Black Metropolis Graduate Assistantships

Over the course of 6- or 9-month assistantships, graduate students will perform work of public and intellectual value that:

1) Documents, preserves, interprets, and/or promotes the use of Black historical collections, and/or
2) Advances equity & access in institutional practices and policies, and
3) Provides opportunities for them to gain skills, experiences, and networks helpful to them in pursuing career pathways beyond the academy.

Northwestern graduate students interested in applying for this opportunity, please visit CCE's Black Metropolis Graduate Assistantships page for more information.

BMRC Member Institutions interested in hosting a GA, please see guidelines below:

ELIGIBILITY:
BMRC Member Institutions in good standing. BMRC member institutions that host graduate assistants will receive $5,000 in recognition of the staff capacity to supervise fellows and resources required to support these projects. Graduate assistants will be compensated through graduate assistantships at their home institution which supports 15-20 hours of work per week. We especially encourage Black-led and Black-serving institutions to apply, as well as applications that support cross-institutional partnerships. BMRC organizations that have previously hosted a BMGA are eligible to apply.

PROJECT PROPOSAL GUIDELINES:
Please ensure that your proposal, in 5 pages or less, includes the following components. You will be able to upload the proposal as a single PDF or Word document.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

• Title/name of project
• Describe the work to be completed
• Explain how the project: documents, preserves, interprets, and/or promotes the use of Black collections, and/or advances equity and access in your institutional policies and practices
• Explain how the project will provide a graduate student with professional development, mentorship to engage your organization’s staff, patrons, and/or surrounding community (include any skills the student could acquire through working on the project)
• Describe the anticipated outcomes and impact of the project. How does this project further your organization’s institutional priorities?

WORKPLAN:

• Include a general timeline of the work to be done that aligns with a 6- or 9-month assistantship (between September 2024 - June 2025 / 15 - 20 hours per week)
• Describe plans for onboarding and orienting the student at your institution (The BMRC is planning a general orientation for matched students and member institutions in mid-September 2024)
• Describe how the supervisor and graduate assistant will communicate, discuss feedback and evaluate progress

BUDGET:

• Include a preliminary budget of how the $5,000 in institutional funding will be used to support the project (budgets may include staff time for supervision, supplies, equipment, professional development, and other resources that support the project)

The proposal will be uploaded as part of an application on the BMRC's Submittable.com platform. The application will ask for additional details such as contact information for the project's supervisor, specific work/physical requirements, etc. Please see the application process timeline below.

Please contact bmrc@uchicago.edu with any questions.