Graduate Teaching Fellowship Program
Notice: The Graduate Teaching Fellowship (GTF) Program has been restructured. Effective Fall 2004, GTFs are now the teaching component of the Chancellor's Fellowship, a five-year recruitment package for select incoming Graduate Center students. Current Graduate Center students are not eligible to receive Chancellor's Fellowships. |
For more than a decade, CUNY doctoral students have served as dedicated undergraduate teachers under the auspices of The Graduate Teaching Fellowship program. The GTF program has three objectives: (1) to give doctoral students the opportunity to develop instructional skills and enhance their future employment prospects; (2) to provide needed instructors for undergraduate classes at the CUNY colleges; and (3) to broaden financial support for CUNY doctoral students. The program is under the auspices of the Associate Provost and Dean for Academic Affairs at The CUNY Graduate Center. The number of Graduate Teaching Fellows ranges between 200-230 fellows per year.
GTF Program Guidelines
Eligibility: GTFs must be full-time registered doctoral students who have completed at least one year of doctoral study at The Graduate Center and show an interest in teaching at the undergraduate level. To maintain eligibility for the GTF, students must be making satisfactory progress in their doctoral program and receive positive teaching evaluations. Students with certain major awards from within CUNY, such as Gilleece, MAGNET, Humana or other Graduate Assistant positions such as CUNY Writing or Honors College Technology Fellowships, are not eligible for GTF positions.
Compensation and Workload: GTFs are appointed with the PSC-CUNY contractual title of Graduate Assistant C (GAC). The GAC title is distinct from that of adjunct lecturer. GACs are appointed on an annual basis (from September 1 through August 31) at a starting salary of $15, 420 according to the current CUNY-PSC/CUNY contract. The salary is paid over a 12-month period. GACs begin receiving contractual step increases after the first 10 months of service in the title. (The first contractual step is $16,218; the second is $17,128).
The fellowship requires GACs to teach a total of 180 contact hours in the combined Fall and Spring assignments. GACs typically meet this workload requirement by teaching two 3-credit courses (90 contact hours) each semester. If a GAC's assignment requires him/her to teach 4-credit courses (each equal to 60 contact hours), the GAC usually teaches 2 courses in the Fall semester and one course in the following Spring semester. If a GAC also accepts an adjunct position, the total combined teaching assignment may not exceed 270 contact hours during the work year (including summer months).
Please note: GACs are not eligible for health insurance or other employee benefits with the exception of life insurance which is available to eligible Graduate Assistants.
Appointment Period: Typically, GTFs are an "annual appointment" for the twelve-month period September 1 - August 31. GTFs may be eligible for two additional appointments. In some cases, GTFs begin their appointment in a Spring semester (when another GTF resigns or finishes his/her fellowship in mid-year). In these cases the appointment is for a six-month period (February 1 - July 31). The same policy regarding additional appointments applies to GTFs who begin in the Spring semester.
Personnel Details: All GTFs receive appointment letters from The Graduate Center. GTFs teaching at community colleges complete personnel paperwork at the given community college and receive paychecks at that community college. GTFs teaching at senior colleges complete personnel paperwork at The Graduate Center and receive pay-checks at The Graduate Center. Please be advised that in accordance with IRCA requirements, The Graduate Center verifies employment authorization. GTFs are informed of the appropriate payroll procedures at the outset of the fellowship. In accordance with the CUNY-PSC/CUNY contract, the classroom performance of GTFs is evaluated each semester.
Orientation: New GTFs must attend a Human Resources orientation to complete the appointment process. In addition, all new GTFs must attend a campus-based orientation at the college where they will teach before the appointment begins.
Comprehensive information about the GTF Program is available in the Graduate Teaching Fellowship Administrative Guidelines, posted on the Provost's Office web site.
For additional information please contact: Ms. Anne Ellis, Office of the Provost. Room 8113.09, The Graduate School and University Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, 212-817-7284, (fax: 212 817-1612)
