Graduate Program Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Opened in 1965 and set at the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino mountains, the university serves approximately 19,000 students. CSUSB is a federally recognized minority-serving and Hispanic-serving institution that reflects the dynamic diversity of the region and has the most diverse student population of any university in the Inland Empire: 74 percent of its students are members of underrepresented groups, 80 percent are first-generation, and 56 percent are Pell eligible. For more information on the campus, please visit the CSUSB website.

CSUSB employs 467 full-time faculty and offers 48 undergraduate, 35 graduate, and one doctoral degree programs and 14 academic programs with national accreditation. At CSUSB, diversity, equity and inclusion are values central to our mission. We recognize that diversity and inclusion in all its forms are necessary for our institutional success. By fully leveraging our diverse experiences, backgrounds and insights, we inspire innovation, challenge the status quo and create better outcomes for our students and community. As part of CSUSB's commitment to hire, develop and retain a diverse faculty, we offer a variety of networking, mentoring and development programs for our junior faculty. We are committed to building and sustaining a CSUSB community that is supportive and inclusive of all individuals. Qualified applicants with experience in ethnically diverse settings and/or who demonstrate a commitment to serving diverse student populations are strongly encouraged to apply.

JOB SUMMARY

The Speaking Center at JHBC seeks to develop students' oral communication skills. We hire each semester for the positions of graduate assistants (GAs) to serve as communication consultants. Benefits of working with the Center include opportunities to hone public speaking expertise, gain valuable experience as a communication consultant, and help others reach their public speaking goals. 

The position entails between 8 and 20 hours of work per week and offers flexible hours (Monday-Saturday 8am-7:30pm), a hybrid work schedule that consists of face-to-face and Zoom consultations, and potential Winter intersession and Summer employment (budget contingent). Consultants will provide quality coaching to develop and polish students' oral communication skills.

TYPICAL ACTIVITIES

1. Complete University-required onboarding processes through CSUSB Human Resources.
2. Attend and participate in the Speaking Center Orientation and bi-weekly team meetings.   
3. Provide one-to-one and group consultations on various public speaking and presentation projects, assisting students with idea                            generation, organization, delivery, and engagement. 
4. Develop and deliver communication workshops or guest lectures for students.  
5. Visit classrooms (virtually or in person) and introduce the Center to raise students' awareness of this resource. 
6. Assist with the development and implementation of the Center's marketing and outreach events and create promotional materials. 
7. Maintain a database to track appointments and consultation evaluations. 
8. Additional Duties (depending on need, skills, and consultant preferences): 
9. Develop and refine public speaking tools for instructional use. 
10.Promote the Center via social media and strategic communications.
11.Work on special projects including workshop development, website design, instructional materials, and more.
12. Contribute to other tasks as needed (within paid hour allocation).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Accepted into CSUSB's Master of Arts in Communication Studies graduate program on either a classified or conditionally classified basis, or a graduate student at CSUSB in Communication Studies or other program
• Very good oral and written communication skills 
• Good standing with the university.  

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Accepted into CSUSB's Master of Arts in Communication Studies graduate program on either a classified or conditionally classified basis, or a graduate student at CSUSB with a Communication Studies Bachelor's degree, or as an undergraduate in communication (or demonstrated similar skills)
• Successfully completed Public Speaking (or Oral Communication) course with a grade of B or better 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills 
• Good standing with the university. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated experience with public speaking in the workplace 
• Experience with marketing or social media production

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Following a conditional offer of employment, a background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate may start work with CSUSB. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may result in the withdrawal of the offer of employment. Note: CSUSB cannot deny an applicant a position solely or in part due to a criminal conviction history until it has performed an individualized assessment and linked the relevant conviction history with specific job duties in the position being sought.

Please note: Current employees who are offered positions on campus will be required to undergo a background check for any position where a background check is required by law or that CSUSB has designated as sensitive. Sensitive positions are those requiring heightened scrutiny of individuals holding the position based on potential for harm to children, concerns for the safety and security of people, animals, or property, or heightened risk of financial loss to CSUSB or individuals in the university community.

For health and well-being, CSUSB is a smoke & tobacco-free campus. The university is committed to promoting a healthy environment for all members of our community.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Speaking Center at JHBC - our goal is to help students across campus refine their skills and excel in public speaking moments both inside the classroom & beyond.

The Speaking Center at JHBC, an innovative interdisciplinary collaboration between Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration (JHBC) and the College of Arts and Letters (CAL), works with both undergraduate and graduate students across campus to help them become more confident and effective public speakers. The Center offers both face-to-face and virtual appointments at which students-either one-on-one or in small groups-can meet with graduate communication consultants to work on issues such as idea generation, mock interviews, specialized assignment assistance, public speaking anxiety management, video recording, presentation development or rehearsal. The Center's interdisciplinary leadership team includes faculty from both the Departments of Communication Studies (Dr. Julie Taylor) and Management (Dr. Maggie Boyraz, Dr. Ying Cheng, and Professor Matthew Habich).

As a team, communication consultants typically support 800-1,100 students per academic year and collaborate with over 50 unique faculty members and courses across campus. Among the many positive comments written by students in the anonymous end-of-appointment survey were the following: "She used her own writing and speaking experiences to create a clear understanding of what I was being asked to do. She also showed me how my response could be applied to other questions my professor listed," "[consultant] was a huge help. She answered all my questions and even answered some I didn't know I had," and "Amazing consultants made me feel comfortable and helped me improve a lot."

Importantly, the Center's pedagogical prowess is based on High-Impact Practices (HIP; individualized consultations) that complement in-class assignments. HIPs help to increase student engagement and retention and reduce DFWI rates, which improves both undergraduate and graduate graduation rates. The Center helps faculty to adopt state of the art teaching methods and support structures. The Center employs undergraduate and graduate assistants as communication consultants who engage in HIPs through their instructional methods. Furthermore, the Speaking Center at JHBC helps support CSUSB's Strategic Plan of Student Success. We engage students in high-impact practices through providing a place for practice and immediate feedback with content experts. As educators, one of our most important missions is to prepare our students to succeed in their chosen professions, and "excellent verbal and written communications" are skills considered essential by most employers. Several recent studies and surveys have found that college graduates are not well prepared in soft skills (for example in oral and written communication and the ability to work as part of a team) after graduating college (i.e. National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2015; Pew Research, 2016). These skills are so critical to our student's career success, and-in some instances-the disparity between our students' incoming level of skill and employers' expectation of proficiency is so wide, that existing coursework is not always sufficient to close the gap.

For more information regarding the position, please email: speaking.jhbc@csusb.edu. To find out more about the Speaking Center at JHBC visit https://www.csusb.edu/speaking-center-jhbc

Recruitment Chair:

Antonio Guijarro-Ledezma

(909)537-5700

aguijarro@csusb.edu  

Administrative Support:

Lisa Nazario

(909)537-5731

lisa.pena@csusb.edu  

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit:

1. Resume
2. Cover letter including answers to the following:
    a. Describe specific skills and experiences that would make you qualified to be a successful consultant of public speaking (200 words                      max).
    b. Describe why you are interested in being a communication consultant (150 words max).
3. Employment eligibility
    a. Do you or will you meet all of the employment eligibility criteria described above? If not, please explain. 
 4. When will you enroll in courses and/or what is your current year/enrollment status?

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the priority given to those submitted by May 1st for Fall hires and December 1st for Spring hires. Applications submitted after this date will be reviewed if the position has not been filled yet.

Formal review of applications will be as needed.

If you are interested in this opportunity, we invite you to apply by using this CSU Recruit Hyperlink at:

https://secure.dc4.pageuppeople.com/apply/873/gateway/Default.aspx?c=apply&sJobIDs=549469&SourceTypeID=803&sLanguage=en-us&lApplicationSubSourceID=11243

Please Note: CSUSB is currently not sponsoring applicants for H-1B employment that are subject to the $100,000 fee established by the "Presidential Proclamation: Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers" issued on September 19, 2025. Applicants are responsible for determining the applicability of the fee.

Salary is commensurate with experience.

(Actual Salary will be in accordance with percentage of time appointed) 

2325 0    07/01/2024    GRADUATE ASSISTANT MONTHLY    $3,408.00 - $6,072

2326 0    07/01/2024    GRADUATE ASSISTANT, ON-CAMPUS WORK-STUDY       $3,408 - $6,072

2355 1    07/01/2024    GRADUATE ASSISTANT Monthly      $3,245.00 - $4,380.00

2355 2    07/01/2024    GRADUATE ASSISTANT Monthly      $3,245.00 - $4,380.00

2355 3    07/01/2024    GRADUATE ASSISTANT Monthly      $3,612.00 - $4,858.00

2355 4    07/01/2024    GRADUATE ASSISTANT Monthly      $3,612.00 - $4,858.00

CSU Salary Schedule: https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/careers/compensation/Pages/salary-schedule.aspx

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

California State University, San Bernardino is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, disability, marital status, or protected veteran status. This position adheres to CSU policies against Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Violence, including Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking. This requires completion of Sexual Violence Prevention Training within 6 months of assuming employment and on a two-year basis thereafter. (Executive Order 1096)

This position may be "Designated" under California State University's Conflict of Interest Code. This would require the filing of a Statement of Economic Interest on an annual basis and the completion of training within 6 months of assuming office and every 2 years thereafter. Visit the Human Resources Conflict of Interest webpage link for additional information:
https://www.csusb.edu/human-resour...