This presentation is part of a larger effort to provide an overview of the characteristics and roles filled by a Program Coordinator (PC). As a central administrator, a PC is responsible for a wide variety of programmatic tasks requiring them to be flexible and “change hats” throughout the day. As such, a PC relies on key characteristics and skills essential to run the program, which includes creative duties (like design and innovation), driving change (through predicting and implementing changes), and building community. Our goal is to provide insight into this exceptional role by providing a sample of the associated responsibilities, but also to describe the characteristics one should look for when hiring for this position. Although widely used as a job title in academia, the role of PC is often not well-defined and rarely matches the job description; therefore, it is important to recognize the challenges and opportunities these roles present to both programs and the individuals who fill them. This talk is from the perspectives of PCs who operate National Science Foundation Research Traineeship programs, but the experiences in finding the place and space to be interdisciplinary and build sustainable programming are applicable to any academic or research program.

Presenters:

• Nicole Scott - Iowa State University

• Sara Mata - Oklahoma University

• Jyothi Kumar - Michigan State University

• Toccara Houston - Georgia Tech University

• Kristin Brethova - Indiana University