Department: The Macoskey Center for Sustainability Education & Research

Supervisor: Samantha (Sami) Bortz, Director

Position: Sustainability Education & Fundraising Graduate Position

Number of Credits: 6 (Spring 2025 & Fall 2025); 3 (Summer 2025)

Weekly Work Hours: 20 (Fall & Spring); 37.5 (Summer)  

Expected Start Date: Week of January 13, 2025

Deadline to Apply: Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024

Position Description: The Macoskey Center for Sustainability Education & Research (MC) is Slippery Rock University's campus hub for sustainability and environmental education. This graduate assistant role involves developing and delivering high-quality and impactful sustainability education programming to SRU faculty, students, and staff as well as the larger community. This role supervises an undergraduate educator and an undergraduate multimedia communications intern, collaborates with other SRU departments and student groups, collaborates with external organizations, and works to plan and develop sustainability education programming during the fall and spring semesters. This position will also involve helping to plan and facilitate an annual fundraising event as well as smaller fundraising activities throughout the year. Overall, we are seeking a highly motivated student with a positive attitude and teachable spirit who can make connections between the mission and scope of The Macoskey Center and their chosen field of study. You can learn more about The Macoskey Center here: https://www.sru.edu/offices/macoskey-center

Mission/Vision of The Macoskey Center:  

The Macoskey Center aims to inspire and create a more just and sustainable future. We achieve this through:  

• Education to equip people from all walks of life with sustainability skills, values, and knowledge.  
• Demonstration to inspire others through the sustainable management of our 70-acre homestead. 
• Research to advance sustainability knowledge and provide learning opportunities for SRU and the larger community.

Job Functions/Responsibilities: 

• Create, plan, and implement sustainability education programming and presentations for a variety of different audiences including SRU students, faculty, staff, community members, and children 
• Assist with organizing the fall and spring programmatic and event calendar for the MC
• Meet and plan with SRU faculty to plan and implement curricular-tied programming and facility usage
• Meet and plan with SRU staff and students as well as community groups to help plan co-curricular programming and facility usage
• Assist MC Director with writing the MC’s Annual Report
• Assist in recruiting and training Sustainability Education Intern and supervise Sustainability Education Intern
• Assist with planning and implementation of fundraising campaigns and events for the MC
• Supervise and mentor year-round Multimedia Communications Intern to develop marketing and public relations of special events and programs, including social media management, photography, videography, graphic design, and web design
• Provide excellent customer service and professional communications via email, phone, and/or in-person with various stakeholders about programming, events, updates, activities, and more. 
• Plan and implement summer camp programming for children ages K-6th grade
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements: 

• Pursuing a graduate degree at Slippery Rock University (preferably Master's of Science in Park & Resource Management and/or Master's of Education in Environmental Education)
• Fall & Spring: Availability to work 20 hours per week in person during our open hours (M-F 9am-5pm) and availability to work occasional evenings and weekends for events or workshops
• Summer: Availability to work 37.5 hours per week in person during our open hours (M-F 9am-5pm) & summer camp hours on summer camp weeks (M-Th 7:30am-4pm) and availability to work occasional evenings and weekends for events or workshops
• Clear background check from SRU Payroll System BEFORE the start date
• Must meet eligibility standards of the graduate school including unconditional acceptance into the graduate program and a class load of at least 6 credit hours (Fall & Spring)
• Earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 each semester
• Experience with fundraising activities
• Experience with facilitating educational programming
• Comfortable with public speaking and working with groups of all ages and sizes
• Arrives to work on time exhibiting professionalism, a positive attitude, flexibility, an ability to adapt to new challenges, strong interpersonal skills, and a desire to learn
• Willingness to give and receive both constructive and positive feedback
• Microsoft applications skills (i.e. Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook)
• Committed to and passionate about the Mission/Vision of the MC
• Committed to the MC’s work culture of creating an inclusive, respectful, equitable, and welcoming environment for all 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Knowledge of sustainable practices, gardening, agroforestry, and ecology
• Environmental/Sustainability education experience
• Seeks tangible opportunities to connect the responsibilities of this position to coursework requirements in the student’s chosen field of study
• Highly organized with attention to detail
• Ability to work autonomously or as a part of a collaborative team
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Professional work ethic and a teachable spirit 
• Experience supervising others
• Valid Driver’s License

Student Outcomes & Benefits: 

• Tuition coverage for 6 academic credits in Spring 2025 & Fall 2025; 3 academic credits in Summer 2025
• Stipend delivered through hourly pay at $10-$11/hour

• Gain experience in sustainability education/environmental education program development and implementation in a higher education context
• Gain experience with annual programmatic report writing
• Gain experience with fundraising efforts in a higher education context  
• Gain leadership experience working by supervising undergraduate students and working collaboratively with SRU faculty and staff, and community members. 
• Develop skills in visitor services and management 
• Allowance of up to 3 full days off per fall and spring semester. Allowance of up to 6 full days off per summer semester. If you foresee difficulties with this expectation, please discuss it with the MC Director before refraining from applying.
• One-on-one mentorship with The Macoskey Center Director