Graduate Assistants Gaining Real World Experience While Advancing University Initiatives

Each year, Seton Hall Graduate Assistants (GA's) receive placements across the university. Since 2022, two GA’s have been supporting important initiatives. This article highlights the experiences of George Perron, who was integral to the Middle States Accreditation Project. Additionally, Kat Diana has been indispensable to supporting the University Libraries Data Services team. 

Mr. Perron, a third-year Counseling Psychology Ph.D. candidate in the Counseling/Psychology program in the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media, works with Leigh Onimus, assistant dean of the Stillman School of Business and Professor John Saccoman, department chair of Mathematics and Computer Science.

Onimus and Saccoman are the co-chairs for the Middle States Self-Study for University’s re-accreditation and find Perron’s contributions invaluable. "Our needs for the Middle States Self-Study work dictated the need for someone with strong technical and data skills, and George filled the bill. We could not have completed the Middle States Self-Study without George's significant contributions," said Saccoman.

Mr. Perron’s background brought him to Seton Hall after completing his M.S. in Clinical Research Methods from Fordham University. A married father of two, Perron represents the type of academically advanced returning student whose years of real-world expertise made him ideal for a role on the Middle States Accreditation team. "George has created and managed the extensive collection of data and evidence documents needed to demonstrate compliance with Middle States standards and requirements of affiliation as well as federal regulations," explained Saccoman."Certainly, working closely with us on a major project that will significantly impact the University, as well as the opportunity to communicate with and build relationships with administrators across the University in a way that most graduate students cannot."

Like many graduate assistant candidates, Mr. Perron says he applied primarily to benefit from the tuition remission assistantships provide – a tremendous benefit in the face of costly graduate education fees. He was also interested in what he could learn to support his existing research skills. "My GA work with the self-study [for Middle States] provided me significant exposure into the administrative, strategic planning, and quality assessment aspects of the university, which has given me insight into how these areas impact the student experience."

Another graduate assistant offering departmental support is Kathryn (Kat) Diana, GA for Research Data Services in University Libraries. Ms. Diana is a candidate for the Masters in Psychological Studies with a concentration in Sport Psychology. Ms. Diana’s greatest takeaway from the experience, she said, was deep work in "data analysis, data visualization, research data management, and grant writing skills - which can be useful in any profession. I also was able to work with students and faculties on consultations for software."

A registered behavior technician working with children who have autism and adults with traumatic brain injury, Diana had a great understanding of the research process, and was "willing to jump in headfirst to learn new softwares such as STATA and ATLAS.ti," said Assistant Dean for Public Services, Lisa DeLuca. "Kat has done a fantastic job of running DataLab, an Academy funded by the Provost’s Office, where she reviews applications, guides students and faculty through their semester long projects as well as ensuring students have a venue on campus to present their research."

Like Mr. Perron, Ms. Diana applied to be a graduate assistant so she might gain new applicable skills while in graduate school, and get tuition covered while doing so. "I hope to get a Ph.D. in Sport Psychology after graduation," she said. "The support from my department will allow me to be successful in a Ph.D. program. The GA gave me a solid foundation for researching and data analysis in a dissertation."

Both students say good time management skills are necessary for those graduate students looking for graduate assistantships for the fall 2024 semester, as many advanced degree students are also juggling outside jobs and families. "My biggest challenge with the assistantship (as an addition to my other responsibilities) was multitasking and tracking deadlines," recalled Perron."For me, staying organized was key, and I relied on using digital calendars and task apps to ensure I kept track of everything."

On the supervisory side, Saccoman and DeLuca advocate growing the GA program at Seton Hall. Saccoman himself was a GA in graduate school and learned valuable skills useful in his future career. "Seton Hall needs to offer more of these, as it is an attractive way to recruit promising and sought-after graduate students," he said. "These opportunities also need to be publicized more broadly, as well as the impact these have on the student's educational experience and the student's impact on the University in this role."

In 2023, approximately 132 graduate assistantships were awarded, according to the Office of the Provost. Most of the positions are held for an academic year, with the possibility of renewal for a subsequent term, pending performance, and the GAs may be awarded a scholarship of up to twenty-four credits in their program. Graduate Assistants annually receive full tuition, along with a stipend, in exchange for supporting University divisions in distinct roles. For more information, visit this page.

Categories: Education, Research