ABOUT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM

The Walters Art Museum is among America’s most distinctive museums, forging connections between people and art from cultures around the world and spanning seven millennia. Located in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, the Walters is free for all. The museum’s campus includes five historic buildings and 36,000 art objects. The Walters Art Museum has a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires all employees to be fully vaccinated per the CDC’s definition of full vaccination.

Today, the Walters serves Baltimore and Maryland by embracing its role as educator and storyteller, using the collection as a vehicle of knowledge and cultural expression to support learning, dialogue, and community engagement. The museum is committed to public education, offering essential programs that help people to connect art with their lives. The Walters’ Visitor Promise aligns staff and volunteers across the museum to preserve and share the works in our care for future generations, partner with communities, and create welcoming, accessible experiences for all visitors. The museum offers challenging and

creative work opportunities by promoting collaboration, teamwork, and a culture that celebrates the diversity and inclusion of all. In December 2020, the museum finalized a set of multiyear diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) goals in alignment with the museum’s Strategic Plan and grounded in the following commitments: expand the histories the museum examines and shares; partner with our communities; and center equity, inclusion, and accountability in our culture and decision-making.

 OVERVIEW OF ROLE

The College Initiatives Specialist is responsible for administrative and logistical coordination, outreach, and implementation of initiatives aimed at engaging college audiences with the museum’s programs, collections, exhibitions, and career development opportunities. Reporting to the Manager of Public Programs and College Initiatives, the College Initiatives Specialist provides administrative and logistical support for initiatives that are developed in collaboration with college audiences and Walters’ staff, including but not limited to programs developed for and with college students.

The College Initiatives Specialist is a team member in the Public Programs and College Initiatives Unit of the Learning & Community Engagement (LCE) Department, which strives to increase curiosity, agency, and well-being in our community through creative and thought-provoking experiences. LCE’s work is grounded in the museum’s commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI). The College Initiatives Specialist will also liaise with external partners and students and work with colleagues across museum departments in order to realize a range of onsite and digital experiences and seek opportunities for skill development and job opportunities in the cultural arts sector.

 PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direction of the Manager of Public Programs and College Initiatives, support the planning, outreach, and production of programs and initiatives with tertiary educational institutions that align with the Walters’ strategic and DEAI plans and connect with college students’ interests.

• Provide administrative and logistical support for all components of programs for and with college audiences, which can take place in-person and/or online, and include but are not limited to talks, tours, art-making, and performances.
• Process contracts, invoices, and payments; track expenses; and coordinate hotel and travel arrangements as needed for all college initiatives in the Public Programs and College Initiatives Unit.
• Provide on-site staffing support, including but not limited to registering guests, organizing materials and supplies, and liaising with students and partners.
• Correspond with students, faculty, and staff at colleges and universities with which the Walters has partnerships, including but not limited to the Peabody Institute, the Maryland Institute College of Art, Morgan State University, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
• Conduct outreach to colleges and universities in Maryland to share opportunities available for college students at the Walters.
• Research timely topics related to art, culture, social issues, and local talent in line with the Walters’ mission and strategic and DEAI goals in order to support program development, including for programs designed in conjunction with exhibitions and collections.
• Support students and partners in content development and logistical components in order to achieve intended outcomes.
• Communicate event logistics to all internal stakeholders by participating in cross-departmental meetings and updating the museum’s internal events database with program details.
• Create registration pages, as needed, on Altru and monitor attendance.
• Create content, including authoring program descriptions, for promotional use.
• All other duties assigned.

Under the direction of the Manager of Public Programs and College Initiatives, connect college students with opportunities to develop their skills and to gain work experiences at the museum.

• Learn students’ career interests and connect them to opportunities that further develop their skills within the context of public programs or by liaising with other Walters’ departments, including but not limited to Human Resources; Curatorial; and Conservation, Collections, and Technical Research.
• Research career development opportunities in museums and meet with museum professionals internally and externally to understand how to best support a new generation of museum professionals.
• Assist with the supervision of interns and other college students participating in public programs, including identifying opportunities for training and coordinating their projects and schedules with capacity in mind.
• All other duties assigned.

Under the direction of the Manager of Public Programs and College Initiatives, assist with the coordination of visits by college classes interested in museum careers.

• Liaise with college professors or staff to support planning and implementation of visits intended to further understand museums and career opportunities.
• Collaborate with other museum departments to connect to students’ interests and coordinate logistics and schedules as needed.
• Communicate event logistics to all internal stakeholders by participating in cross-departmental meetings and updating the museum’s internal events database with visit details.
• All other duties assigned.

Assist with administrative tasks and logistical support for additional programs and initiatives in the Public Programs and College Initiatives Unit, as needed.

• Provide administrative and logistical support for all public programs as needed, which can take place in-person and/or online, including but not limited to large-scale festivals and celebrations.
• Order and organize supplies.
• Maintain department records related to programs, including tracking quantitative and qualitative data for archival and future planning purposes and updating contact lists.

 JOB QUALIFICATIONS

• AA degree required. BA preferred.
• One year of experience planning events or programs specific to career development and/or college students.
• Knowledge of local colleges, universities, and other tertiary educational institutions required.
• Demonstrated interest in art, museums, and supporting a new generation of museum professionals.
• Demonstrated ability to work across teams and departments through information sharing, open communication, and being an effective partner, for example, by actively listening, providing recommendations in support of shared goals, and respecting the abilities and ways of knowing of others.
• Effective organizational skills; must be highly attentive to detail, including logistical details.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write for a range of internal and external colleagues with clarity.
• Customer service experience preferred.
• Ability to evaluate problems, determine causes of events, formulate, and recommend solutions.
• Proficient with Google Suite, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Knowledge of event management software, Altru, and streaming programs (e.g., Streamyard) is a plus.
• Ability to speak more than one language preferred.
• Regular workweek is Monday to Friday. Some evening and weekend work required.

Annual Salary Range: $36,000-$46,000