Director for Graduate Education

Department
 

BSD GPA - Cluster Directors

About the Department
 

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (OGPA) within the Biological Sciences Division (BSD) coordinates the administrative efforts of graduate and postdoctoral training in the BSD. OGPA works to facilitate consistency among the programs and departments; identifies and develops commonalities in the areas of financial administration, policy development and implementation and in the coordination of information sharing among the programs and departments. The goal of OGPA is to recruit high quality domestic and international trainees, to facilitate their progress during their tenure, and to provide guidance and resources for the management of the training programs in the division. OGPA centrally manages the annual financial aid budget so that all graduate students in the programs are supported equitably and coordinates consistency among the training programs as it relates to training grants submission and oversight. In addition, OGPA facilitates postdoctoral appointments and reappointments with the Office of Academic Affairs, establishes and enforces policy with the Provost's Office, acts as a resource for postdocs, faculty and staff on postdoctoral policy and benefits questions and manages the postdoc database. The OGPA organizes career and skill development training and ethics seminars for BSD graduate students and postdocs, provides support to the Postdoctoral Association and oversees all BSD postdoctoral events, including the Postdoctoral Symposium, orientation sessions, etc.

Job Summary
 

The Director for Graduate Education is responsible for comprehensive administrative management and oversight for all graduate programs within an administrative cluster. In addition, this position serves as the student affairs administrator for one program within that cluster.

Responsibilities

• Works with faculty leadership to hire, train and supervise graduate education administrators, who may not all be physically located in the same space, but are assigned to specific programs within that cluster and ensure staffing coverage is provided to support training related activity for all graduate students and faculty trainers within the cluster. 

• Serve as liaison to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs within the Biological Sciences Division with a matrix reporting relationship to the Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs. 

• Organizes the effective coordination of all activities related to graduate student training within the cluster such as recruitment, registration, special events; ensures compliance with BSD and University policies.

• Manages all aspects of the budgets within the cluster including monthly reporting on expenditures for all programs in the cluster as well as preparing and submitting the annual operating budget in consultation with the faculty leadership.  Ensures compliance with all BSD and University policies and provides updates and reports requested by the BSD’s budget office.

• Manages the fellowship support for all students in the cluster.

• Manages data on graduate students relevant to all training grants held by programs in the cluster in collaboration with the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, faculty and program chairs, and department staff.

• Manages all aspects of communication, ensuring that the program websites within the cluster are regularly updated by the student affairs administrators.

• Manages comprehensive alumni tracking for programs within the cluster.  

• Support for broader efforts at divisional, institutional and affiliate institution level, to recruit and support a diverse group of students and promote an inclusive environment.

• Serve as liaison to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs within the Biological Sciences Division with a matrix reporting relationship to the Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs.

• Organizes the effective coordination of all activities related to graduate student training within the cluster such as recruitment, registration, special events; ensures compliance with BSD and University policies.

• Manages all aspects of the budgets within the cluster including monthly reporting on expenditures for all programs in the cluster as well as preparing and submitting the annual operating budget in consultation with the faculty leadership.

• Ensures compliance with all BSD and University policies and provides updates and reports requested by the BSD’s budget office.

• Manages the fellowship support for all students in the cluster.

• Solves problems in areas such as academic and administrative policy, student admissions, curriculum research and development, and budget development. Advises various