Maine Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) Graduate Communications Fellowship

The Maine Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) seeks a graduate communications
fellow for the 2024-2025 academic school year. The Scholars Strategy Network is a national
organization seeking to improve public policy and strengthen democracy by organizing scholars in
America’s colleges and universities, and connecting scholars and their research to policymakers, civic
organizations, and the media. The Maine chapter is among the most active chapters in the country
and includes highly respected scholars from throughout the state.

What does the Maine SSN chapter do?

We train and support our members to utilize their expertise to influence public policy, public
discourse, and journalism. We have a bi-weekly column in the Bangor Daily News to which our
members contribute. We’ve organized events that brought together scholars with local advocates,
policymakers, and journalists. We also frequently field requests from lawmakers, organizations, and
advocates looking for expertise related to timely issues and important policy issues. The chapter is
co-led by Professors Rob Glover, Jordan LaBouff, and Karyn Sporer of the University of Maine.

What does the Graduate Fellow do?

The SSN Graduate Fellow will be a full member of SSN who will help coordinate and publicize chapter
activities, such as talks by visiting scholars, opportunities for political engagement, and our annual
retreat. Whoever is chosen as the Fellow will also assist in managing our ongoing media
relationships and coordinating our bi-weekly newsletter and periodic emails to the chapter utilizing our existing Mailchimp account. Graduate fellows may periodically be asked to assist with coordinating
chapter activities to engage with lawmakers, journalists, and civic organizations. Other activities may also be included depending on what activities the chapter pursues. This should be a roughly 2-3
hour/week commitment.

Pay/Expectations:

The Fellow will receive a $1000 honorarium in two installments (January 2025 and June 2025).
Additional funds may be available for additional chapter initiatives. Graduate fellows will also be
eligible to apply for periodic opportunities available to chapter members to support public
engagement efforts.

Who is eligible, and how can one apply?

Graduate students at a Maine-based institution in any field are eligible. We especially seek an
energetic, organized person with an interest in facilitating connections across academia and public
policy.

All members, including the Graduate Fellow, join SSN by completing a member profile and
contributing a written submission that connects academic research to public policy. Thus, we would
like an idea for your initial brief. These are written in plain English for a general reader with limited
jargon. Please note that you will have plenty of assistance while drafting the final brief should
you become our graduate fellow. For examples, see https://scholars.org/briefs.

Application

To apply, please fill out this form to tell us what interests you about the position and the skills you
possess that would enable you to succeed in this role. Feel free to send any questions to SSN
Maine Co-Director Rob Glover at robert.glover@maine.edu. The deadline for submission of
applications is Tuesday, March 19th.