2025-26 Houston History Magazine Graduate Assistantship

Position: Houston History Magazine Graduate Assistant

Reports To: Houston History, Editor – Welcome Wilson Houston History Collaborative

Salary: Paid Graduate Assistantship (amount dependent on grad program and what year the student is in their program)

Job Status: Completed over the 2025-26 academic year, maximum 20 hours per week

The Center for Public History is collaborating with Harris Health to document the organization’s history in an issue of Houston History magazine. Formerly known as the Harris County Hospital District, Harris Health has provided critical medical services for the residents of Harris County for sixty years. Their hospitals, Lyndon B. Johnson and Ben Taub, along with over thirty clinics and health centers, provide a safety net for those in need of care.

After numerous failed votes to establish a county hospital district, that changed in 1965 after a telling book shed light on the deplorable conditions at the join city-county Jefferson Davis Hospital. Less than two months later the Harris County Hospital District formed, changing the way health care was delivered and made accessible. We will trace that history.

This is an excellent opportunity to gain public history experience and work closely with a community partner as part of the leadership team on this project. You would conduct research in archives, conduct and edit oral histories as needed, write and edit articles, assist in planning the structure of the magazine, review images and captions, and guide undergraduate students in in the Oral History Methods and Public History Capstone courses working on the project – particularly with research and writing. (They will conduct oral histories in the fall of 2025 and write articles and identify images in spring of 2026.)

Responsibilities are spread throughout the academic year, and you do not need prior experience with a publication.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Prepare magazine articles for the fall 2026 magazine on the Harris Health system’s history.
2. Conduct preliminary research with primary sources to tell the Harris Health story, including the years leading up to formation of the Harris County Hospital District.
3. Proofread and edit all articles for upcoming issues of Houston History, identifying where more research is needed, any inaccuracies, and where writing style should be improved.
4. Assist in directing undergraduates on how to conduct research, improve their writing style, and locate images.
5. Locate images for articles and write captions as needed.
6. Attend weekly meetings with the editor and with students when needed.

Competencies:

• To perform the job successfully, an individual should have excellent writing skills in the discipline and knowledge of grammar and footnote format, show initiative and adaptability, be results-oriented, and work well with others.
• Successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to work independently; communicate clearly across all mediums, be detail oriented, and contribute to building a positive collaborative environment.

Qualifications:

• Education/Experience: Must be pursuing a graduate degree and have effective writing skills.
• Language Ability: Proficient in English, with good spelling and research skills. Spanish proficiency is a plus, but not a requirement.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions.
• Computer Skills: The individual should have demonstrated knowledge of Microsoft Word. The candidate must know how to perform basic research on the Internet.

Required Work Schedule

Work will be done on a hybrid schedule.

Requirements: Applicants must be current students at the UH Main campus.

For more information, contact Dr. Wes Jackson at wtjacks2@central.uh.edu.

Dates: September 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026

*Applications are due by June 1, 2025.

Apply Online Here

Please complete:

• Online Form
• Letter of interest
• Writing sample
• CV or resume with names of 2-3 faculty references (NOT letters of recommendation. Please include only the NAMES of your professor references and email addresses).