Graduate Intern Programs (Graduate Assistantships & Public Service Internship)

Welcome everybody. My name is Lee Brannon and I am part of the admissions team here at the University of Illinois, Springfield. Before we begin our grad week presentation today, I have a couple of housekeeping items to go over. Just so that you are all aware, this webinar is being recorded and will be made available for viewing later on.

Within your actual share screen though, there is. You'll see that there's a closed captioning button in the top right hand corner right next to it. It's an option also to make your video full screen if you'd like to do that as well.

If you need to resync your audio or video at any point in time, just refresh your browser and that should clear things up. With that, I want to introduce you to Brian Moore and Jason Haynes, and they're going to talk to you today about graduate assistantships and the public service internship. Thank you for joining us today.

Alright, thanks Lee. As Lee said, my name is Jason Haynes and I am the program director here in our office of graduate intern programs.

Um, and then so I'm going to be talking specifically about our GSI program.

And then Brian's going to follow up and talk about the Georgia program as well. So some similarities there between both programs and they actually share the same application, so same process there. So let's go ahead and get started.

So, uh, what we'll go through here today is, uh just some general facts about the University of Illinois, Springfield, talk a little bit about the graduate programs that are offered here at UIS. And as I mentioned, we'll go through the GSI program and the GA program as well. We do have access to the chat. We see that everyone saying hello. So hello everybody.

And we will try to get to all those chat questions towards the end. So. So First things first, where is UIS? If you're familiar? It seems like we have a lot of international students on right now. If you're familiar with the United States at all, we are in the state of Illinois, which is kind of central to the United States and Springfield itself is central to the state of Illinois.

Uh, so the largest city, Chicago, is about 200 miles from Springfield. It's about a 3 hour train ride and about a 3 1/2 hour drive, depending on where you're going in Chicago. So relatively close there. And then we are close to another large urban center in Saint Louis, which is just 90 miles or about an hour and a half away from us. The campus of US is pretty large.

746 acres of of land and Springfield itself has a population of around 120,000 people. So I've actually just started in my role here as the program director and have had the chance to speak with a lot of international students. And the common theme so far has been that Springfield is very spread out. It's a very large town, but it's very spread out, but they seem to enjoy it so.

Uh.

What is US like?

So UIS is a public university, we are a part of the world Class University of Illinois system. There are actually three other campuses that are a part of the the university and so we are the one located in Springfield. So some of the advantages that we have at UIS are we do have that you know large school affiliation with EU of I, but we are a much smaller institutions so.

So the advantages to that are you are going to have much smaller class sizes, a lot more one-on-one attention with your professors, and you're going to get to know them and your classmates on a much more interpersonal basis.

And some just kind of a quick facts are university was recently named the number one public regional university in Illinois by U.S. news and World Report America's best Colleges. So a nice claim to fame there.

Um, so both of our programs are tied to a graduate degree at UIS?

And so here's a quick rundown of all the graduate degrees that we do offer. So we have accountancy, athletic training, business administration, communication, computer science, cybersecurity, management, data analytics, education, educational leadership, environmental, health, environmental sciences, finance.

History, human development, counseling, human resource management, Human Services, Human Services with public health, joint degree, legal studies, management, information systems, political science, public admin, public health, public health and public health, public admin, joint degree and public policy. Now, one thing that I will say before I kind of move on to specific GPSI.

Information is that, uh, your your graduate degree is tied to, you know, the type of work that you're going to be doing. So depending on what degree you're looking for, there may be some better options than GPSI, or there may be some better options in the GA program. So moving on to our graduate public service internship program.

So what this program is, is it's an internship program, so you are going to get a real world on the job experience and it is a paid internship and we have placements with many different Illinois State government agencies, local government and Springfield and also.

Not-for-profit work as well.

It's a great opportunity to get that real world on the job. Experience some great networking connections so you're able to develop your professional network which can help you in your future career during the school year.

You do work part time hours, so about 20 hours a week usually depending on the the agency that you're working for. So during the fall semester and the spring semester you'd be working 20 hours a week in addition to taking graduate classes at UIS. Now this is a two year placement, so you are expected to work over the summer as well, so you're actually going to be working full time hours in the summer.

Also, most of our placements are in Springfield, but we do have some in Chicago because we do have a lot of international students on.

I would say that the Chicago placements are not as much of an option just because most of the Chicago placements are tied to our online degrees.

Uh, so just some examples here of some recent placements that we've had. We've had an internal audit, audit intern, budget analysts, conservation intern, environmental toxicity interns, infectious disease surveillance interns, intern that worked with COVID disparities in rural communities, nonprofit management intern and social innovation intern. So you can see from this sampling that a wide range.

Of majors are kind of represented, so you're able to kind of hone in on experience that's going to be specific to your particular interests.

So the main benefit of the GPSI program is that it does provide a tuition waiver for your graduate degree. Each academic year, you are eligible to receive up to 24 hours of graduate credit as a part of that waiver, and you are able to move those credits across the academic year. So let's say you're taking some very difficult classes and you want to take a lighter load, either 8 or 9 hours. That's fine.

And you can move some of those credits from either this spring or summer to the fall.

Um, but at the same time, you have the ability to do that across the academic year. You can't move those tuition waivers across different years. It also provides a waiver for the student fees that all of our students would pay. So those fees would be waived as well.

And then this also provides a professional Development Fund. So through your placement you are able to secure funds to be able to go out and do some type of professional development conference or education. Basically whatever your agency deems can be useful to you to help you advance in your career.

And then, uh, another big benefit is that this is a paid internship. So during the spring and fall, while you are taking classes during the normal academic year, you'll receive $1200 a month. And then during the summer months, when you are working full time with the state agencies, that gets bumped up to $2400 a month. So that is the the kind of framework of the GSI program.

I know that we'll probably have a lot of questions, but we'll save those to the end. And I will turn it over to Brian who is going to talk to you about graduate assistantships.

Thank you, Jason.

Let's see if I have control of the slides here.

Let me turn that over to you.

Can you do it now?

Uh.

I can click through them if you want.

OK. Yeah. OK. So did as Jason mentioned earlier that these programs are are very similar. The difference being main difference being that GPSI placements are with agencies outside of the university while all the graduate assistant ships are on campus placements. We have them with a variety of there's academic programs you know could be with the whether it's environmental science or computer science etcetera that we also have.

Placements with support services on campus, such as the Learning Hub or the Diversity Center, International Student Services, etcetera.

Go ahead and we well, we have.

We have four different types of assistantships, although they all have the same benefits and they're all classified as all considered graduate assistantships. But depending on what the duties of the particular position are, you might be referred to as a graduate assistant, which is about 80% of the positions. We also have some teaching assistants and some research assistants, and the pre professional graduate assistant would be somebody students in the counseling program who may work at the.

The counseling Center on campus.

So what is next here?

So the benefits are also quite similar.

You get a tuition and partial service fee waiver for 8 to 12 hours each semester in the fall in the spring.

In the summer the gas don't work in the summer, they only work fall in spring. So you have the opportunity to take courses over the summer. We you can take up to six hours.

In the summer, so the total for the academic year is 30 hours that you be eligible for, which is slightly more than the GPSI program. But then again you won't be working over the summer term. The stipend is also very similar. Right now it's just over $1200 a month for first year assistance. Second year assistance get $60.00 more than that.

Excuse me. And that's on a 9 month contract, so you get nine months, 9 payments of those amounts?

And next slide. Thank you again, I mentioned before summers off.

Your work experience is going to be in an academic setting. Even if it's not with an academic program per se. If it's with one of the support programs, you're still going to be working closely with faculty and students and staff here on campus.

Well, we got to the end where there's, OK.

We moved pretty fast through there. So Jason, you want to cover this or?

Yeah. So as I mentioned at the beginning, the application for GSI and the GA programs is the same application. So as you're applying to Uis, there's two boxes that you can click. You can click on one or the other or both and through that you're able to apply to the programs, so.

First things first, your admission to the university to the actual program of study is the most important thing. And then following your admission to the university, the GSI and GA programs would be reviewing the specific applications to check your eligibility for those programs. So.

I'm assuming that these are the same requirements, Brian, right? Yeah, so.

For GSI NGA, you are required to have at least a 2.5 GPA coming out of your undergraduate degree, and we also expect you to upload at least three letters of recommendation to that application. This information here is a little out of date. We don't want you to upload to e-mail them to the registrar, we would prefer if you would just upload them to the application itself. So.

That's that's the easiest way and it gets added directly to your application and also an updated resume. So making sure that you have all those requirements and then as far as the deadlines for this coming year.

We've we've passed this spring, so this that deadline is out of date. But for the upcoming fall 2023, May one is the deadline to apply for GSI, and it looks like GA's deadlines for the fall are March 15th.

And then what's the the June 1?

Well, in the event that we don't fill all the positions in our first round of hiring, we'll have a second round of hiring and will accept applications all the way up to June through June 1st.

Gotcha.

And I also would like to would mention that on the letters of recommendation, they should be submitted by the by the author, the person who's writing them and needs to submit those letters to us.

Yeah. So on the actual application, there is a link that you can send to your recommenders and through that they can upload their own letters of recommendation. And that's the way that we would prefer that you would do it because it shows that it's coming from an official source and you're not just sending us your.

Your own letters of recommendation.

Um, so yeah, I think that kind of wraps everything up. Um. So I think we can maybe get to some of the questions in the chat here. We'll kind of scroll back through.

Looks like Lee answered the question about application fees.

Um.

Ahmed asks our international students eligible for both GA and GPSI. Yes, GPS. I for sure GA. I think there's some restrictions.

OK.

No, international students are certainly welcome to apply for both and I I think we should also mention that even though you can apply for both programs and be considered for both, if you accept an offer from one program or the other, then you'll be removed from the hiring pool for the other program. So example, if you accept a GPSI position then you'll no longer be considered for a GA position and vice versa.

Now, was there an issue with US global students with gas or?

US Global shorelight students are not eligible for the PGA program, unfortunately.

All right.

And I know that for GSI US global students are eligible, but.

There is a separate communication that should be going out to you if it hasn't gone out already, and that will that will have the GSI GA application on it. So if you've already applied it, been admitted, there should be some type of communication coming to your e-mail about that.

I also see a question here about the recommendation letters. If your academic program requires letters of recommendation as as part of the admission process, those letters can also be used for your DA GPSI application. They'll be automatically linked to your GA GPSI application, so you won't need duplicate letters.

A promise says the GSI Staffs are the best. Yes, we appreciate that. We think so too.

Umm.

Sam asked is it possible to get GPSI position if you applied for admission since last year? It would depend on your admission to or your enrollment in the actual institution. So if you have enrolled in the, you're only eligible if you've enrolled, basically. But if you have submitted an application previously on another application for Graduate School, then that should carry through and you should be eligible.

Um.

And Keita asked, can we apply prior to admit offer? Um, I don't think so. You can apply, but you won't be eligible for review until you're admitted to the program.

And then?

Ebrima asks the GSI and GA recommendation is different with the recommendation you provide during the application process.

Um.

So yes, if you if you are attaching letters of recommendation as a part of your application process, those will count. But keep in mind that most of our programs only require a maximum of two letters of recommendation, so you would need to add an additional letter of recommendation to be eligible for GSI.

Uh.

I'm not sure if I understand Francis's question there.

Well, I think, I think on our website it we need to make an update, it says that the letters of recommendation should be addressed to the GA GPSI program.

Hmm.

And that's no longer the case, because we.

So it could be addressed just to the University of Illinois, or to whom it may concern, or to the specific academic program those will still be.

Counted towards your GPSI application.

Abiola asks after admission, when should I expect feedback from GSI GA office? As we mentioned, our deadlines are a little bit different this year, so I know for GPSI the deadline is May 1 and we would expect.

Be doing interviews at some point during at mid-May would be. So those invitations to interview would probably be coming out in early May would be our preference.

And for for GA.

Um, we expect to open the application applicant pool to the hiring units.

On March, no later than March 27th, so last week of March, the first three weeks of April, as the units review the applications, they're the ones who will call students for interviews. So somebody sometime between March 27th and April 21st, if you're selected for an interview, we will contact you.

Ankita asks is there a resume requirement for the intern programs or specific template? I would say no, but keep in mind that you are applying for American institutions, so you may want to look up what a American formatting looks like, because I think that.

Can probably help your chances if you have it in a format that makes sense to the employer.

Hulu, Wakeley like asked. I got admission for fall 23 and also applied for GPS IGA. I think we answered this question actually.

Carlos asks how do we know when will we know if we are accepted as GPS IGA's?

Think we answered that as well.

Now a lot of questions just asking when they're going to hear from us. So we may be a couple minutes behind.

Yeah. And it's somebody also asks is there something else we should do? I mean, you can always call the GA office to check on the status of your application, but there's really nothing beyond submitting the application and making sure everything is there that that should be done you. We don't want you trying to contact individual offices in the in an attempt to secure a position.

Our, our, our hiring processes is very transparent. We units have to interview at least three different applicants before they can hire somebody. So we like to make sure that everybody has an equal opportunity for the positions.

Harold asks how long your letters of recommendation on file valid. We would ask that they be dated within the last 18 months. So if you have letters of recommendation that are outside that requirement, that would that would disqualify them. I don't know if that. Brian, do you have the same requirement for?

Yes, it's the same, yes, 18 months.

And then?

Uh.

Deja asks can letters of recommendation be from faculty outside of professors? I would say yes, if you have any professional.

Uh, contacts like in previous jobs that you have held. I think that would be OK.

Um.

What happens when your recommendation has been sent already and GSI wasn't included?

I'm not sure what that one means.

Well, if the letter was.

Ohh yeah, if it was attached to your application for admission then it should still carry over to your GSI and GA application.

I think we answered that question.

Do the number of GA and GSI positions depend on your program choice? Um.

For GSI, that's definitely true. Um, I will say that like computer science and MIS positions are some of our most competitive.

So yes, it does depend on what program you are in. It just depends on the placements that we have as well. And I'm sure that's probably true of GA as well.

Well, I for Gai mean we do have.

All all the applicants that we have a common applicant pool and so you're not restricted. We're not restricted by your academic program, although units may be looking for specific students with specific academic backgrounds. But any student in any program can be considered for any position across campus, especially, especially true and for example in the.

In some of the support unit positions, they might be looking for a student from computer science, or it could be somebody from from from public health or somebody with a business background, I mean.

You're not limited by your academic program. There may be position that you're not even that you may not have considered. You might get a call and saying, hey, would you know? Would you like to interview for this position in the Performing Arts Center, for example?

Um, success asks. She applied for a gig GSI and received a message that she'll be reached for interview in December.

I would just maybe get in touch with either of our offices to make sure that your application is complete and that you're in the pool. It's probably the easiest way to make sure. I've actually only been here 4 weeks, so I can't speak to anything that happened before January.

Recommenders must send their recommendation to specific e-mail ID directly, yes? So there's a link that you are able to send to your recommenders and that through that link they can upload letters of recommendations directly.

I think we answered Ohh first round. Yeah we answered that question.

Um.

Aaron asks is there a second round of interviews for GPSI? So typically we do 2 rounds a year. So the next upcoming round will be for the May 1 deadline and those will, those positions would have a start date of August 16th, so those would be for fall 23. And then we typically will do a second round of the year that is in November, December, which is for spring enrollment.

So.

Jacqueline asks. I've not yet applied for admission. Can I still apply and for what semester? Yes, Lee, I didn't think that there. Ohh, you answered that already.

Umm.

Francis asks is there are there GA opportunities for Masters of Environmental Science for fall 23?

Well, I mean, As for GA again, it's it's.

The applicant pool is open for anybody so.

You don't apply for a specific job, you it's.

You just you just apply for GA and then anybody across campus can look at those applications and call students for interviews. So there may or may not be, as a specific environmental science position open.

But you're not. Again, you're not applying for a specific, specific position.

Abiola asks about the interviews. Interviews for GSI are all done virtually, so they will be over a video platform.

So there's Elizabeth asking him about what classes can I apply to with a low GPA. Again, I'd note that the undergraduate GPA requirement is 2.5.

If you don't, if you don't meet that GPA requirement, you can. You can enroll in a graduate program and if you get a 3.0.

GPA in your first semester of course work at US. Then you will become eligible to apply based on GPA.

Marvin asks about GSI competitiveness. The answer is yes, positions are limited, but it's also related to the size of our Miamis and computer science programs. Those are, I think, two of the largest graduate programs we have on campus.

So that's probably closer to the answer.

So I think we've gotten through all the questions here. Um.

So.

I would just say if you do have any other questions, reach out to either of our offices. I will put the UPSI contact mail in the chat.

And I just dropped admissions e-mail address in there too, so feel free to contact us if you have any.

Issues with the application to Uis.

But I want to thank everybody for joining us today. Like I said, this webinar was recorded, so you should be able to watch it again if you need to later on. And thank you so much. Have a good day.

Thanks everyone.

Thank you.