Students eager to acquire skills for jobs in various settings, such as libraries, museums, conference centers, and in fields such as career development or communications, will now have expanded opportunities to do so right here at Mount Holyoke. The inaugural Administrative Fellows Program, coordinated by the Career Development Center (CDC), has been created in response to goals stated in The Plan for Mount Holyoke 2003 to offer campuswide employment opportunities to help students gain experience in numerous professional fields.

The positions will be structured for in-depth exposure to a particular field, acquisition and application of specific skills relating to the field, opportunities for professional development, and developmental assignments. The program is open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, who will receive personal coaching and feedback from their employment supervisors. Beginning the week of February 12 listings will be posted on the student employment job board as they become available. Most positions will begin next fall. Departments expressing interest in offering positions include the CDC, the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, conference services at Willits-Hallowell Center, communications, and the reference department at Library, Information, and Technology Services (LITS). The positions will be two semesters or one year in length and will require an average of six to eight hours per week.

Such valuable "paraprofessional" opportunities are already being offered through the highly successful MHC Senior Fellow Interview Program, which was implemented by the Office of Admission in 1999 to train seniors to interview prospective students. The student employees' contributions to the department have received high marks from both interviewees and MHC administrators, who have seen a significant rise in the number of College applications for the third year in a row.

The Plan for Mount Holyoke 2003 stated a desire on the part of the College to enhance the role it plays in helping students prepare for careers and community involvement by making student employment a meaningful learning experience. In the new student wage structure, the Level 4 position ($8 per hour) for administrative fellows has been designed to provide an intentional learning and work experience for students.

According to the program's guidelines, students in the program will develop learning and performance goals in conjunction with their supervisor; meet weekly with a supervisor to review progress; and participate in several administrative-fellow professional development meetings designed to introduce them to the work of other administrative departments. Students will also be required to prepare a self-evaluation of performance and progress at the end of each semester and will be asked to critique the program and suggest improvements.

Judy Allen, CDC associate director, says the goal of this unique program is "to give students opportunities to explore career fields of interest, which will assist them in making career choices and give them the experience to be more competitive for interships and jobs as well as for graduate school or professional school." In addition, the supervisor-feedback component will help them gain a greater sense of "clarity, confidence, and connection." But the benefits of the program are mutual, Allen adds. Offices campuswide will enjoy the contributions of talented, focused paraprofessionals, who are eager to learn. It is expected that students will help offices increase productivity and flexibility as the workload of professionals is shared. Allen says the College predicts a higher retention rate and increased satisfaction from students in the program. For more information on administrative fellows positions and for employment applications, contact Judy Allen or Janice Kane at the Career Development Center.