Now Accepting Applications: USC Graduate Student Ambassador Program! 

Are you passionate about your graduate experience and eager to help others find their path? The Graduate School is excited to launch a new Graduate Student Ambassador Program.  We’re looking for enthusiastic, engaged students to join our inaugural team!  As a Graduate Ambassador, you'll play a vital role in supporting the Graduate School's outreach, communications, and engagement efforts. Whether you're connecting with prospective students, leading campus visits, creating content, or sharing your personal journey, you will have the opportunity to share and showcase why graduate scholars choose the University of South Carolina. 

Who You Are: 

• A currently enrolled graduate student with a 3.0 GPA or higher 
• Completed at least one semester of graduate study 
• Able to serve for at least one academic year (Fall 2025 - Spring 2026)
• Creative, self-motivated, and able to work independently 
• Enthusiastic about sharing your experiences and supporting your graduate community 

Key Responsibilities:  

• Represent the Graduate School at recruitment events, including student panels, open houses, graduate fairs, and admitted student programming. 
• Lead engaging and informative campus tours for prospective and admitted students, highlighting academic resources, campus life, and student services. 
• Serve as a key point of contact for prospective and admitted students by providing timely, accurate, and communication via email, phone, and in-person events. 
• Share approved multimedia content—including photos, blog posts, and videos—that authentically showcase the graduate student experience and enhance the school’s outreach efforts. 
• Participate in graduate school outreach or engagement activities, including setup, active participation, and teardown as needed. 
• Attend all required meetings, including:
  • Mandatory in-person orientation in August
  • Monthly check-ins
  • Spring kickoff meeting in January 

 Potential Graduate Ambassador Lead Roles:  

1. Digital Engagement: Focuses on managing social media platforms, creating content, and driving online engagement. 
2. Marketing and Communications: Develops messaging strategies, promotional materials, and ensures consistent communication with prospective students.
3. Outreach & Community Engagement: Coordinates outreach events, partners with student organizations, and builds relationships with external communities.
4. Campus Visits: : Organizes and leads campus visits, tours, and on-site events to provide an authentic student experience.

Ambassador Benefits:  

• Leadership and ambassadorial experience to enhance your résumé 
• Public speaking, event coordination, and professional communication experience 
• Opportunity to influence prospective students’ decisions and shape the future graduate student community 
• Networking with admissions staff, faculty, and university leadership 
• Recognition as a key representative of the graduate student body 
• On-campus position at $15/hour for up to 10 hours per week

Apply by May 15:

Apply Now!  Graduate School Ambassador Application – The Microsoft form automatically collects your name and USC email, so you must be logged in to your university account to access it.

• Include a preferred summer email address (this can be your USC email address if you plan to check it).
• Upload a PDF version of your résumé. 
• Provide a statement (200–300 words) explaining your interest in joining the inaugural Graduate School Ambassador Team. In your response, feel free to discuss what motivates you to apply, how you hope to contribute, and what you hope to gain from the experience.
• List your availability for a one-hour interview during the week of May 19–23, and indicate whether you prefer a virtual or in-person format.

Questions: Contact Kesha Clavon at kesha@mailbox.sc.edu.

Posted 4/23/2025

About

University 101 is accepting applications for new instructors for Fall 2025. Prospective instructors should submit the new instructor application, along with a cover letter and resume. 

Requirements

• master's degree or higher from an accredited institution (official transcript required)
• status as a full-time university employee, retiree of USC Columbia, or Ph.D. student
• completion of the Teaching Experience Workshop
• approval by the instructor's supervisor or department chair
• approval by the director of University 101 Programs
• participate in regular professional development opportunities offered by University 101 Programs

Application Process

  Visit the University 101 Programs web page for full application instructions.

Posted 10/21/2024

About

Individuals can now register to take the TOEFL iBT ®  and the GRE® General Test at home.  ETS  will answer questions about at home testing virtually,  and on demand. Learn more here.

• Learn more about the TOEFL iBT® at home test
• Learn more about the GRE® at home General Test

Job Title:

Graduate Assistant Communications Specialist

Employment Type:

Graduate Assistantship with Tuition Supplement – 20 hrs/week

Pay Rate:

$19.30/hour, totaling $15,000 for the academic year paid out bi-weekly from August – May (2 week pay lag)

Contact:

Elizabeth Renedo, Research Communications Manager -

Phone: 803-777-4001

Renedoe@mailbox.sc.edu

Job Summary

The Graduate Assistant Communications Specialist (GA Communications Specialist) for the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) will work with the Research Communications Manager and other office staff to help develop, write, lay out, proofread, finalize and publish/distribute various written and visual materials to promote university research excellence and support Office of the VPR programs and events.

The GA Communications Specialist will receive training in and access to the university’s web content management system, OU Campus, publishing web news items and updates to the VPR and Discover USC websites, and develop skills in other electronic communications platforms like MailChimp and Adobe Creative Suite, producing both written and visual/graphic content when required.

The GA Communications Specialist will have a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience working in a professional office setting as an integral member of an executive-level administrative team that moves quickly to accomplish a variety of short- and long-term goals throughout the academic year. The role works 20 hours per week, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., on-site at the VPR Office in the Osborne Administration Building, from Monday, August 18, 2025 through Friday, May 8, 2026 (work hours/schedule is flexible to accommodate the GA Communications Specialist’s classes and academic commitments; all student holidays off).

Required Qualifications

• Excellent written communication skills
• A demonstrated ability to gather and synthesize information into cohesive and complete messages and stories
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a close-knit, executive-level team setting

Preferred Qualifications

• Visual communication skills such as photography or graphic design

Training Requirements

• The GA Communications Specialist will be trained on the university’s OU Campus website content management system. This online training is provided free through the university’s Digital Strategy department and may be completed during VPR Office work hours.

Responsibilities

Develop and publish/distribute regular written communications. (60%)

• Gather information, draft and lay out/schedule the Weekly Research Update newsletter, which is distributed each Thursday.
• Plan and research article topics (research may include finding and reading background material, developing interview questions and conducting interviews, etc.), draft and finalize articles to appear on the VPR and Discover USC websites.
• Circulate draft communications to VPR staff for review and incorporate their feedback to ensure a complete, polished final product.

Complete routine updates to the VPR and Discover USC websites. (20%)

• Correct or remove misspellings and broken links based on monthly error reports.
• Update existing web content to ensure accuracy, provide timely dates and details for annual events and programs, etc.

Support VPR events and other priorities as needed. (20%)

• Assist with pre-event promotion and on-site execution for VPR events, including Discover USC 2026 on Friday, April 24, 2026.
• Complete miscellaneous tasks in support of VPR office priorities as they arise throughout the academic year. Examples of these tasks include designing event or program flyers, assembling mailing lists for targeted messages, proofreading PowerPoint presentations, etc.

Additional Benefits

• This position offers a tuition supplement of $5,000 for the academic year ($2,500 fall semester; $2,500 spring semester).
• In-state tuition is provided to Graduate Assistants as well as access to University Health Insurance at no cost.

Supervisor

This position will be supervised by the Research Communications Manager, Elizabeth Renedo (Renedoe@mailbox.sc.edu).

EEO Statement – this can be placed on the JD or in Handshake

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender (including transgender), gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDs status, military status, national origin, pregnancy (false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, childbirth, recovery therefrom or related medical conditions, breastfeeding), race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other bases under federal, state, local law, or regulations.

Required Application Materials

• Resumé
• Letter of interest
• A substantial sample of your writing (this can be high-level classwork like an essay or substantial presentation deck, a published article, a professional email from a previous position, etc.)
• Note: This position will be reviewed on a rolling basis as applications are received with interviews extended after applicant review.