Completing the Hiring Paperwork

Please be sure you have been allotted funding to hire an assistantship by your Dean, Chair, or Director (whichever is appropriate for your unit) before you hire a Graduate Student.

Once you have identified your graduate student and both sides agree to the work expectations, it is time to do the paperwork. 

PLEASE NOTE: THE STUDENT IS NOT TO COMPLETE THE HIRING PAPERWORK.

Steps For Hiring Your Graduate Assistant 

Summer 2025 - Fall 2025/Spring 2026

  • SEHF (Student Employment Hiring Form) 

    • All Contracts must have an SEHF attached.  
    • Please have your SEHF ready before starting the Complete the Graduate Assistantship Hiring Contract step below as this form MUST be attached to the DocuSign Power Form before submitting (Please make sure SEHF is fully signed before attaching to contract).
    • Requested Effected Date is the FIRST DAY of the month the hiring contract begins - i.e. August 1st, January 1st etc.
    • The Monthly Stipend (for GRA, GTA) start and end dates are the FIRST DAY of the month that the contract starts (i.e. August 1st, January 1st) and the LAST DAY of the month that the contract ends (i.e. December 31st, May 31st) 
    SEHF Form

    PLEASE refer to the SAMPLE SEHF FORM to ensure accurate information

     

    • Your Business Manager must sign the SEHF if using College or Department funds. 
    • Your Grants Manager must sign the SEHF if using External funds.
    • PLEASE DO NOT SEND SEHF DIRECTLY TO HR! 

     

    Teacher of Record (TOR)

    • PLEASE NOTE: Only needed for GTAs that are serving as  Teacher of Record 
    Teacher of Record Form
    • Please DO NOT add the Graduate Dean to the DocuSign workflow. Send completed TOR form with just the Chair’s signature with the contract and SEHF.
    • Please Include a Curriculum Vitae (CV) when submitting Teacher of Record form 

  • The Contract links below are DocuSign Power Forms. Before you start your power form, please be sure that you have completed the fully signed SEHF as this must be attached to the contract before submitting for signatures. 

    If you are hiring a GTA that is a Teacher of Record, please be sure to have your TOR form completed and the student’s CV available before beginning the GTA Power Form as these documents must be attached to the contract before submitting for signatures. 

    Fall 2025/Spring 2026 Contracts

    A. Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA)

    B. Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA)
    (Teacher of Record OR Teaching Assistant)

    C. Graduate Professional Assistantship (GPA)

  • The contracts linked in Step 2 and all attached documentations are set up to automatically be routed to gradassistantships@kennesaw.edu upon completion of the Power Forms.

    Please DO NOT submit the contract or additional documents seperately via email. 

    For any questions about completing or submitting the contracts and other hiring forms, please contact gradassistantships@kennesaw.edu 

Process and Timeline

  • Once the paperwork has been submitted to gradassistantships@kennesaw.edu it may take up to 5 business days before it is reviewed, depending on volume.

  • The Graduate College will review, record and approve the paperwork.  If there are questions or issues the Graduate College will contact the appropriate office for clarification.

  • The faculty/supervisor and the student will receive a copy of the signed paperwork with additional steps required of the student.The assistantship is not confirmed and approved until it has been processed by The Graduate College.
  • The required paperwork is then passed to HR for employment.  Once a student’s hiring paperwork is received by HR, the student will be contacted by the Program Coordinator for Student Employment, with instructions on how to complete new hire paperwork and mandatory onboarding. If you have questions you can contact Sam Garbe, Program Coordinator for Student Employment, at sgarbe@kennesaw.edu or 470-578-3948. HR onboarding must be completed no later than the third day after the beginning of the contract.

  • The student may not begin working until HR has sent notification of clearance to work.  Delays in onboarding with HR beyond the scheduled start date will result in a reduction of pay

  • The Graduate College will request the student's tuition waiver from the Bursars office.  It may take them 5-10 business days to apply the tuition waiver.