Associate Director for the Writing Center

Overview

The Associate Director for the Writing Center provides intellectual and administrative leadership for the Program's one-on-one conferencing service, a core University resource for academic support staffed by ~80 peer Fellows who work with students at all levels on their writing and at any stage of the writing process. The staff is composed primarily of Princeton undergraduate (~65) and graduate students (~15) from a broad range of disciplines. It also includes 2-4 Writing Program faculty with blended portfolios assigned to the Writing Center each semester.

 

The Associate Director fosters a welcoming, productive environment for students to participate in the University’s community of readers and writers—a space where they learn to think critically through writing and to rigorously engage the process of drafting, considering feedback, and revising. Designed to complement but not replace the guidance students receive from their instructors, the Writing Center holds more than 5,000 conferencing sessions per year. These include extended appointments for students working on Junior Projects, senior theses, dissertations, and other independent research projects.

 

The Associate Director also coordinates with campus partners to provide specialized conferences and workshops as needed, e.g., with Health Professions Advising for medical school applicants, as well as the Freshman Scholars Institute and the Summer Research & Learning Village. The Associate Director ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of the Writing Center through a wide-ranging portfolio of responsibilities: Training and Leadership; Recruitment and Hiring; Operations and Outreach; and Assessment and Strategic Planning.

 

The Associate Director plays an integral role in the leadership team that guides the Writing Program as a whole and also teaches one Writing Seminar every ~2 years.

 

Preference given to applications received by June 25th

Responsibilities

Training and Leadership• Design and organize intensive initial training annually for new Fellows (2 full days or equivalent), emphasizing pedagogical tools for conferencing and their responsibility for confidentiality. • Organize the overall slate of 7-8 launch meetings and 30-40 workshops for the full Writing Center staff throughout the year, tailored to meet the range of skills and experience undergraduate and graduate Fellows bring to their work.• Oversee and guide team of 10 Head Fellows in leadership of mentoring groups, regular review of conference reports and student evaluations, and the coordination of conference observations.• Provide guidance to the student editorial staff of Tortoise: A Journal of Writing Pedagogy.• Train and oversee ~10 Shift Supervisors who provide on-the-ground support and mentorship to Writing Center Fellows during evening and weekend hours.• Train and supervise 2-4 Faculty Writing Center Fellows per semester (PWP faculty with blended portfolios).• Train and supervise ~30 Writing Center Fellows offering in-person and virtual conferences over the summer.

 

Recruitment and Hiring• Manage recruitment and hiring for 25-30 new Fellows annually, as well as for student leadership positions among experienced Fellows.• Advertise for available positions and host information sessions.• Review ~50 application files.• Organize and conduct ~35 interviews for prospective Fellow hires in collaboration with the Associate Director for Writing in the Disciplines.• Organize and conduct interviews of ~10 returning Writing Center Fellows for Head Fellow positions.• Organize and conduct interviews of returning Writing Center Fellows for Editors of Tortoise, Shift Supervisors, and other leadership roles as needed.• Manage recruitment of current Fellows for summer positions with the Writing Center to offer in-person and virtual conferences for Health Professions Advising, the Freshman Scholars Institute, and the Summer Research & Learning Village

 

Operations and Outreach• Manage the Writing Center's daily operations in collaboration with the Program Coordinator, including payroll and physical space.• Oversee the Writing Center's scheduling system, WCOnline, in collaboration with the IT Manager. Includes submitting requests to vendor for changes in data protocols, feature updates, and compliance issues. Maintain appropriate confidentiality of student records in WCOnline.• Spearhead Writing Program initiatives supporting ESL students in collaboration with the McGraw Center and other campus partners.• Collaborate with the Associate Director for Writing in the Disciplines on staffing for Dissertation Boot Camp.• Serve as an ambassador for the Writing Center's mission to the wider University community through committees and working groups, such as the Peer-to-Peer Administrators and the Professional Developme