Looking for an outstanding leadership opportunity and a chance to build a greater sense of community at Northwestern? Apply to be a One Book One Northwestern (OBON) Fellow!

Be involved in this Northwestern tradition and help improve the freshman experience. Please read the information below, and apply by Monday, April 28 by 5 pm.

The One Book Program:
Every year, the Office of the President chooses a book for a campus-­wide conversation and events. Free copies of the book are sent to all incoming freshmen and a number of other students, including CAs and PAs. Throughout the year, OBON puts together talks, trips, discussions, concerts, and other events to bring together students, faculty, and the greater community. This coming year, the program will be coordinated by the Events throughout the year will be coordinated by this year’s host of the OBON initiative, Northwestern’s Department of Theatre. .

Our book for the 2014-2015 year is Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do, by Claude Steele.

Responsibilities of the Fellow:
OBON recruits five outstanding students to serve as One Book Fellows each year. One Book Fellows work part­-time (approximately three to five hours/week) and are paid a quarterly stipend. Each placement is a one­-year term. Since some of One Book planning and program development takes place during the summer, it is encouraged, but not required that One Book fellows be available to work on campus prior to the academic year.

Most of the fellows’ work falls into the following main categories:

● Event planning – Brainstorm, plan, and execute events, ranging from speakers to group discussions to film screenings. Help with setup and takedown and make sure all events run smoothly. Participant/audience sizes range from several dozen people to several hundred.

● Student outreach – One of the key aspects of the program is to promote a sense of student community on campus. Your role includes finding partner student organizations for One Book events and connecting student organizations to events that matter to them through email, Facebook, and word of mouth.

● Visual Design – Several types of marketing material must be designed, including event flyers, banners, t-shirts, pins, logos, and other merchandise. Working knowledge with InDesign, Photoshop, or similar programs a plus.

● Marketing and Public Relations – Manage One Book's online and in-person presence, and plan and execute marketing campaigns for One Book programming. Manage the social media platforms, update content, reach out to students and Northwestern groups online, and maintain a high level of activity on Twitter and Facebook.

● Web/blog/email – Improve and maintain One Book’s website; write content and/or solicit content for the One Book blog, website, email list; and help to moderate communication on the system.

Each fellow generally serves as point person in one or more of these categories based on interests and skills. The fellows will help organize and assign tasks in their category to both fellows and ambassadors. Fellows are expected to collaborate and strategize together, as well as help out in other One Book responsibilities. They are all responsible for serving as representatives and liaisons to students and student groups. There will also be a fellow position open to an incoming freshman to help understand and focus on freshmen outreach with connections to dorms and peer advisers to encourage participation.

Fellowship Qualifications:
● Open to students in any major, school, or year
● Good academic standing
● High level of responsibility
● Excellent communication skills
● Ability to collaborate with students, faculty, staff, and community partners
● Ability to take initiative and lead events and programming
● Proficiency and interest in at least one of the Fellows’ responsibilities (outlined above)

Expectations for the Year:
It is important to reiterate that the fellows are students whose main goal is to work together to make the One Book program successful for the 2014-2015 school year. They are expected to read the book, show up to weekly meetings, and do outside work to ensure the success of programming. Finally, they are expected to work as a team and help out outside of these specific job specifications when needed.

Application Process:
The deadline to apply to be a One Book Fellow is Monday, April 28th at 5 pm.

If interested in applying for an ambassador position, applications will be out early fall quarter (also open to fellow applicants who are not chosen). One Book Ambassadors promote the book through student group connections, flyering, and running events throughout the year. The position is a much smaller time commitment than that of the fellows and revolves primarily around attending and promoting specific events.

If you have questions about the program, expectations, or responsibilities, You can email your questions to onebook@northwestern.edu.