Re: Director's Job Description

[Betty Shiffman <bshiffman@uky.campus.mci.net>]

Marcia,

Below are some answers to your questions, but before I launch into them, let
me preface them by saying that I'm currently building a writing center from
what was previously just a corner of the tutoring center, so I'm sort of
inventing as I go along.

At 02:23 PM 7/1/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I'd like to know how many directors are asked to give some of their
>hours over to tutoring; this would be aside from training tutors.  I
>have the opportunity to re-write my cryptic job description this
>summer, and it would be helpful if I can determine
>1.  Do you do any tutoring?
        yes, but..... As I'm training new consultants (mostly undergraduates
with a couple of graduate assistants), I have less time for teaching
one-to-one, but I hope to keep up at least a couple of hours a week and
certainly fill in during crunches.

>2.  How much? (see above answer)
>3. Why?
        I think it's important to maintain the contact with student-clients
in order to keep the experience fresh for ourselves, our students, and our
staff.  If I'm not in the center working alongside the tutors, it sends a
message that "the professor" is somehow above this kind of work.  And I
believe it's very much at the heart of what we do as writing instructors.

>4. Who determines how many hours?
        Of tutoring?  Me.  Of writing center responsibility?  My department
and school.

>5. What % of your total responsibility is WC?
        One-fourth.  Our load is 4/4.  I teach 6 courses a year and
coordinate the writing center.  This is supposed to be the equivalent of 6
work hours a week, but it almost always takes much more than that.  I might
add that my position is tenure-track.  That's an important detail to
consider, I think, as you weigh these answers.

Betty Shiffman
Spalding University
Louisville, KY

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