mason Engineering: The Future of Engineering is Here The Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University is a fast-growing force for innovation in research and education. The school boasts more than 8,600 students in 37 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs, including several first-in-the-nation offerings. Of the 250 full-time faculty who comprise the School, 90 are tenured, 50 are tenure-track, 85 are instructional faculty, and 25 are research faculty. As part of a nationally ranked research university, its research teams expended more than $60 million in sponsored research awards last year and has projects with over $400 million in current and anticipated awards. Located in the heart of Northern Virginia's technology corridor, Mason Engineering stands out for its research in many leading areas including artificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurity engineering, biomedical imaging and devices, community-based healthcare, autonomous systems, 5G communications, systems architectures, computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and more. The School highly encourages multidisciplinary research and provides faculty with opportunities to work with other disciplines.

George Mason University is the largest public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of over 38,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 research institution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutes of Higher Education. Mason is located in the city of Fairfax in Northern Virginia at the doorstep of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, with unmatched geographical access to a number of federal agencies and national laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providing excellent opportunities for interaction with industry. Fairfax is consistently rated as being among the best places to live in the country and has an outstanding local public school system.

In conjunction with Amazon's decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degree programs in computing, and George Mason University has committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and high-tech fields. Among the exciting initiatives being undertaken by the university are the launch of the Institute for Digital InnovAtion, a university think tank and incubator to serve the digital economy, and the expansion of its Arlington Campus with a planned 400,000 square foot Digital InnovAtion Building. These initiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment by Mason that will rapidly elevate Mason's already leading national position in computing and related areas.

About Diversity and Inclusion at George Mason: George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in both academics and research. Mason holds a top U.S. News and World Report "Up and Coming" spot for national universities and is recognized for its global appeal and excellence in higher education.

Mason is currently the largest and most diverse university in Virginia with students and faculty from all 50 states and over 135 countries studying at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince Williams, as well as at learning locations across the commonwealth. Rooted in Mason's diversity is a campus culture that is both rewarding and exciting, work that is meaningful, and opportunities to both collaborate and create.

"For full consideration, applicants must complete the online application at https://jobs.gmu.edu/ for position number FA47Hz, and attach a cover letter, resume, list of three professional references with contact information, and a Diversity Essay Response (attached as 'Other Doc') (no more than 500 words) to the prompt: If you were the successful candidate for this position, how would you connect colleagues and contacts from diverse communities to this university? What do you expect the challenges would be? What do you expect the benefits would be? We will contact you directly if we require additional materials. Full consideration will apply to applicants who submit their completed application by March 24, 2021; however, the review of applications will continue until the position is filled."

"Great Careers Begin at Mason!

George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in both academics and research. Mason holds a top U.S. News and World Report "Up and Coming" spot for national universities and is recognized for its global appeal and excellence in higher education.

Mason is currently the largest and most diverse university in Virginia with students and faculty from all 50 states and over 135 countries studying in over 200 degree programs at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William, as well as at learning locations across the commonwealth. Rooted in Mason's diversity is a campus culture that is both rewarding and exciting, work that is meaningful, and opportunities to both collaborate and create.

If you are interested in joining the Mason family take a look at our current opportunities and catch some Mason spirit at jobs.gmu.edu/!

George Mason University, Where Innovation is Tradition."