AssistantshipsOverview

Definitions
An assistantship is a stipend offered by the University or Department in exchange for a minimum of 20 hours of research or teaching duties per week for the period of the award. It also requires that the holder of an assistantship enroll for a minimum of 9 credit hours as a full-time student.

A fellowship is a stipend offered by the University or Department that obligates the student only to pursue academic studies.

Availability

Each year, the Reading Department has a limited number of assistantships and fellowships available to matriculated students on a competitive basis. Some of these are supported directly by the University; others are supported by externally-funded grants or projects. The number of assistantships available in a given year depends entirely on commitments already made to students holding assistantships, the assistantship allowance from the University, and the number of grants and projects that can support graduate assistants.

Minority Fellowships. [details forthcoming]

It is expected that as part of your professional preparation, you will engage in both teaching and research apprenticeships during your program, assisting in the teaching of graduate courses or clinical practicums, and participating in faculty research projects. It is also expected that you will present papers at professional conferences (e.g., New England Research Association, National Reading Conference, International Reading Association, American Educational Research Association), and submit articles to professional journals (e.g., National Reading Conference Yearbook, Language Arts, Reading Teacher).

Eligibility and Priorities
All matriculated students in the Reading Department are eligible to receive assistantships or fellowships.
Preference is given to applicants in this order:
1 PhD students already receiving assistantships/fellowships, who are satisfactorily meeting their assistantship or fellowship obligations.
2 CAS students already receiving assistantships/fellowships, who are satisfactorily meeting their assistantship or fellowship obligations.
3 PhD students applying for assistantships/fellowships for the first time.

4 CAS students applying for assistantships/fellowships for the first time.
5 Full-time matriculated MS students pursuing specialist certification.

Applying for awards
Awards for the academic year are made in June for assistantships starting in September, and applications for Fall assistantships must be made by [set date here]. Each application must be accompanied by a letter, providing a rationale for seeking the assistantship, and a preference for the assignment, and the duration of the award (single semester, Fall/Spring, Summer). In the case of a student seeking continued support, the application must be accompanied by a report on duties/activities carried out under previous assistantships. However, applications for assistantships may be made at any time during the year—these will be held and acted upon if assistantships become available mid-year.

Review Procedures
The Department’s Assistantship Coordinator reviews all applications and the supporting documents, and proposes to the Department a list of students recommended for awards, and the amount of those awards. The Department reviews these recommendations and makes the final decision on who gets assistantships and the award amounts. This procedure takes place annually, and at any time an assistantship vacancy occurs.

Assistantship Assignments
The Assistantship Coordinator, in consultation with both students and faculty, proposes assignments to faculty or projects. This is, by its nature, a collaborative exercise to meet the needs of both faculty and students. Changes in assignments may occur, at the request of either faculty members or students with assistantships. These are processed by the Coordinator.
In the case of assignments to research grants or projects, the principal investigator or project director has the final say about assignments to assistantships funded by them. However, the Assistantship Coordinator works closely with them.

Nature of the Duties
There are two kinds of activities that fall under the rubric of assistantship obligations. The first is undertaking tasks associated with research--gathering, organizing, and analyzing data; library work; assistance with manuscript preparation. The second is teaching--assisting in or actually teaching undergraduate or master's level courses. If a student is receiving assistantship support beyond a year, apprenticeships in both of these domains is strongly encouraged.

Duration of Assistantships
Assistantships are awarded for the academic year (Fall, Spring), or for a single semester (Fall, Spring, or Summer) Assistantship obligations, normally 20 hours per week, are in effect while the University is in session, for the duration of the award (Fall, Spring, or Summer).

Annual Review
The Department conducts annual reviews of students with assistantships. One component of this is the student’s annual report that describes the work carried out. Another is the faculty assessment of the student’s performance. These are both used by the Department in deciding to renew an assistantship, change the duties, or terminate an assistantship.