Graduate Student Intern for the Office of University Life

Location: Albany, NY • Part-time, temporary

About the role

The SUNY Office of University Life is seeking a highly motivated, organized, and innovative graduate student to support system-wide student success initiatives that impact more than 360,000 students across the State University of New York. This internship provides a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in higher education administration at the system level while working alongside student affairs professionals, campus leaders, and SUNY leadership. The intern will contribute to initiatives that advance student engagement, belonging, leadership development, and student life while developing practical skills in project management, event planning, communications, assessment, and policy implementation. This position is ideal for graduate students pursuing degrees in Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs, Public Administration, Education, Communications, or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate meetings, agendas, minutes, and follow-up communications for internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist with project planning, timelines, and tracking deliverables for multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Maintain organized records, databases, and project documentation.
• Assist in planning and executing statewide conferences, leadership institutes, webinars, recognition programs, and professional development opportunities.
• Support logistics including registration, communications, venue coordination, travel arrangements, materials preparation, and on-site event management.
• Contribute to signature events such as the Chancellor's Awards for Student Excellence and other system-wide convenings.
• Draft newsletters, promotional materials, website content, presentations, and communications for campuses and external partners.
• Assist with marketing and recruitment efforts for University Life initiatives.
• Conduct environmental scans and research on emerging trends and best practices in higher education and student affairs.
• Assist with benchmarking initiatives and development of recommendations to support system-wide programming.
• Contribute research and background materials for executive presentations, reports, and State of the University initiatives.

The graduate intern will assist with initiatives across multiple University Life functional areas, including:

• Student Basic Needs
• Veterans and Military-Connected Students
• Campus Child Care Initiatives
• First-Generation Student Success
• Student Leadership Development
• SUNY Student Assembly
• State of the University initiatives
• Student Affairs system-wide engagement

Requirements

• Currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at a SUNY institution.
• Strong organizational, project management, and time-management skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively as part of a collaborative team.
• Experience planning events, conferences, or student programs.
• Experience with student leadership organizations or campus involvement.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Microsoft Teams.

Pay

Undergraduate: $16.00/hour. Graduate students: $18.00/hour.

Schedule

Hours are flexible and will be coordinated around academic commitments, typically averaging 20 hours per week.