The Graduate Advisor (GA) position is a unique component of the residential life program at Dartmouth College. Under the supervision of a professional Community Director, each GA will provide support, counsel, and at least one program to residents in an effort to enhance their residential and academic experiences. The GA’s primary responsibility is to act as an academic mentor and advisor to residents. As a member of a cluster staff, each GA will share in the responsibility of establishing a strong residential education program in the residence halls to meet the academic and developmental needs of residents. Each GA will be expected to dedicate between 6 and 8 hours per week to the formal responsibilities of the position, and be present weekly during each term to serve in the GA role. In addition, appropriate informal interactions with the undergraduates are expected. A more detailed listing of job expectations is provided below.
Each Graduate Advisor must be willing and able to make a strong commitment to the curricular and extracurricular dimensions of a residential community. A GA must be an enrolled, full-time graduate student for the fall, winter, and spring terms during each year of employment; in good academic standing with the College; possess strong organizational and interpersonal skills; and have a high level of personal and intellectual maturity. A GA candidate must have been an enrolled graduate student at Dartmouth for at least one academic year before beginning the GA position. (This requirement may be waived for MALS students—see the selection coordinator for more information before applying.) Each GA needs to be willing to live in an undergraduate residential community in the living space provided and furnished by the Office of Residential Life, and abide by the policies of that community. For a listing of residential policies, please see the College Residence Policies and Terms.
Each Graduate Advisor will receive furnished living accommodations in an on-campus residence hall, wireless internet access, Dartmouth TV service and local and domestic long-distance phone service. The living space is available year-round as long as the GA will be continuing in the position, and barring renovation or large-scale maintenance projects. Otherwise, occupancy of these accommodations will end at the completion of the appointment as a GA. Please note that parking is not provided near GA living spaces.
Appointment to the position typically begins in July, and ends in mid-June. GAs who are continuing through the next year and want to occupy the living space through the summer term will be expected to work on special projects as assigned by their supervisor, and provide programming and advising for summer-term students and staff. Any GAs who will be gone for a period of time during their appointment that will prevent them from being available on a weekly basis during an academic term should seek a contractual exception before accepting a position.
The following expectations may be augmented by your supervisor.
Each Graduate Advisor will be evaluated by her/his supervisor, incorporating comments and feedback from the Community Director and cluster staff, as well as other sources of information available regarding her/his performance. Individual meetings will be used to discuss performance, strengths, and areas of improvement. Continued employment as a Graduate Advisor will be based on satisfactory performance evaluations.
