Isenberg School of Management MBA Appointment Procedures

Isenberg School of Management MBA Teaching Assistantship Appointment and Reappointment Procedures

At the time of application for admission to the MBA program, any student seeking funding must specify their request on the application form. Upon acceptance to the program, the MBA Admissions Committee reviews all requests for funding and determines awards based on:

• Work experience as noted on personally submitted resumes.
• Academic history as noted on officially submitted transcripts.
• Personal interests and career goals as noted on personally submitted personal statements.

In order to determine MBA TA/RA assignments, the need for MBA assistantships is solicited from ISOM centers, non-academic offices, individual faculty serving school-wide needs, and department heads in: Accounting and Information Systems, Finance and Operations Management, Marketing, and Management and Business Law. Based on need and available funding, the MBA Director assigns a specified number of MBA TAs/RAs to the department, center, non-academic office, or faculty member. Within a department, the chair, in turn, assigns MBA TAs/RAs to specific faculty and/or courses. Students are notified of their awards via email and written award letters from the GPD. In addition, a summary of all TA/RA assignments is posted in the MBA Lounge. Appointment contracts are signed the first week of the semester.

The Assistantship Award will remain in effect for a maximum of four semesters, generally the duration of the MBA degree program. Appointments are made at the start of each Fall Semester and run for 38 weeks.

1. This appointment is contingent upon continued academic success. It is expected that all MBAs maintain a Cumulative Average of 3.0.

2. Students will be contacted through a memo from the Graduate Program Director (GPD) in the event they receive a semester average of 2.75 or lower. This memo will outline the areas of inadequacy and the specific steps needed for improvement.

3. Failure to remedy academic jeopardy may result in the removal of an assistantship award, so that the student may better focus on their academic performance.

4. MBA TA/RA Feedback Forms are distributed to the faculty/staff of each appointed MBA student at the close of each semester. This feedback form will serve as an official performance review. Unsatisfactory reviews will result in one or more of the following:

• A memo from the GPD recognizing the quality of work being provided with outlined suggestions for improvement
• A meeting with the GPD to address the potential for removal/reassignment of the assistantship.

Termination of an assistantship will involve the following:

1. Written notification from the appointed supervisor to the Graduate Programs Office identifying the performance problem areas.

2. Verbal notification of probationary warning via the Graduate Program Director or Associate Director in a meeting held within the Graduate Programs Office.

3. A follow up survey will be conducted three weeks following the Probationary Warning meeting.

• Failure to improve performance will result in written termination notification in a memo from the GPD.
• Improved performance will result in a memo removing probationary status. The MBA Committee will make future revisions to this policy with input from a student representative of the Graduate Business Association.

It is the policy of the Isenberg MBA program to employ only MBA students as TAs/RAs.