Dear Student Affairs Colleagues,

We are excited to announce the continuation of our Student Affairs Training Fellows Program.

Over the last two years, we have had a Pilot Cohort of six leaders, Christine Hall, Stefanie Vermillion, Amber Martinez Vazquez, Andrew Silver, Martha Dorow, and Belinda Pena, working alongside the Student Affairs Staff Development Team. They were critical in expanding the bandwidth and reach of our department. Thanks to their skills and contributions, we launched a New Employee Orientation, a New Supervisor Training, a Student Affairs Staff Development Website, a series of professional development offerings, and began the work on building out our Business Knowledge videos, starting with our “Getting to Know You” series. See what some of our training fellows had to say about their experiences.

As we move forward into a post-realignment future, the Student Affairs Staff Development Team is excited to continue the AY27 Student Affairs Training Fellows as an ongoing project. While it will look slightly different from the Pilot Cohort, the goal remains the same: to tap into our existing Student Affairs talent to bring the expertise, knowledge, and passion needed for impactful professional development and a better employee experience.

What is the Student Affairs Training Fellows Program?

The Student Affairs Training Fellows are a group of 4-6 staff members who will work with Student Affairs Staff Development, as a special project, to provide support for various programming, training, and other development opportunities within Student Affairs. As an unpaid intern-style experience, the Fellows will work individually and as a team on assigned tasks and projects throughout their 12-month experience.

The Training Fellows will work most closely with Jana McCarthy, Manager of Job Skills and Readiness, and me. The Fellows will receive regular training and participate in scheduled meetings/check-ins to consult on projects and continue their development throughout the year-long experience.

What is the Opportunity?

This is an invitation to join a core team of 4-6 Student Affairs Training Fellows. As a Training Fellow, you will receive:

• Leadership Training & Development: Elevate your leadership and communication skills with hands-on train-the-trainer sessions.
• Dynamic Team-Building Opportunities: Collaborate with colleagues across departments and foster strong professional relationships.
• Hands-On Professional Experience: Gain valuable on-the-job experience in areas such as experiential training concepts, change management, strengths coaching, and more.
• Individual Development Support: Fill gaps in experience and learn new skills based on your professional goals in alignment with Student Affairs Staff Development and Theory of Change Implementation priorities.

Who Can Apply, What are the Projects, and What is the Time Commitment?

All Student Affairs Staff who serve at the level of Manager or below are eligible to apply for this opportunity. The Fellows for the AY27 Cohort will be chosen based on their individual development goals and the strengths that they bring in supporting the project expectations. Possible projects and workstreams could include:

• Employee Learning and Empowerment Projects
• Professional Development Presentations
• CliftonStrengths Scaling
• Peer Learning Opportunities
• Job Skills and Readiness Projects
• Student Simulator
• Student Affairs Division Resource Hub
• Student Affairs Functional Areas Training & Onboarding Support
• Support Theory of Change Implementation projects with focused attention on Advising, Transfer, and Accelerated Learning Support

Training Fellow Applicants are asked to communicate with their direct supervisor before completing the application, as the time commitment is weekly. They will be asked to commit 4-6 hours per week (approximately 10-15% of their weekly workload) to their Fellows' expectations. Bi-weekly meetings/trainings are included in this time commitment, and Fellows will be asked to communicate specific dates and peak times with the Fellows Training Team so that they can be supported during these times of the semester.

How Do I Apply, and What is the Timeline?

• If you are interested in becoming a Student Affairs Training Fellow, please complete the AY27 Student Affairs Training Fellows Application by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 12.
• A small review committee will meet to select top candidates by Wednesday, July 15, and interview them the weeks of July 20 & July 27.
• Decisions will be made on Friday, July 31, and selected candidates will be informed of their acceptance into the Training Fellows Program by Tuesday, August 4.
• Onboarding for new Training Fellows will be held September 10–11.



• Requirements: 
• Be sure to have a conversation with your supervisor before applying for this role. 
• To be eligible for a Training Fellows position, you must be a full-time staff member, in good standing, and hold a position at the level of Manager or below. 
• Due to the nature of this role, we will be checking internal references as part of the selection process.

If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, please reach out to Jana McCarthy (jana.mccarthy@austincc.edu) or me, or you can schedule a 30-minute one-on-one informational session.

Sincerely,

Emily Demerath

Senior Director, Student Affairs Staff Development

Austin Community College | austincc.edu

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