GPA - Mount Royal School of Art

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General purpose: Graduate Program Assistants (GPAs) support their Program Director to ensure the effective operation of their program. GPAs serve as graduate student leaders and work collaboratively with each other and the Office of Graduate Studies to promote dialogue, the exchange of information, and timely communications between students, directors, and the Office of Graduate Studies.

Mount Royal School of Art is seeking four (4) GPAs to begin Spring 2025 (see additional details below), with the expectation that hired candidates commit to at least one semester of service. Renewal/continuation of the assignment through Fall 2025 is possible, in consultation with the Program Director.

Summary of Essential Functions 

• Responsibilities are outlined below in Essential Duties & Responsibilities and Program-Specific Duties.

• As student leaders in the graduate community, GPAs are required to uphold graduate policies, procedures, and standards. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities: 

• Attend GPA Training, Graduate Student Orientation, SVA Graduate Student Council Meeting,s and Town Halls, and regular check-in meetings with the Office of Graduate Studies

• Support the Office of Graduate Admission during Graduate Admission Open House and Visit Days

• Communicate important information from the Program Director and Office of Graduate Studies to students

• Resolve student and programmatic issues, concerns, and solutions in dialogue with the Program Director

• Monitor your program’s shared spaces to ensure they are being used, cleaned, and shared in a responsible way; report any issues to the Program Director, Operations Coordinator, and/or MICA Facilities

• Support Program Director with an annual series of programmatic activities including lectures, dinners, and hosting visiting artists and critics on campus. Related administrative duties including documentation of activities and updating the program’s social media and mica.edu website pages may apply

• Support Program Directors and the Office of Graduate Admission with various tasks related to the admission process including arranging for prospective student visits of the facilities

• Report technical issues to Technology Systems and Service (TSS)

• Report maintenance issues to the Operations Coordinator and/or MICA Facilities

• Collaborate and coordinate with other GPAs on various other tasks

Program-Specific Duties:

ADMINISTRATIVE GPA

• Send administrative communications and Mount Royal news to students, including weekly schedule + announcement reminders about Visiting Artist (VA) lectures, VA/Visiting Critic (VC)/Artist-in-Residence (AIR) crits, deadlines for phases of the Written Thesis, submission of notes after group critiques, and other critical information (e.g. campus events, registration, grants, exhibitions, and other opportunities)

• Set up and maintain the Mount Royal Google Drive

• Distribute sign-up sheets via Google Drive for Program Director’s critique schedule 

• Distribute sign-up sheets via Google Drive when Program Director confirms VA/VC and AIR schedules, and notify volunteer students to meet and grant access to VA/VC and AIR

• Maintain the program calendar and update it based on potential changes

• Circulate and collect attendance sheets for Mount Royal lectures and seminars—role should rotate among all GPAs

• Supervise VA & VC lottery at the beginning of Fall and Spring semesters

• Make sign-up sheets for location and schedule for Group crits, Final reviews, Thesis presentations.

FACILITIES GPA

• Report studio and equipment issues for maintenance, repair, and proposed replacement to Facilities Management and the Office of Graduate Studies

• Provide a patch-and-paint demo and health and safety overview for all Mount Royal students at the beginning of each Fall semester

• Provide a demo on how to properly move lights on tracks in hallway and installation rooms at the beginning of each Fall semester 

• Send reminders or emails to Mount Royal students as needed with regard to maintaining shared spaces, such as the Seminar Room, spray booth, large install room, etc. 

• Ensure that Mount Royal students are in code compliance in hallways and in studios

• Facilitate pick-up, mounting, delivery, and d