Re: released time for administrators

["The Writing Center" <writing_center@owens.cc.oh.us>]

Tere:

Your situation and the situations of others who have responded to your
request make me hang my head in shame for the whining I sometimes do about
my position.

Kurt

>
>1.  what is your rank?  do you hold a staff/faculty/administrative
>appointment?

My title is "manager," a professional staff position. I have no faculty or
administrative rank. However, my designation is more a decision by human
resources than anything else. I report to the dean of arts and sciences, who
graciously (I mean it, really!) includes me in administrative matters.
>
>2.  what is your teaching load?  how much released time are you allowed to
>administer your center?

I am on a 12-month contract without teaching responsibilities. I am expected
to be at the center from 8-5, M through F. I also spend several hours before
and after these required hours doing orientations, workshops, in-services,
etc.
>
>3.  what size is your institution;  how many people staff your center and
>how many students do you see a semester?
We are a community college with a main campus enrollment of about 14,000 and
a satellite campus enrollment of about 1,800. We have about a dozen
professional writing consultants (mostly part-time faculty and advisors with
teaching backgrounds). Most of the day, we have one person on duty, during
the late morning and early afternoon we have two. We have approximately
1,200 visits/semester.
>
>4.  what programs, besides the simple task of training tutors and
>administering the smooth running of the center, are you also in charge of
>(wac, consultants to faculty, etc.)?

I coordinate WAC, chairing a committee of administrators and faculty; I sit
on the arts and sciences administrative committee; I also supervise outreach
initiatives, including a community writers' workshop and a high school
writers' workshop. In addition, I have made myself active in faculty
development by working with faculty to make their curricula more
writing-focused. I find myself in the enviable position of being able to
pick and choose most of my projects.