Associate Director
Overview
This page explains the policies and procedures dictating the appointment of the Associate Director (SF) to the Program in Professional Writing (PPW).
The primary focus of the Associate Director (AD-SF) position is to orient, mentor, and otherwise support instructors who teach a BTW course for the first time. Anytime an instructor teaches a BTW course new to them, the AD provides support to that instructor, adjusted to the level of need. If the Director procures summer funding for the AD-SF, their duties would include the orientation and support of summer instructors. Otherwise, this duty falls on the Director.
Eligibility
Specialized Faculty are eligible to apply for the Associate Director (SF) for the Program in Professional Writing. Applicants should meet the following criteria:
- At least 2 years’ experience teaching business and technical writing at the college level
- Interest in the development of the PPW program and of writing programs as academic units in the university
- Experience with and/or interest in wiki-based web publishing.
- Excellent organizational and communication skills
- The ability to work both collaboratively and independently
- Demonstrable leadership and respectfulness when working with differences in students, instructors, faculty, and staff
Duties
The Associate Director (SF) provides administrative and instructional support to the Program in Professional Writing (PPW), its instructors, and students. The Associate Director reports to the program directors and works collaboratively with all members of program staff.
Duties of the Associate Director include:
- Orienting and mentoring new instructors of BTW 250
- Assisting, guiding, or leading the creation of new courses
- Creation or revision of the PPW Wiki and other resources
- Development of professional development events
- Assisting in or guiding the adoption of LAS Online Requirements
- Pursuing special interest projects for the development of the program
- Carry out other duties as assigned by the program directors
Terms & Compensation
The initial appointment for the Associate Director (SF) is for 1 year, or 2 consecutive semesters, starting in the Spring semester. Since the primary role of the Associate Director is to mentor and orient new instructors in the Fall, the position begins the semester before to provide time for adjusting to the position and preparing new orientation materials. There is an option for renewing this position for a second year. After that, this opportunity should be opened up to other Specialized Faculty in the program for professional development.
Appointment dates for this position in the Spring begins January 16 and ends May 15. Appointment dates for this position in the Fall begins August 16 and ends December 15. The compensation for this position consists of, at least, a 33% appointment or equivalent of 1 course release for each semester appointed. An additional summer appointment may be associated with this position if needed and approved by the Head, which is then compensated by 1/9 the appointee’s annual salary distributed in 2 installments in July and August. A summer appointment for this position must be submitted to the departmental HR representative or Business Manager with a copy of the Head’s approval confirmed via email.
Review & Feedback
Feedback practices for the PPW should be a two-way conversation about the effectiveness of both the Associate Director and the management the Director provides. Evaluative criteria should be discussed and agreed upon shortly after the start of the appointment followed by a period of time appropriate for assessing this criteria.
Leading up to a feedback session, the Director may solicit input from staff and instructors who have worked closely with the Associate Director. Once feedback is collected, a review session can then take place which may vary in formality depending on the preferences of those involved. At this review session, feedback on the Associate Director’s performance of duties and the Director’s management should be exchanged. The end of this review session should result in a list of goals for each and a review period should be agreed to. In general, 1-2 review sessions per semester is recommended in order to provide enough time to assess performance, but there it is good practice to provide informal feedback between review sessions to let each party know how they’re doing in pursuing their performance goals. Additional review sessions may be requested by either party in order to re-evaluate review criteria, negotiate pay or other conditions, and more.
Near the end of the Associate Director’s term, a final review session should take place to reflect on the overall accomplishments of the Associate Director and to create the basis for a formal letter of record that can be placed in the Specialized Faculty’s personnel file.
Timeline & Process
Before a search for a new Associate Director begins, the Director should confirm with the Head that support for the position will continue. It is helpful to emphasize that the position is a continuation of one that already exists, how it has been compensated in the past, and that it represents no increase in expenditures for the department.
During the final Fall semester, either a decision to renew the current appointment for a second year should be made or a search for a new Associate Director should begin. Ideally, the search should be concluded before staffing of Spring courses. A general guide is to email all eligible Specialized Faculty an advertisement for the position by the first week of September and a new Associate Director selected by early October.
Eligible SF are usually asked to submit a CV and cover letter to apply for the position. The Director reviews the applications to determine who to offer interviews to. As a result of the interview process, an offer should be made to the top candidate based on their ability to perform the duties as advertised. Once a candidate accepts, the Director will forward the acceptance to the Undergraduate Office Manager detailing the appointment percentage to be applied to the TA/SF Assignment Spreadsheet. At the course staffing meeting, it’s important to make sure the selected applicant’s course releases are correctly applied.
If an AD is appointed after course assignment, then the Director, AD, and Office Manager should coordinate with the unit for which the AD is scheduled to teach to determine which class should be reassigned.