VPDUE Fellows Program

The VPDUE Fellows Program is a program in the Vice Provost and Dean’s Office in the UCR Division of Undergraduate Education and is centered on student success and partner engagement. With a primary focus on external relations, fellows work to build and maintain positive relations on behalf of the VPDUE and the Division that may lead to future partnerships and collaborations, beneficial media coverage, and donor engagement for the Division.

The VPDUE Fellows Program will provide UCR undergraduate students with numerous professional development opportunities, including access to microcredential opportunities, such as Excel+. The program is open to all UCR majors and will go through a competitive application process. Benefits of being a VPDUE Fellow:

• Advise the VPDUE on strategic initiatives to strengthen student success across the campus
• Collaborate with professional staff across the Division
• Partner with on and off-campus stakeholders
• Trainings on information dissemination skills (i.e. email marketing, graphic design, social media, etc.) and community engagement tools (i.e. event management) useful for careers in public service, community leadership, higher education, and more
• Potentially qualifies for elective credit through the UGRD 198G group internship course (must put in 120 hours minimum for the year)
• Personal branding, leadership, and management development opportunities
• Public speaking development opportunities (i.e. emceeing, presenting, impromptu speaking, etc.)
• Opportunities to learn from and interact with on and off-campus community member
• Serving as the student face of the Division in marketing materials
• Receiving branded gear exclusive to Fellows
• Potential for special graduation-related recognition Potential for letters of recommendation for graduate school, professional school, and employment

VPDUE Fellow's Program details

• Selection Guidelines
  • Applicants must be UCR undergraduate students who are sophomores, juniors, seniors, or transfer students
  • All applicants must have a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA and in good standing
  • For undergraduates, exceptions can be made for students who have a strong GPA from their most recent quarter.
• Application and Interview Process

  Applications open and interviews are conducted in the summer quarter. Submitting sooner rather than later during the application period is highly recommended, as we may close applications early.

  Qualified applicants will be selected to undergo a rigorous interview process, which may consist of multiple interviews.

• What Qualities Do We Look For in a Candidate?
  • The ideal VPDUE Fellow candidate is someone who displays the Division’s shared values:
  • Professionalism - shows tact through outward appearance and conduct
  • Refinement - detail-oriented, displays growth mindset, open to feedback
  • Enthusiasm - passionate, sets a positive tone, shows motivation
  • Dedication - committed, reliable, displays organizational and time management skills, keeps focused amid distractions with an eye towards deliverables and getting work done
  • Initiative - proactive, go-getter, manages up, goes above and beyond
  • Integrity - trustworthy, respectfully honest, behaves ethically, refrains from sharing confidential information and engaging in gossip or badmouthing
  • Customer Service - service oriented, patient, humble, attentive, responsive, resolution-minded
  • Conscientiousness - self-aware, mindful of perceptions, diplomatic
  • Communication - mindful of the power of words, tone, and language. Teamwork - cooperative, collaborative, trust builder, good sport
• Roles
  VPDUE Fellows serve as representatives of the VPDUE, giving students a glimpse of what it would be like to serve as university leader. VPDUE Fellows are charged with cultivating relationships with the Division’s various external audiences, be they prospective donors, government officials, community leaders or other special guests of the Division. They are also highly involved in various public-facing events and activities meant to engage the community.
• Responsibilities

  VPDUE Fellows are required to staff a minimum of four DUE-hosted events and activities per quarter.

  This includes duties such as event promotion, setup and teardown, emceeing or moderating, staffing guests, escorting guests, registration check-in, A/V tech support, and any other duties in support of providing an exceptional brand experience to customers.

  Additionally each VPDUE Fellows must participate in workgroups that align with the Division’s business needs and branding and public relations efforts. Some sample workgroups include external-facing events, podcasting (to be developed), social media content development, and student success initiatives.

  The VPDUE Fellows Program is a commitment, and it is an applicant's responsibility to understand the expectations of the program before applying.

• Mission & Vision

  Serving the DUE Vice Provost and Dean’s Office as brand fellows, our mission is to:

  • Actively engage campus and Division stakeholders
  • Cultivate opportunities to maximize impact
  • Facilitate student success opportunities for all UCR undergraduate students
  • Provide an exceptional brand experience for all our customers

  Our vision as fellows is to:

  Influence and inspire current and future generations of UCR students by role modeling our shared values through leadership and by example.

• Requirements
  • You must be available for the entirety of the academic year you are applying for. You must remain for all quarters of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and at least late summer) for each year of service.
  • You must sign a photo/video release. As the face of the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), you must allow use of your image to be used for public-facing purposes.
  • You must sign consent to allow FERPA-trained personnel to review your academic record for the purposes of verifying demonstration of continuing academic excellence.

FAQs

• How many hours per week of work do Fellows put in.

  Fellows are required to put in an average of four hours per week, however they often opt to put in more hours. These four hours can be fulfilled with events and activities that best fit your schedule.

• What does the overall commitment look like
  • Undergo orientation (approximately three days) and performance evaluations during your first quarter
  • Staff DUE events (seminars, panels, conferences, etc.) and/or participate in Fellow activities (projects, podcast interviews, etc.) - minimum 4 for undergraduates.
  • Participate in required all-hands meetings every quarter
  • Participate in workgroup meetings and activities for the entirety of the year; workgroups are charged with particular external-facing projects as dictated by business needs
  • Participate in marketing and outreach activities to get the word out about events, activities, and news from the Division and its partners (e.g. via social media, email, etc.)
• Is the commitment manageable
  Yes! As the inaugural VPDUE Fellows, you will also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of clubs and outside organizations in addition to being a VPDUE Fellow. Also, because Fellows are only required to complete an average of four hours per week, they are able to complete those hours when they best fit their existing commitments.