Office/Department: Office of Orientation and Transition
Number of Positions Available: 1
Position Commitment:  1.5-years
Dates of Employment: August 2025 – May 2026 and June 2026 – July 2027 with the summer fulfilling a PSYC 696 Practicum - Student Personnel requirement
Position: Orientation Graduate Assistant
Supervisor: Zack Beasley, Coordinator for Student Staff

Mission Statement: The Office of Orientation and Transition engages students in the JMU learning experience by preparing them to be active and authentic members of the university community.

Position Description: The Orientation Graduate Assistant in the Office of Orientation & Transition is responsible for the development and implementation of Orientation Peer Adviser (OPA) recruitment, selection, and training. The Orientation graduate assistant will collaborate with the Transition graduate assistant on transition programming and volunteer recruitment, selection, and training.

Position Commitment: This position is a 1.5-year commitment for the selected student. By fulfilling the role for 1.5 years, the GA will be able to witness a complete Orientation & Transition cycle. Beginning in August of their commitment year, they will support First yeaR Orientation Guide (FROG) training and Weeks of Welcome programming, recruit Orientation Peer Advisers (OPA) during the fall semester, and help facilitate both spring and summer training and supervision of OPAs, culminating with their involvement with Summer Orientation in June and July. The summertime commitment of late May through late July will be a separate contract and payment period. By the time commitment being an academic year and a summer, this allows the GA to put their planning into practice to see the fruition of their work.

Functional Areas/ Programs associated with this role:

• Weeks of Welcome
• OPA Recruitment, Selection, and Hiring
• Spring Welcome
• First-year & Transfer Orientation
• Student Leadership Development
  
  • Spring leadership development workshops
  • OPA Spring overnight retreat
  • Training for summer programming (Orientation & Weeks of Welcome)

Students who participate in this experience will gain an understanding of student affairs as a profession and the influence student affairs has on contemporary higher education through the following tasks and activities:

• Assist with the development and implementation of student staff recruitment, selection, and training for OPAs.
• Participate in departmental and divisional meetings, planning, and projects
• Understand new student and family needs
• Participate in the review of assessment objectives, instruments, and results
• Apply student development and counseling theory to everyday practice
• Contribute to the planning and implementation of Orientation and Transition programs
• Work collaboratively on special projects within the Office of Orientation & Transition and with other university departments
• Participation in professional development opportunities

Students who participate in this experience will be exposed to the purposeful application of the following student development, and/or organizational theories:

• Psychosocial Developmental Theories: Chickering and Reisser
• Identity Development Theories: Racial, Sexual, Gender, Ability, Religious, Social Class, Multiple
• Transition Theory: Schlossberg
• Typology: Myers-Briggs, True Colors, Leadership Compass, Enneagram
  Leadership Styles and Theories

Students assigned to this site will be able to participate in the following assessment and/or evaluation projects:

• Orientation Team Workshop Evaluation
• Developing learning objectives for OPAs and other relevant student staff members
• Weeks of Welcome program evaluation and assessment

Students who participate in this experience will be evaluated and provided ongoing feedback in the following ways:

• Weekly one-on-one meetings with the supervisor
• Periodic assessment of learning outcomes from learning contract
• Formal written performance evaluations at the end of each semester

Specific expectations of students assigned to this site include:

• Assist in coordination and implementation of OPA recruitment, selection, hiring, training, and supervision
• Assist with Weeks of Welcome programming
• Plan, lead, and facilitate leadership workshops and training sessions for OPAs
• Assist the Leadership Team with planning and implementation of monthly teambuilding activities
• Attend and participate in weekend OPA Retreat (February)
• Option to attend NODA Region 8 Conference (March/April)
• Assist with the recruitment and selection of FROGs
• Assist with the planning and implementation of FROG Spring Training
• Communicate effectively with supervisor, co-workers, staff, and faculty
• Role model professionalism, ethical decision making and being responsible for confidential information
• Be willing to work evenings and weekends, when necessary
• Create and maintain a schedule to meet assistantship requirements
• Support the mission of the Office of Orientation & Transition, Student Affairs, and JMU
• Perform designated tasks in a timely, organized, and professional manner
• Attend all professional staff meetings/retreats
• Appreciate diversity and individual differences
• Assist with special projects as needed
• Other duties as assigned