ENVS Student Success Graduate Student Assistant

Dates of employment: Spring 2026 through Fall 2027

(Approx. April 1st, 2026– December 12, 2026, this appointment is renewable per semester at the discretion of your supervisor)

To apply, please email both Michelle Cadena (michelle.cadena@colorado.edu) and Brendan Park (brendan.park@colorado.edu) by March 30 with 1) your resume 2) your responses to application questions below:

Application Questions: (100 words max per question)

  1. Please describe what things or people inspire you.
  2. What has been a defining moment for you in MENV?
  3. Please describe ay experience you've had, or skills that apply to managing/coordinating in-person or online events, or complex projects.

Who We Are:

The Environmental Studies (ENVS) Program at the University of Colorado Boulder offers an interdisciplinary education that equips students with the tools to tackle complex environmental challenges through MS, PhD, and MENV degrees. Combining natural and social sciences, the program fosters a deep understanding of environmental issues while emphasizing solutions-oriented approaches. ENVS students and faculty are part of a vibrant community dedicated to sustainability, innovation, and advancing environmental stewardship in a rapidly changing world.

Although this role serves all ENVS, several tasks will be dedicated to the Masters of the Environment (MENV) Graduate Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. This program is an interdisciplinary professional master’s degree that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to address complex environmental challenges in the 21st century.

The MENV program prepares students to become leaders in a wide range of industries, including consulting, planning, energy, natural resources, sustainability, and more. Through a comprehensive approach to professional education, MENV students learn to understand and address, through a systems lens, the human dimensions of environmental challenges. Students simultaneously gain valuable professional experience working with an external client organization embedded within a natural, scientific, and entrepreneurial ecosystem that is unrivaled anywhere in the world.

What We Are Seeking:

The ENVS Graduate Program is seeking a first-year MENV student who is a self-starter with the desire to: build connections, share their creativity, build on or develop skills around programing, and hone their communication/interpersonal skills to help both the Academic Advisor and Assistant Director of Graduate Student Success in supporting the student success initiatives for ENVS. This role will primarily serve the MENV student body and occasionally support ENVS program for wide events. The Student Success Graduate Student Assistant will report directly to the Academic Advisor and Assistant Director of Graduate Student Success as well as support overall student success.

What Your Responsibilities Will Be: 

Student Success Tasks (40%) 

This position will provide support to student success initiatives through:

  • In collaboration with Academic Advisor and Assistant Director of Graduate Student Success develop and implement programming and content impacting MENV student success initiatives
  • Support with organization of events and/or programming:
    • Sourcing and communication with presenters
    • Engaging with attendees
    • Sourcing catering & ordering food
    • Setting up and breaking down – depending on schedule
    • Events may include but are not limited to: SPARK, community coffee chats, welcome week, and more.
    • Support with organizing first GSA monthly meetings and continue to check in once a semester
    • Collaboration with on campus partners on programming events such as the Environmental Center and Health Promotions
  • Support with the development and implementation of the MENV Mentoring Program
    • Work with Assistant Director of Graduate Students on Mentoring Applications for both Mentors and Mentees
    • Help with training sessions
    • Organize two events in fall semester for the program

Marketing and Communication (25%)

  • Design flyers for workshops, events, and other programming happening under student success initiatives.
  • Share programming information with students, faculty, and staff through email, slack, and posting flyers
  • Collaborate with Marketing Manager to share appropriate materials on social media and website
  • Support with creating and distributing surveys

Academic Advising Tasks (20%)

  • Analyze, organize, and visualize class data in Excel to help faculty identify trends and understand which courses align with students' interests
  • Add links, syllabi, and information to Canvas
  • Update MENV’s interactive catalog

Optional Flex Tasks (up to 15%)

Supervisors of MENV GSAs will share tasks which any MENV Student Employee can claim as part of their flex tasks. This provides the opportunity for MENV GSAs to work on a diversity of projects and with different MENV faculty and staff. Flex tasks are a great way for GSAs to cultivate and strengthen their career building skills. Examples include ongoing research projects, program evaluations, content production, event planning, program operations, recruitment, etc. GSAs will have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas, build past projects, and gain support in their endeavors. Flex tasks should not be prioritized over Student Success-specific tasks.

What we require:

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
  • Proficient in MS Office Suite and Google Suite

What you will need:

  • Outstanding interpersonal skills and communication skills (phone, email, in-person)
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Ability to learn new software systems (Qualtrics and Canva)
  • The ability to work independently and collaboratively with a team
  • Experience navigating and communicating sensitive issues or information

Dates of employment:

Spring 2026 - Fall 2026 (this appointment is renewable per semester at the discretion of your supervisor)

What we can offer:

The hourly wage for this position starts at $20/hr. for approximately up to 15 hours per week. Summer hours may vary.

The University of Colorado does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, pregnancy, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation, or political philosophy. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. Click here for a list of ADA and Title IX coordinators. To view the Regent policy, please click here. This organization participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each employee's I-9 form to confirm work authorization.

Reasonable Accommodations for Applicants with Disabilities

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